Praise & Gratitude; Sacrifice & Contributions

O my God! O my God! Favor belongs to Thee, Generosity belongs to Thee! Praise belongs to Thee and Glorification is Thine, for that which Thou hast bestowed upon these indigent ones, granted a refuge and asylum to these weak ones in the cave of Thy protection and preservation, assisted them in the service of Thy Cause and confirmed them in the worship of Thy Exalted Threshold.

Lord! They have sacrificed their belongings and souls in Thy path, contributed for love of Thee and missed no chance or opportunity in spreading Thy Signs, diffusing Thy Word, promulgating Thy Name among Thy servants and proclaiming Thy wonders among Thy creatures!

Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Most High, the Omnipresent; and verily Thou art the Clement and the Most Merciful!

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Star of the West’, vol. 5, no. 9, 1914)

Prayer for a better harvest

O God! Grant Thy favour, and bestow Thy blessing. Vouchsafe Thy grace, and give a portion of Thy bounty. Enable these men to witness during this year the fulfillment of their hopes. Send down Thy heavenly rain, and provide Thy plenteousness and abundance. Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet to a group of believers; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Economics, Agriculture, and Related Subjects)

Prayer before a meal

[Before eating 'Abdu'l-Bahá rose and recited the following prayer:]

He is God! O Lord! We are assembled here in the utmost love and are turned toward Thy Kingdom. We seek none other but Thee and desire not but Thy good pleasure.

O Lord! Make this food heavenly and make those assembled here of the hosts of Thy Supreme Concourse so that they may become life-giving and the cause of the enlightenment of the world of man, that they may arise to guide all the peoples of the world.

Thou art the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Forgiving and the Kind.

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Recited on November 9, Washington DC, at the Feast of the Covenant; recorded by Mahmud Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)