_Whoso wisheth to pray, let him wash his hands, and while he
washeth, let him say:_
Strengthen my hand, O my God, that it may take hold of Thy Book with such
steadfastness that the hosts of the world shall have no power over it.
Guard it, then, from meddling with whatsoever doth not belong unto it.
Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
_And while washing his face, let him say:_
I have turned my face unto Thee, O my Lord! Illumine it with the light of
Thy countenance. Protect it, then, from turning to any one but Thee.
_Then let him stand up, and facing the Qiblih (Point of Adoration,
i.e. Bahji, Akka), let him say:_
God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. His are the kingdoms
of Revelation and of creation. He, in truth, hath manifested Him Who is
the Dayspring of Revelation, Who conversed on Sinai, through Whom the
Supreme Horizon hath been made to shine, and the Lote-Tree beyond which
there is no passing hath spoken, and through Whom the call hath been
proclaimed unto all who are in heaven and on earth: "Lo, the
All-Possessing is come. Earth and heaven, glory and dominion are God's,
the Lord of all men, and the Possessor of the Throne on high and of earth
below!"
_Let him, then, bend down, with hands resting on the knees, and
say:_
Exalted art Thou above my praise and the praise of anyone beside me, above
my description and the description of all who are in heaven and all who
are on earth!
_Then, standing with open hands, palms upward toward the face, let
him say:_
Disappoint not, O my God, him that hath, with beseeching fingers, clung to
the hem of Thy mercy and Thy grace, O Thou Who of those who show mercy art
the Most Merciful!
_Let him, then, be seated and say:_
I bear witness to Thy unity and Thy oneness, and that Thou art God, and
that there is none other God beside Thee. Thou hast, verily, revealed Thy
Cause, fulfilled Thy Covenant, and opened wide the door of Thy grace to
all that dwell in heaven and on earth. Blessing and peace, salutation and
glory, rest upon Thy loved ones, whom the changes and chances of the world
have not deterred from turning unto Thee, and who have given their all, in
the hope of obtaining that which is with Thee. Thou art, in truth, the
Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.
_(If anyone choose to recite instead of the long verse these
words: "God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting," it would be sufficient. And
likewise, it would suffice were he, while seated, to choose to
recite these words: "I bear witness to Thy unity and Thy oneness,
and that Thou art God, and that there is none other God beside
Thee.")_
_(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, CLXXXII)_