O Lord! Draw up the people from the abyss of the ocean of
hatred and enmity, and deliver them from this impenetrable darkness. Unite
their hearts, and brighten their eyes with the light of peace and
reconciliation. Deliver them from the depths of war and bloodshed, and free
them from the darkness of error. Remove the veil from their eyes, and enlighten
their hearts with the light of guidance. Treat them with Thy tender mercy and
compassion, and deal not with them according to Thy justice and wrath which cause
the limbs of the mighty to quake.
O Lord! Wars have persisted. Distress and anxiety have waxed
great and every flourishing region is laid waste.
O Lord! Hearts are heavy, and souls are in anguish. Have
mercy on these poor souls and do not leave them to the excesses of their own
desires….
…O Lord! The ocean of rebellion is surging, and these tempests will not be stilled save through Thy boundless grace which hath embraced all regions.
Lord! Verily, the
people are in the abyss of passion, and naught can save them but Thine infinite
bounties.
O Lord! Dispel the darkness of these corrupt desires, and
illumine the hearts with the lamp of Thy love through which all countries will
erelong be enlightened. Confirm, moreover, Thy loved ones, those who, leaving
their homelands, their families and their children, have, for the love of Thy
Beauty, traveled to foreign countries to diffuse Thy fragrances and promulgate
Thy teachings. Be Thou their companion in their loneliness, their helper in a
strange land, the remover of their sorrows, their comforter in calamity. Be
Thou a refreshing draught for their thirst, a healing medicine for their ills
and a balm for the burning ardor of their hearts.
Verily, Thou art the Most Generous, the Lord of grace
abounding, and, verily, Thou art the Compassionate and the Merciful.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of the Divine Plan’)
