"O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine..."
O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee,
Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is
the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is
the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by
Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to
send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to
draw nigh unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and
enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine
our breasts with the brightness of Thy names.
--Baha'u'llah
"Glory to Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations..."
Glory to Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations which are sustained in
Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and were it not for the
trials which are borne for love of Thee, how could the station of such as
yearn for Thee be revealed? Thy might beareth me witness! The companions
of all who adore Thee are the tears they shed, and the comforters of such
as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of them who haste to
meet Thee is the fragments of their broken hearts.
How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death suffered in Thy path, and
how precious in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when
encountered for the sake of the exaltation of Thy word! Let me quaff in
Thy Cause, O my God, whatsoever Thou didst desire, and send down upon me
in Thy love all Thou didst ordain. By Thy glory! I wish only what Thou
wishest, and cherish what Thou cherishest. In Thee have I, at all times,
placed my whole trust and confidence.
Raise up, I implore Thee, O my God, as helpers to this Revelation such as
shall be counted worthy of Thy name and of Thy sovereignty, that they may
remember me among Thy creatures, and hoist the ensigns of Thy victory in
Thy land.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. No God is there but Thee, the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
--Baha'u'llah
"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Every..."
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Every man of insight confesseth Thy
sovereignty and Thy dominion, and every discerning eye perceiveth the
greatness of Thy majesty and the compelling power of Thy might. The winds
of tests are powerless to hold back them that enjoy near access to Thee
from setting their faces towards the horizon of Thy glory, and the
tempests of trials must fail to draw away and hinder such as are wholly
devoted to Thy will from approaching Thy court.
Methinks, the lamp of Thy love is burning in their hearts, and the light
of Thy tenderness is lit within their breasts. Adversities are incapable
of estranging them from Thy Cause, and the vicissitudes of fortune can
never cause them to stray from Thy pleasure.
I beseech Thee, O my God, by them and by the sighs which their hearts
utter in their separation from Thee, to keep them safe from the mischief
of Thine adversaries, and to nourish their souls with what Thou hast
ordained for Thy loved ones on whom shall come no fear and who shall not
be put to grief.
--Baha'u'llah
"Thou knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations..."
Thou knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations have showered upon me
from all directions and that no one can dispel or transmute them except
Thee. I know of a certainty, by virtue of my love for Thee, that Thou wilt
never cause tribulations to befall any soul unless Thou desirest to exalt
his station in Thy celestial Paradise and to buttress his heart in this
earthly life with the bulwark of Thine all-compelling power, that it may
not become inclined toward the vanities of this world. Indeed Thou art
well aware that under all conditions I would cherish the remembrance of
Thee far more than the ownership of all that is in the heavens and on the
earth.
Strengthen my heart, O my God, in Thine obedience and in Thy love, and
grant that I may be clear of the entire company of Thine adversaries.
Verily, I swear by Thy glory that I yearn for naught besides Thyself, nor
do I desire anything except Thy mercy, nor am I apprehensive of aught save
Thy justice. I beg Thee to forgive me as well as those whom Thou lovest,
howsoever Thou pleasest. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Bountiful.
Immensely exalted art Thou, O Lord of the heavens and earth, above the
praise of all men, and may peace be upon Thy faithful servants and glory
be unto God, the Lord of all the worlds.
--The Bab