Individual - Nearness to God: “nigh unto the Most Sublime Summit”

In the Name of our Lord, the Most Holy, the Most Great, the Exalted, the Most Glorious!

O God, my God! Thou seest how Thy servant hath set his face towards Thee and desired to be honoured by performing that whereunto he hath been bidden in Thy Book. Do Thou ordain for him through Thy Most Exalted Pen that which shall draw him nigh unto the Most Sublime Summit. Thou, verily, art the Educator of the world and the Lord of the nations, and Thou, verily, art the Potent, the All-Subduing, the Almighty. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by Baha’u’llah; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Centre)

Prayer for George V, the King of England

O my God! Verily, the tabernacle of justice hath been pitched in the east and the west of this Holy Land. We yield Thee praise and thanksgiving for the arrival of this just authority and triumphant government, which exerciseth its power for the comfort of its subjects and the well-being of all people. O God! Assist Thou the great emperor George V, the King of England, through Thine eternal grace and Thy divine confirmations. Maintain then its sheltering shade over this venerable land through Thine aid, protection, and preservation. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Centre)

Group – Spiritual growth; “heavenly power”; “everlasting joy”; Service; “instruments of concord, binding together the hearts”;” wisdom and understanding”

O Thou kind Lord! Illumine the hearts with the light of Thy most great guidance. Revive the souls through Thy most joyful glad-tidings. Illumine the eyes by granting them to behold Thy lights. Make the ears attentive by causing them to hear Thy call. Enable us to enter the Kingdom of Thy holiness and quicken us with the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Give us everlasting life and grant us heavenly perfections. O Lord! Make our lives to be a ransom for Thy sake and bestow upon us a new spirit. Confer upon us heavenly power and bestow upon us everlasting joy. Confirm us in service to the world of humanity. Make us instruments of concord, binding together the hearts. O Lord! Awaken us from our slumber and grant us wisdom and understanding, that we may unravel the secrets of Thy Book and discover the mysteries that lie hid in Thy Words. Thou art the Almighty. Thou art the Giver. Thou art the Ever-Loving. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Centre)

Believer (woman) – To become “entirely devoted” to God; “Supply her, then, with that which excelleth all that can be found on Thine earth”

Glory to Thee, O my God! One of Thy handmaidens, who hath believed in Thee and in Thy signs, hath entered beneath the shadow of the tree of Thy oneness. Give her to quaff, O my God, by Thy Name, the Manifest and the Hidden, of Thy choice sealed Wine that it may take her away from her own self, and make her to be entirely devoted to Thy remembrance, and wholly detached from any one beside Thee.

Now that Thou hast revealed unto her the knowledge of Thee, O my Lord, deny her not, by Thy bounty, Thy grace; and now that Thou hast called her unto Thyself, drive her not away from Thee, through Thy favor. Supply her, then, with that which excelleth all that can be found on Thine earth. Thou art, verily, the Most Bountiful, Whose grace is immense.

Wert Thou to bestow on one of Thy creatures what would equal the kingdoms of earth and heaven, it would still not diminish by even as much as an atom the immensity of Thy dominion. Far greater art Thou than the Great One men are wont to call Thee, for such a title is but one of Thy names all of which were created by a mere indication of Thy will.

There is no God but Thee, the God of power, the God of glory, the God of knowledge and wisdom. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations’) 

Family – “happiness in both this world and the world to come”

O Lord! Bless this family and grant it happiness in both this world and the world to come. Confirm this distinguished person in the greatest service to the human world, which is the unity of all mankind, that he may attain to Thy good-pleasure in this world and obtain a bounteous portion from the surging ocean of divine outpourings in this luminous age. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Centre)

Individual & Believers – To be said at the Shrine of Baha’u’llah: Praise & Gratitude; Forgiveness; Service; Protection

…visit the Shrine, the ka'bih of our heart's desire, turn thyself toward Him on my behalf, lay down thy head on that sacred Threshold, and say:

O divine Providence! O Thou forgiving Lord! Sinner though I be, I have no refuge save Thyself. All praise be Thine, that in my wanderings over mountains and plains, my toils and troubles on the seas, Thou hast answered still my cries for help, and confirmed me, and favoured me, and honoured me with service at Thy Threshold.

To a feeble ant, Thou hast given Solomon's might. Thou hast made of a gnat a lion in the thicket of Thy Mercy. Thou hast bestowed on a drop the swelling waves of the sea, Thou hast carried up a mote to the pinnacles of grace. Whatever was achieved was made possible through Thee. Otherwise, what strength did the fragile dust possess, what power did this feeble being have?

O divine Providence! Do not seize us in our sins, but give us refuge. Do not look upon our evil ways, but grant forgiveness. Consider not our just deserts, but open wide Thy door of grace.

Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful! Thou art the Seer, the Knower! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Tablet; ‘Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks’; Online Baha’i Reference Library, Baha’i World Centre)

Individual (woman) – Protection; Increase one’s love for Baha’u’llah and nearness to Him; Detachment; “Let my food, O my Lord, be Thy beauty”

O Thou, at Whose dreadful majesty all things have trembled, in Whose grasp are the affairs of all men, towards Whose grace and mercy are set the faces of all Thy creatures! I entreat Thee, by Thy Name which Thou hast ordained to be the spirit of all names that are in the kingdom of names, to shield us from the whisperings of those who have turned away from Thee, and have repudiated the truth of Thy most august and most exalted Self, in this Revelation that hath caused the kingdom of Thy names to tremble.

I am one of Thy handmaidens, O my Lord! I have turned my face towards the sanctuary of Thy gracious favors and the adored tabernacle of Thy glory. Purify me of all that is not of Thee, and strengthen me to love Thee and to fulfill Thy pleasure, that I may delight myself in the contemplation of Thy beauty, and be rid of all attachment to any of Thy creatures, and may, at every moment, proclaim: “Magnified be God, the Lord of the worlds!”

Let my food, O my Lord, be Thy beauty, and my drink the light of Thy presence, and my hope Thy pleasure, and my work Thy praise, and my companion Thy remembrance, and my aid Thy sovereignty, and my dwelling-place Thy habitation, and my home the seat which Thou hast exalted above the limitations of them that are shut out as by a veil from Thee.

Thou art, in truth, the God of power, of strength and glory. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations’)

Group – Praise and Gratitude

Praise be to God, Who hath enabled us to recognize His own Self, bestowed upon us the knowledge of His Cause, set forth before us the path of truth and certitude, and revealed unto all created things that which beseemeth His unfailing grace. We render thanks unto Him under all conditions—such thanks as He Himself hath uttered in His Book and hath taught us as a token of His bountiful favour and sovereign might. Salutation and glory rest upon them that have stood fast in His Cause, spoken forth His praise, been privileged to hearken to His Call, set their faces towards the horizon of His grace, and drawn nigh unto the ocean of His mighty Name. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh’; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Believers – Protection from enemies of the Faith

O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and Fashioner of the heavens! Deliver Thy loved ones from the prison of their foes. Thou, verily, art the Sovereign Ordainer, He Whose light shineth resplendent above the horizon of creation.

O Thou Who art the Essence of immortality! Dash not their hopes, I adjure Thee by the life of Bahá, but render them victorious. Thou, verily, ordainest as Thou pleasest, and holdest in Thy grasp the kingdom of creation.

Thine enemies have sharpened their teeth for the flesh of Thy loved ones. Protect, then, Thy companions, O Thou Who layest low the necks of men, O Thou the Lord of the Judgement Day!

Many a day hath passed in delay. Let them, then, in a state of detachment from all things, repeat nine times these luminous words. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Unconstrained. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by Baha’u’llah; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Centre)

Individual – Pioneer; Protection; To serve God and one’s parents

O Thou Who holdest within Thy grasp the Kingdom of names and the Empire of all things, Thou seest how I have become a stranger from my land on account of my love for Thee. I beg of Thee, by the beauty of Thy countenance, to make my remoteness from home a means whereby Thy servants may be drawn nigh unto the Fountain-head of Thy Cause and the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. O God, I call on Thee with a tongue that hath spoken no word of disobedience against Thee, imploring Thee, by Thy sovereignty and might, to keep me safe in the shelter of Thy mercy and to grant me strength to serve Thee and to serve my father and mother. Thou, verily, art the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by Baha’u’llah; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Centre)

Individual (woman) – Spiritual transformation; “Send down upon her the breaths of Thy mercy…”

Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God! Behold Thou mine eye expectant to gaze on the wonders of Thy mercy, and mine ear longing to hearken unto Thy sweet melodies, and my heart yearning for the living waters of Thy knowledge. Thou seest Thy handmaiden, O my God, standing before the habitation of Thy mercy, and calling upon Thee by Thy name which Thou hast chosen above all other names and set up over all that are in heaven and on earth. Send down upon her the breaths of Thy mercy, that she may be carried away wholly from herself, and be drawn entirely towards the seat which, resplendent with the glory of Thy face, sheddeth afar the radiance of Thy sovereignty, and is established as Thy throne. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. No God is there beside Thee, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.

Cast not out, I entreat Thee, O my Lord, them that have sought Thee, and turn not away such as have directed their steps towards Thee, and deprive not of Thy grace all that love Thee. Thou art He, O my Lord, Who hath called Himself the God of Mercy, the Most Compassionate. Have mercy, then, upon Thy handmaiden who hath sought Thy shelter, and set her face towards Thee.

Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations’)

Believers – Teaching; Assistance; Prosperity; Service

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I supplicate unto Thee, O Thou my Helper! I invoke Thee, O Thou my Refuge! I utter to Thee my agonies, O Thou my Physician, and entreat Thee with all my heart, my soul and my spirit, saying: O my God! O my God! Verily, the gloomy night hath fallen upon all regions and the clouds of ignorance have extended in all directions; the people are immersed in the darkness of surmise and the tyrants are sunk in the depths of brutality and lawlessness. The red glare of the burning fire is flashing forth from the netherworld, roaring, ominous voices are rising from the cruel, destructive and terrible armaments; every region is crying out with its dumb secret tongue: "Nothing that I possess hath benefited me and power and strength are taken away from me!" Verily, O my God, the lamps of guidance are extinguished; the fire of animosity is enkindled; wrath and antipathy are spread abroad and provocation and maliciousness are disseminated upon the face of the earth. Yet I see only Thy wronged followers who are crying at the tops of their voices and summoning the people:

Hasten ye toward affinity!

Hasten ye toward faithfulness!

Hasten ye toward generosity!

Hasten ye toward guidance!

Hasten ye toward union!

Hasten ye to behold the Light of the World!

Hasten ye toward love and prosperity!

Hasten ye toward peace and reconciliation!

Hasten ye toward the law of disarmament!

Hasten ye toward harmony and success!

Hasten ye toward cooperation and mutual help in the path of guidance!

Verily, these wronged ones do sacrifice themselves with infinite joy and happiness for the sake of the people with all their souls and spirits throughout all regions. Verily, Thou beholdest them weeping at the misfortunes of every one of Thy creatures and becoming grieved at the distress of Thy children; they are kind to all the people and pained at the sight of the calamities of the inhabitants of the world. O my Lord! make the wings of prosperity to grow upon their shoulders, so that they may ever soar toward the apex of their aspirations; strengthen their loins in the service of Thy people, and confirm them in the thralldom and adoration of the threshold of Thy Holiness.

Verily, Thou art the Merciful! Thou art the Clement, and there is no God but Thee, the Powerful, the Compassionate, and the Ancient! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Star of the West, vol. 4, no.1, March 21, 1913)

Individual (woman) – Protection; Assistance; Teaching

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art He the fire of Whose love hath set ablaze the hearts of them who have recognized Thy unity, and the splendors of Whose countenance have illuminated the faces of such as have drawn nigh unto Thy court. How plenteous, O my God, is the stream of Thy knowledge! How sweet, O my Beloved, is the injury which, in my love for Thee, and for the sake of Thy pleasure, I suffer from the darts of the wicked doers! How pleasing are the wounds which, in Thy path and in order to proclaim Thy Faith, I sustain from the swords of the infidels!

I beseech Thee, by Thy name through which Thou turnest restlessness into tranquillity, fear into confidence, weakness into strength, and abasement into glory, that Thou of Thy grace wilt aid me and Thy servants to exalt Thy name, to deliver Thy Message, and to proclaim Thy Cause, in such wise that we may remain unmoved by either the assaults of the transgressors or the wrath of the infidels, O Thou Who art my Well-Beloved!

I am, O my Lord, Thy handmaiden, who hath hearkened to Thy call, and hastened unto Thee, fleeing from herself and resting her heart upon Thee. I implore Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name out of which all the treasures of the earth were brought forth, to shield me from the hints of such as have disbelieved in Thee and repudiated Thy truth.

Powerful art Thou to do what Thou pleasest. Thou art, verily, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations’)

Individual – Spiritual transformation; Steadfastness; “give me a new life at every instant and bestow upon me the breaths of the Holy Spirit at every moment”

O Thou beloved of my heart and soul! I have no refuge save Thee. I raise no voice at dawn save in Thy commemoration and praise. Thy love encompasseth me and Thy grace is perfect. My hope is in Thee. O God, give me a new life at every instant and bestow upon me the breaths of the Holy Spirit at every moment, in order that I may remain steadfast in Thy love, attain unto great felicity, perceive the manifest light and be in the state of utmost tranquillity and submissiveness. Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Forgiver, the Compassionate. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha, (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Centre)

Believers (women) – Spiritual transformation: “sanctify them from whatsoever becometh not their kinship with Thee”

Glory be to Thee, O my God! My face hath been set towards Thy face, and my face is, verily, Thy face, and my call is Thy call, and my Revelation Thy Revelation, and my self Thy Self, and my Cause Thy Cause, and my behest Thy behest, and my Being Thy Being, and my sovereignty Thy sovereignty, and my glory Thy glory, and my power Thy power.

I implore Thee, O Thou Fashioner of the nations and the King of eternity, to guard Thy handmaidens within the tabernacle of Thy chastity, and to cancel such of their deeds as are unworthy of Thy days. Purge out, then, from them, O my God, all doubts and idle fancies, and sanctify them from whatsoever becometh not their kinship with Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of names, and the Source of utterance. Thou art He in Whose grasp are the reins of the entire creation.

No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the Self-Subsisting. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Baha’i Prayers’; online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Individual - Being unable to properly glorify or describe God; Assistance; Help with spiritual rejuvenation; Detachment; Service and humility

O my Lord! I have drawn nigh unto Thee, in the depths of this darksome night, confiding in Thee with the tongue of my heart, trembling with joy at the sweet scents that blow from Thy realm, the All-Glorious, calling unto Thee, saying:

O my Lord, no words do I find to glorify Thee; no way do I see for the bird of my mind to soar upward to Thy Kingdom of Holiness; for Thou, in Thy very essence, art sanctified above those tributes, and in Thy very being art beyond the reach of those praises which are offered Thee by the people that Thou hast created. In the sanctity of Thine own being hast Thou ever been exalted above the understanding of the learned among the Company on high, and forever wilt Thou remain enwrapped within the holiness of Thine own reality, unreached by the knowledge of those dwellers in Thine exalted Kingdom who glorify Thy Name.

O God, my God! How can I glorify or describe Thee inaccessible as Thou art; immeasurably high and sanctified art Thou above every description and praise.

O God, my God! Have mercy then upon my helpless state, my poverty, my misery, my abasement! Give me to drink from the generous cup of Thy grace and forgiveness, stir me with the sweet scents of Thy love, gladden my bosom with the light of Thy knowledge, purify my soul with the mysteries of Thy oneness, raise me to life with the gentle breeze that cometh from the gardens of Thy mercy—till I sever myself from all else but Thee, and lay hold of the hem of Thy garment of grandeur, and consign to oblivion all that is not Thee, and be companioned by the sweet breathings that waft during these Thy days, and attain unto faithfulness at Thy Threshold of Holiness, and arise to serve Thy Cause, and to be humble before Thy loved ones, and, in the presence of Thy favoured ones, to be nothingness itself.

Verily art Thou the Helper, the Sustainer, the Exalted, the Most Generous.

 - ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha)

Individual – Assistance; Protection

Glorified art Thou, O Lord! Verily I am poor while in truth Thou art rich; verily I am lowly while in truth Thou art mighty; verily I am impotent while in truth Thou art powerful; verily I am abased while in truth Thou art the most exalted; verily I am distressed while in truth Thou art the Lord of might.

Do Thou ordain for me, O Lord, every good thing Thou hast created or wilt create, and shield me from whatever evil Thou abhorrest from among the things Thou hast caused or wilt cause to exist. In truth Thy knowledge embraceth all things. Praised be Thou, verily no God is there but Thee, and nothing whatsoever in the heavens or on the earth and all that is between them can ever thwart Thy Purpose. Indeed potent art Thou over all things. 

- The Báb  (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb’)

Woman – Ease of child birth

He is the Ever-Abiding, the Almighty, the Most High.

Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by this Name that hath been hemmed in by tribulations on every side and assailed by afflictions from every direction, in such wise that He findeth none to help Him on Thine earth or to succour Him in Thy dominion, to ease the pangs of labour for this handmaiden and guard her therefrom, and to free her from this pain and change it into comfort and relief. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, and able to ordain what Thou pleasest. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Incomparable, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Individual – to have a baby: “to bestow upon me a righteous child”; “to ordain for me what will profit me in every world of Thy worlds”

Praise be to Thee, O my God, that Thou didst graciously remember me through Thy Most Exalted Pen, at a time when Thou wert held in the Most Great Prison by reason of that which the hands of such enemies as had turned away from Thee and from Thy most resplendent signs had wrought. O my Lord! I have turned unto Thee and have set my face towards Thy Horizon. I beseech Thee, by the wrongs which He Who is the Dayspring of Thy signs and the Dawning-Place of Thy clear tokens hath suffered, to ordain for me what will profit me in every world of Thy worlds. Thou, verily, knowest me better than I know myself. Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

I entreat Thee, moreover, O Lord of all being and Possessor of all things visible and invisible, to bestow upon me a righteous child who may make mention of Thee on Thine earth and sing Thy praise throughout Thy realms; this, notwithstanding that Thou hast, with this Tablet, made me rich enough to dispense with every fruit, trace, or mention. I close my supplication, at this moment, with that which one of Thy chosen ones hath aforetime spoken: “O my Lord, leave me not childless, even though there is no better heir than Thyself.” [1] 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

 [1] Qur’án 21:89

For parent who lost their newborn child

O Lord! Thou didst bestow and Thou didst summon back unto Thyself. Everything Thou dost purpose is to be obeyed, and all that Thou ordainest is the very essence of wisdom. I am content with Thy decree, yearning for Thy trials, and assured of Thy trust.

O God, my God! Cheer my heart through seemly patience and endurance under every grievous affliction. Bestow upon me fortitude, O Lord, and grant that I may be reckoned among Thy servants who have surrendered their will to Thy decree, who endure patiently every trial sent by Thee, who tread no path but that of resignation, and whom no grief, however great, can ever sadden. Thou art, in truth, the All-Bountiful, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful. [1] 

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá  (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’, online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

[1] Revealed for the recipient on the occasion of the death of his newborn child.

Prayer for Washington D.C

He is God.

O Divine Providence! Bestow happiness and blessings upon Washington. Illumine that land with the rays beaming from the faces of the friends, turn that region into an exalted paradise, and make that place of dust the envy of every verdant rose-garden. Assist Thou the friends and increase their number. Make the hearts to be recipients of inspiration and the souls to be daysprings of light. Thus may that region become a delectable paradise and that land be perfumed with the sweet fragrance of musk. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá  (‘Additional Prayers Revealed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’, online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Prayer for recitation at the grave of a martyr

Baha, praise, light, blessing and peace be upon thee [1], O thou fire of the Love of God, thou light of the Kingdom of God, thou radiance of the Gift of God, thou peerless pearl in the Sea of the Mercy of God, thou sturdy lion in the Jungle of the Guidance of God!

I testify that, verily, thou hast believed in God, thou hast become assured of the Verses of God, thou hast trusted in the appearance of the Kingdom of God, thou hast turned unto God, thou hast kept firm in the Covenant of God, thou hast served the Cause of God, thou hast endeavored to promote the Word of God, and thou hast suffered martyrdom in the path of God. May the soul of men be a sacrifice to thee!

Blessed is the land which is reddened by thy blood! Blessed is the heart which is burnt with the fire of thine afflictions! Blessed is the eye which weeps over thy disaster! Blessed are the hearts which are consumed by thy calamities! Blessed are the bosoms which are rent asunder by thy sufferings!

Praise be unto thee! Exaltation be unto thee! Faithfulness be unto thee! O thou sign of guidance and thou standard of great martyrdom!

O that the bullets which shot thee were shot at the breast of ‘Abdu’l-Baha! O that the darts which pierced thee would strike the heart of ‘Abdu’l-Baha! By the might of my Lord, afflictions are much more favored by ‘Abdu’l-Baha than the honey of life, inasmuch as this cup is overflowing with the gift of God.

Blessed is the one who attaineth to visit thy grave! Blessed is the forehead which is set against thy tomb! Blessed is the man who serves thy sepulchre! Blessed is the person who lights a lamp at thy resting-place!

I beg of God to cause spheres of light to descend upon thy sepulchre and the clouds of mercy to shower rains of forgiveness upon thy resting-place and tomb!

Verily, He is the Compensator, the Beneficent, the Giver! 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 2)

[1] For recitation when visiting the tomb of his honor Reza, of Isfand-Abad, Iran, a famous and valiant man who suffered martyrdom in 1901. The chief religious magistrate of the locality commissioned a number of men to enter his home at night and they shot him to death.

Individual – Forgiveness & Protection

In the name of God, the Forgiver!

Although this wretched state in which I am, O my God, maketh me deserving of Thy wrath and punishment, yet it beseemeth Thy good-pleasure and Thy bounties to confer Thy forgiveness on Thy servants and to bestow Thy good favour upon them. I ask Thee by Thy Name, which Thou hast made the King of all names, to protect me by Thy power and Thine omnipotence from all calamity and all that is repugnant to Thee, and from all that is contrary to Thy will. Thou art supreme over all things. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Individual – Thanksgiving for birth of a baby

He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of wisdom and utterance.

Say: I yield Thee thanks, O my God, and my Master, and my Mainstay, for having aided me to recognize the Dawning-Place of Thy signs, the Dayspring of Thy testimonies, and the Fountainhead of Thy laws and commandments, Him unto Whom Thou didst reveal the Qur’án, and through Whom Thou didst distinguish truth from falsehood and light from darkness. I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of all created things and the Educator of all beings, by the billows of the Ocean of Thy favour and the effulgent splendours of the Day-Star of Thy bounty that have been shed upon Thy people, to ordain for this servant of Thine that which will exalt him by Thy name amidst Thy creatures. Write down, then, for me what Thou hast written down for Thy chosen ones and Thy loved ones. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all who are in heaven and on earth.

I praise Thee and thank Thee, moreover, for the blessing Thou hast sent down from the heaven of Thy will and the firmament of Thy purpose. I beseech Thee, by Thy most mighty signs and by Thy most great, most holy, and most exalted Cause, to bless his arrival unto us. Do Thou ordain for him what will cause every heart to be gladdened and every eye to be solaced. Verily Thou art God. There is none other God but Thee, the omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting. [1] 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh; Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

[1] Revealed for the recipient on the occasion of the birth of his son.

Individual – “that the end of my days may be distinguished above their beginning”; to receive Baha’u’llah’s “grace and loving-kindness,…care and protection”; to receive “manifold blessings” in the next world

O Lord! Grant me a measure of Thy grace and loving-kindness, Thy care and protection, Thy shelter and bounty, that the end of my days may be distinguished above their beginning, and the close of my life may open the portals to Thy manifold blessings. May Thy loving-kindness and bounty descend upon me at every moment, and Thy forgiveness and mercy be vouchsafed with every breath, until, beneath the sheltering shadow of Thine upraised Standard, I may at last repair to the Kingdom of the All-Praised. Thou art the Bestower and the Ever-Loving, and Thou art, verily, the Lord of grace and bounty. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

A prayer for recitation at the grave of a martyr

O thou [1] peerless, matchless, glorious martyr!

Verily, I salute thy pure dust, and thy holy, blessed tomb, which is perfumed by the fragrances of sanctity which are blowing upon thee from the Supreme Concourse, and the lights which are cast upon thee from the Kingdom of Abha, and the copious rain which purifieth thy fragrant plain. Upon thee be Baha! Upon thee be mercy, O thou lamp ignited with the fire of the love of God, irradiated with the ray of the gift of God, and aflame in the glass of the knowledge of God! Thou art he who hath drunk the cup of sacrifice, hath expended his life in the path of God, and hath shed his blood on the earth in love for the Beauty of God. For they did not appreciate thy merit, denied thy dignity, were veiled from beholding the gift of thy Lord, and supposed themselves to be just. No! By no means!

Punishment is for such as persecuted thee, hell is for such as rejected thee, fire is for such as sentenced thee to death, infernal flame be for such as betrayed thee, and the hellish gulf is for such as shed thy blood with impunity! And paradise is for such as love thee, heaven is for such as serve thee, the everlasting abode is for such as visit (thy tomb)!

Upon thee be Baha! Upon thee be greeting and praise, O thou who hast suffered martyrdom in the path of God, and art submerged in the ocean of the mercy of God! Blessed are the nostrils which will be perfumed by the scent of thy brilliant spot! Blessed are the eyes which will be illumined by the ray which is being cast upon thee from the bounty of the Kingdom of Abha!

I beg of God to make thy sepulchre a mine of mercy, a depository of gifts, and to encompass it with manifest signs. Verily, He is the Beneficent! the Giver! Verily, He is gracious, and showeth great favor toward martyrs, and He is the Bestower, the Generous!

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 2)

[1] Siyyd-Jaffar, of Isfand-Abad, Persia, who suffered martyrdom in 1901. When he would not recant, Mulla Abdu’l-Kani, the chief religious magistrate of the locality, turned him over to three different men for execution, and when each refused to carry out the order, the Mulla struck him on the head with a stone, and, with the assistance of another Mulla, put him to death.

A prayer for Thornton Chase recited by ‘Abdu’l-Baha at his grave

O my God! O my God! Verily, this is a servant of Thine, who did believe on Thee and in Thy signs; verily he hearkened to Thy summons, turned to Thy Kingdom, humbled himself at Thy holy threshold, was possessed of a contrite heart, arose to serve Thy cause, to spread Thy fragrances, to promote Thy word, and to expound Thy wisdom.

Verily he guided the people to Thine ancient pathway, and led them to Thy way of rectitude. Verily he held the chalice of guidance in his right hand and gave unto those athirst to drink of the cup of favor. He presented himself at Thy lofty threshold, where he laid his brow on the fragrant soil of Thy garden and circumambulated Thy all-glorious and sublime abode, the traces of which are wide-spread and the fragrances of whose loyalty are sensed everywhere. Later he returned to these vast and extensive countries and proclaimed Thy name among the people, until his respiration ceased and his outward sensation was suspended, returning to Thee with a heart throbbing with Thy love and with an eye opened to Thy direction.

O Lord! O Lord! Submerge him in the ocean of Thy glory. O Lord! O Lord! Usher him into Thy delectable garden. O Lord! O Lord! Usher him into Thy lofty paradise and cause him to be present in Thy meeting of transfiguration. O Lord! Submerge him in the ocean of Thy lights.

Verily, Thou art the Clement! Verily, Thou art the Merciful, the Precious, the Omnipotent!

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (Star of the West, vol. 4, no. 11, September 27, 1913)