Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art He the excellence of Whose glory
hath exalted them who are the sources of authority and honor, the potency
of Whose might hath empowered them who are the fountain-heads of energy
and strength, the dominion of Whose will hath elevated the Exponents of
Thy Cause above all that are in heaven and on earth, and the life-giving
effusions of Whose Pen have quickened the souls of the denizens of the
kingdom of creation.
I am he, O my Lord, who, wholly for Thy sake, hath turned his face unto
Thee, and who, while acknowledging Thy power and Thy sovereignty, hath
directed his steps towards Thy dearly-loved Sanctuary, and Thine adored
and hallowed Court. In this state I have reached the City (Ba_gh_dad)
wherein, in the full glory of Thy names, Thou didst reveal Thy Self unto
all created things. In it I have communed with Thy loved ones, and from
the House within its walls I have inhaled the breaths of Thy holiness and
perceived the fragrances of Thy fellowship.
Cast me not from Thy presence, O my Lord, neither do Thou drive me away
from the shores of Thy love and Thy good-pleasure. For the poor can find
no refuge unless he knocketh at the door of Thy wealth, and the outcast
can find no peace until he be admitted to the court of Thy favor.
Magnified be Thy name, O my Lord, for Thou hast enabled me to recognize
the Manifestation of Thine own Self, and hast caused me to be assured of
the truth of the verses which have descended upon Thee. Empower me, I
implore Thee, to cling steadfastly unto whatsoever Thou hast bidden me
observe. Help me to guard the pearls of Thy love which, by Thy decree,
Thou hast enshrined within my heart. Send down, moreover, every moment of
my life, O my God, that which will preserve me from any one but Thee, and
will set my feet firm in Thy Cause.
Thou art, verily, the God of glory, the God of power, the God of knowledge
and wisdom. No God is there beside Thee, the Great Giver, the
All-Bountiful, the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving.
Praised be God, the All-Glorious, the All-Compelling.