He is the All-Glorious.
Glorified art Thou, O God! The least of the signs of Thy
Kingdom is, under all conditions, sanctified above all description and praise,
and every single reality in Thy dominion is exalted beyond the highest tributes
of the people of the world; for the very essence of remembrance is wholly
removed from the One remembered, and the inner reality of all praise remaineth
veiled from the One praised. The signs of Thy dominion, in their very essence,
are immeasurably exalted above the reckoning of the exponents of praise, and
are sanctified beyond the grasp of them that are endued with understanding. The
most eminent of sages have acknowledged their failure in this regard,
confessing that their minds can fathom only that which is within the measure of
human capacity and commensurate with the power of the birds of mortal thought
when soaring in the heights of knowledge.
O my God! Given such clear and evident powerlessness, such plain and manifest poverty in recognizing the least of the signs of Thy dominion in the world of creation, how then can I unloose my tongue to make mention of Thine attributes and to proclaim Thy virtues? How can I speak forth Thy praise and celebrate Thy glory in Thy presence? How can I extol the evidences of being and the realities of existence that are found in the world of allusions and the realm of creation?
I have no recourse but to proclaim: “Hallowed and sanctified art Thou! Immeasurably high, exalted, and glorified art Thou!” and to implore pardon for this sin and transgression of mine, which hath filled me with shame before Thy loved ones. For to proclaim Thy sanctity and holiness is naught but to venture to describe Thee and, as such, is an evident sin, a shameful and palpable error.
O Lord! I beseech Thee by the Hands of Thy Cause, the Daysprings of Thy remembrance and the Dawning-Places of Thy command, and by the coursing of the stars and the burning meteors that rain down upon them that deny Thy manifest Cause and stray from Thy straight Path, to assist Thy loved ones who are firm in Thy Covenant and Testament and steadfast in Thy love and remembrance. Help them attain unto every good Thou hast ordained in Thine all-glorious Kingdom. Thou art, in truth, the Powerful, the Mighty.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; ‘Light of the World’)
