Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou seest me dwelling in this
prison-house that lieth behind the seas and the mountains, and knowest
full well what I have endured for love of Thee and for the sake of Thy
Cause. Thou art He, O my God, Who hath raised me up at Thy behest, and
bidden me to occupy Thy seat, and to summon all men to the court of Thy
mercy. It is Thou Who hast commanded me to tell out the things Thou didst
destine for them in the Tablet of Thy decree and didst inscribe with the
pen of Thy Revelation, and Who hast enjoined on me the duty of kindling
the fire of Thy love in the hearts of Thy servants, and of drawing all the
peoples of the earth nearer to the habitation of Thy throne.
And when, as bidden by Thee, I arose and called out, by Thy leave, all Thy
creatures, the wayward among Thy servants opposed me. Some turned away
from me, others disowned my claim, a few hesitated, while others were sore
perplexed, notwithstanding that Thy testimony was set forth before the
followers of all religions, and Thy proof demonstrated unto all the
peoples of the earth, and the signs of Thy might so powerfully manifested
as to encompass the entire creation.
I was, moreover, opposed by mine own kindred, although, as Thou knowest,
they were dear to me and I had desired for them that which I had desired
for mine own self. These are the ones who, when learning that I had been
cast into prison, perpetrated against me what no man else on earth had
perpetrated.
I entreat Thee, therefore, O my God, by Thy name by which Thou hast
separated between truth and denial, to purify their hearts of all evil
suggestions, and to enable them to draw nigh unto Him Who is the
Day-Spring of Thy names and Thine attributes.
Thou knowest, O my God, that I have severed every tie that bindeth me to
any of Thy creatures except that most exalted tie that uniteth me with
whosoever cleaveth unto Thee, in this the day of the revelation of Thy
most august Self, that hath appeared in Thy name, the All-Glorious. Thou
knowest that I have dissolved every bond that knitteth me to any one of my
kindred except such as have enjoyed near access to Thy most effulgent
face.
I have no will but Thy will, O my Lord, and cherish no desire except Thy
desire. From my pen floweth only the summons which Thine own exalted pen
hath voiced, and my tongue uttereth naught save what the Most Great Spirit
hath itself proclaimed in the kingdom of Thine eternity. I am stirred by
nothing else except the winds of Thy will, and breathe no word except the
words which, by Thy leave and Thine inspiration, I am led to pronounce.
Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art the Well-Beloved of all that have known
Thee, and the Desire of the hearts of such as are devoted to Thee,
inasmuch as Thou hast made me a target for the ills that I suffer in my
love for Thee, and the object of the assaults launched against me in Thy
path. Thy glory beareth me witness! I can, on no account, feel impatient
of the adversities that I have borne in my love for Thee. From the very
day Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me, I have accepted for myself every
manner of tribulation. Every moment of my life my head crieth out to Thee
and saith: "Would, O my Lord, that I could be raised on the spear-point in
Thy path!" while my blood entreateth Thee saying: "Dye the earth with me,
O my God, for the sake of Thy love and Thy pleasure!" Thou knowest that I
have, at no time, sought to guard my body against any affliction, nay
rather I have continually anticipated the things Thou didst ordain for me
in the Tablet of Thy decree.
Behold, then, O my God, my loneliness among Thy servants and my remoteness
from Thy friends and Thy chosen ones. I beseech Thee, by the showers of
the clouds of Thy mercy, whereby Thou hast caused the blossoms of Thy
praise and utterance and the flowers of Thy wisdom and testimony to spring
forth in the hearts of all them that have recognized Thy oneness, to
supply Thy servants and my kindred with the fruits of the tree of Thy
unity, in these days when Thou hast been established upon the throne of
Thy mercy. Hinder them not, O my Lord, from attaining unto the things Thou
dost possess, and write down for them that which will aid them to scale
the heights of Thy grace and favor. Give them, moreover, to drink of the
living waters of Thy knowledge, and ordain for them the good of this world
and of the world to come.
Thou art, verily, the Lord of Baha, and the Beloved of his heart, and the
Object of his desire, and the Inspirer of his tongue, and the Source of
his soul. No God is there but Thee, the Inaccessible, the Most High. Thou
art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most
Merciful.