"Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Graciously..."
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Graciously grant that this infant be fed
from the breast of Thy tender mercy and loving providence and be nourished
with the fruit of Thy celestial trees. Suffer him not to be committed to
the care of anyone save Thee, inasmuch as Thou, Thyself, through the
potency of Thy sovereign will and power, didst create and call him into
being. There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
Lauded art Thou, O my Best Beloved, waft over him the sweet savors of Thy
transcendent bounty and the fragrances of Thy holy bestowals. Enable him
then to seek shelter beneath the shadow of Thy most exalted Name, O Thou
Who holdest in Thy grasp the kingdom of names and attributes. Verily, Thou
art potent to do what Thou willest, and Thou art indeed the Mighty, the
Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Gracious, the Generous, the Merciful.
--Baha'u'llah
"O Thou peerless Lord! Let this suckling babe..."
O Thou peerless Lord! Let this suckling babe be nursed from the breast of
Thy loving-kindness, guard it within the cradle of Thy safety and
protection and grant that it be reared in the arms of Thy tender
affection.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O God! Rear this little babe in the bosom of..."
O God! Rear this little babe in the bosom of Thy love, and give it milk
from the breast of Thy Providence. Cultivate this fresh plant in the rose
garden of Thy love and aid it to grow through the showers of Thy bounty.
Make it a child of the kingdom, and lead it to Thy heavenly realm. Thou
art powerful and kind, and Thou art the Bestower, the Generous, the Lord
of surpassing bounty.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O God! Educate these children. These children..."
O God! Educate these children. These children are the plants of Thine
orchard, the flowers of Thy meadow, the roses of Thy garden. Let Thy rain
fall upon them; let the Sun of Reality shine upon them with Thy love. Let
Thy breeze refresh them in order that they may be trained, grow and
develop, and appear in the utmost beauty. Thou art the Giver. Thou art the
Compassionate.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O Thou kind Lord! These lovely children are..."
O Thou kind Lord! These lovely children are the handiwork of the fingers
of Thy might and the wondrous signs of Thy greatness. O God! Protect these
children, graciously assist them to be educated and enable them to render
service to the world of humanity. O God! These children are pearls, cause
them to be nurtured within the shell of Thy loving-kindness.
Thou art the Bountiful, the All-Loving.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O Lord! Make these children excellent plants...."
O Lord! Make these children excellent plants. Let them grow and develop in
the Garden of Thy Covenant, and bestow freshness and beauty through the
outpourings of the clouds of the Abha Kingdom.
O Thou kind Lord! I am a little child, exalt me by admitting me to the
kingdom. I am earthly, make me heavenly; I am of the world below, let me
belong to the realm above; gloomy, suffer me to become radiant; material,
make me spiritual, and grant that I may manifest Thine infinite bounties.
Thou art the Powerful, the All-Loving.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"He is God! O God my God! Bestow upon me..."
He is God! O God my God! Bestow upon me a pure heart, like unto a pearl.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a..."
O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant
star. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O my Lord! O my Lord!..."
O my Lord! O my Lord!
I am a child of tender years. Nourish me from the breast of Thy mercy,
train me in the bosom of Thy love, educate me in the school of Thy
guidance and develop me under the shadow of Thy bounty. Deliver me from
darkness, make me a brilliant light; free me from unhappiness, make me a
flower of the rose garden; suffer me to become a servant of Thy threshold
and confer upon me the disposition and nature of the righteous; make me a
cause of bounty to the human world, and crown my head with the diadem of
eternal life.
Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Seer, the Hearer.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O Peerless Lord! Be Thou a shelter for this..."
O Peerless Lord! Be Thou a shelter for this poor child and a kind and
forgiving Master unto this erring and unhappy soul. O Lord! Though we are
but worthless plants, yet we belong to Thy garden of roses. Though
saplings without leaves and blossoms, yet we are a part of Thine orchard.
Nurture this plant then through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy
tender mercy and quicken and refresh this sapling through the reviving
breath of Thy spiritual springtime. Suffer him to become heedful,
discerning and noble, and grant that he may attain eternal life and abide
in Thy Kingdom for evermore.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O Lord! Make this youth radiant, and confer..."
O Lord! Make this youth radiant, and confer Thy bounty upon this poor
creature. Bestow upon him knowledge, grant him added strength at the break
of every morn and guard him within the shelter of Thy protection so that
he may be freed from error, may devote himself to the service of Thy
Cause, may guide the wayward, lead the hapless, free the captives and
awaken the heedless, that all may be blessed with Thy remembrance and
praise. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.
--'Abdu'l-Baha