"The praise which hath dawned from Thy most..."
(This Tablet is read at the Shrines of Baha'u'llah and the Bab. It is also
frequently used in commemorating Their anniversaries.)
The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the glory
which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O
Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and
the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth! I testify that through
Thee the sovereignty of God and His dominion, and the majesty of God and
His grandeur, were revealed, and the Daystars of ancient splendor have
shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree, and the
Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above the horizon of creation. I
testify, moreover, that with but a movement of Thy Pen Thine injunction
"Be Thou" hath been enforced, and God's hidden Secret hath been divulged,
and all created things have been called into being, and all the
Revelations have been sent down.
I bear witness, moreover, that through Thy beauty the beauty of the Adored
One hath been unveiled, and through Thy face the face of the Desired One
hath shone forth, and that through a word from Thee Thou hast decided
between all created things, caused them who are devoted to Thee to ascend
unto the summit of glory, and the infidels to fall into the lowest abyss.
I bear witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath
attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God. Great,
therefore, is the blessedness of him who hath believed in Thee, and in Thy
signs, and hath humbled himself before Thy sovereignty, and hath been
honored with meeting Thee, and hath attained the good pleasure of Thy
will, and circled around Thee, and stood before Thy throne. Woe betide him
that hath transgressed against Thee, and hath denied Thee, and repudiated
Thy signs, and gainsaid Thy sovereignty, and risen up against Thee, and
waxed proud before Thy face, and hath disputed Thy testimonies, and fled
from Thy rule and Thy dominion, and been numbered with the infidels whose
names have been inscribed by the fingers of Thy behest upon Thy holy
Tablets.
Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my Beloved, from the right hand of Thy
mercy and Thy loving-kindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they
may draw me away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy
nearness and Thy presence. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou,
truly, hast been supreme over all things.
The remembrance of God and His praise, and the glory of God and His
splendor, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art His Beauty! I bear witness that
the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. Thou wast
immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one
time Thou wast in chains and fetters; at another Thou wast threatened by
the sword of Thine enemies. Yet, despite all this, Thou didst enjoin upon
all men to observe what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer, and my soul
be a ransom for the adversities Thou didst sustain. I beseech God, by Thee
and by them whose faces have been illumined with the splendors of the
light of Thy countenance, and who, for love of Thee, have observed all
whereunto they were bidden, to remove the veils that have come in between
Thee and Thy creatures, and to supply me with the good of this world and
the world to come. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the
All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
Bless Thou, O Lord my God, the Divine Lote-Tree and its leaves, and its
boughs, and its branches, and its stems, and its offshoots, as long as Thy
most excellent titles will endure and Thy most august attributes will
last. Protect it, then, from the mischief of the aggressor and the hosts
of tyranny. Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. Bless
Thou, also, O Lord my God, Thy servants and Thy handmaidens who have
attained unto Thee. Thou, truly, art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace is
infinite. No God is there save Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most
Generous.
--Baha'u'llah
"He is the All-Glorious!..."
(This prayer, revealed by 'Abdu'l-Baha, is read at His Shrine. It is also
used in private prayer.)
Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and fervor will bring gladness
and joy to the heart of this Servant; it will be even as meeting Him face
to face.
He is the All-Glorious!
O God, my God! Lowly and tearful, I raise my suppliant hands to Thee and
cover my face in the dust of that Threshold of Thine, exalted above the
knowledge of the learned, and the praise of all that glorify Thee.
Graciously look upon Thy servant, humble and lowly at Thy door, with the
glances of the eye of Thy mercy, and immerse him in the Ocean of Thine
eternal grace.
Lord! He is a poor and lowly servant of Thine, enthralled and imploring
Thee, captive in Thy hand, praying fervently to Thee, trusting in Thee, in
tears before Thy face, calling to Thee and beseeching Thee, saying:
O Lord, my God! Give me Thy grace to serve Thy loved ones, strengthen me
in my servitude to Thee, illumine my brow with the light of adoration in
Thy court of holiness, and of prayer to Thy kingdom of grandeur. Help me
to be selfless at the heavenly entrance of Thy gate, and aid me to be
detached from all things within Thy holy precincts. Lord! Give me to drink
from the chalice of selflessness; with its robe clothe me, and in its
ocean immerse me. Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and
grant that I may offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by the footsteps
of Thy chosen ones in Thy path, O Lord of Glory in the Highest.
With this prayer doth Thy servant call Thee, at dawntide and in the
night-season. Fulfill his heart's desire, O Lord! Illumine his heart,
gladden his bosom, kindle his light, that he may serve Thy Cause and Thy
servants.
Thou art the Bestower, the Pitiful, the Most Bountiful, the Gracious, the
Merciful, the Compassionate.
--'Abdu'l-Baha