BB00320: To Siyyid Buka’ and Haji Muhammad-i-Kharraz

To: Siyyid Buka’ and Haji Muhammad-i-Kharraz

Date: 1262-07-15 [1846-Jul-9]

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

O God! I bear witness before Thee to that whereby Thou bearest witness to Thine Own Essence before the creation of all things, and to that which Thou art in Thine Eternal Identity which none knoweth save Thee. Thou art God, the Single, the Self-Subsisting, the One, the Most Exalted.

O my God! How can I praise Thee and call upon Thee when my knowledge of Thine Essence hath cut me off from praise, and my remembrance before the court of Thy Self-Subsistence causeth me to be forbidden by decree? I have no path, O my God, except through Thy remembrance of me, Thy manifestations unto me, and Thy breathings in my inmost being and my outward self.

I beseech Thee, O God, by the might of eternity and the majesty of everlastingness, to send Thy blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad with the divine verses, the celestial signs, the heavenly stations, and the earthly proofs, in such wise that none save Thee can encompass their knowledge. Send down upon them in every condition Thy breathings, Thy manifestations, and Thy will through the ultimate reaches of Thy power, the furthest extent of Thy purpose, and the endless expressions of Thy Command, such that none can encompass any portion thereof save through Thy knowledge. Verily Thou art God, the All-Knowing, the Ancient, the Powerful, the Wise, Who brought creation into being from nothing through Thy creative power, and Who sustaineth them at every moment as at the first instant. Thou art He Who made known to them the path of Thy will and the way of Thy love, and revealed unto them in Thy Book all that they need for their journey toward Thy good pleasure, lest any soul go astray except after having recognized Thy truth and become certain of Thy decree, and lest anyone say “Had God made known His power unto me, I would have been among the believers.”

O my God! The paths of supplication leading to Thy holy court descend from above, and the essences of petition rise up toward the heaven of Thy grandeur. Thou knowest that this night is the middle night of this sacred month of Rajab, which Thou hast honored above many other days through the excellence of Thy will over the degrees of Thy adornments, and which Thou hast magnified through the signs of Thy love for those who follow Thy good pleasure.

O God! I beseech Thee by the Great Birth and the Ancient Name and the Noble Origin whom Thou didst create for Thyself, chose for Thy Cause, selected for Thy will, and elected for Thy good pleasure—he who standeth by Thy Command, is absent by Thy leave, is concealed within Thy veil, awaiteth Thy promise, and seeketh forgiveness for Thy loved ones—by all that Thou art in might and majesty and grandeur and beauty. O my God! Grant unto me and unto all Thy servants from the treasuries of Thy mercy that which befitteth the presence of Thy grandeur and the majesty of Thy Self-Subsistence.

O God! Thou knowest that affairs have reached their ordained severity. Show us his concealed countenance in these dark nights, for verily Thou art God, the All-Forgiving, the All-Appreciating. O God! I cannot reckon the praise due to Thy Proof who standeth by Thy Command, nor the praise due to any of his infallible signs, the completers of religion and guides of all creation. O God! Through Thy bounty, praise them with all Thy breathings, verses, favors and signs, by all that Thou art in unity and might and glory. Forgive us through their right, relieve us through their grace, cause us to die in obedience to them after having recognized them, bring us to life in their return, make us secure in their dominion, steadfast in their rule during their absence, thankful for their bounties, content with their decree, patient under their trials, mindful of their traditions, following their traces, and keeping their secrets—through Thy favor and bounty, O my God and God of my forefathers: Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn, Ali, Muhammad, Ja’far, Musa, Ali, Muhammad, Ali, Hasan and the Proof, the Qa’im—God’s blessings be upon them and upon their cherubic followers.

And may Thy unity, the settings of Thy sanctification, the signs of Thy praise, the tokens of Thy glorification, and the proofs of Thy transcendence be through all that Thou art in splendor and praise and cloud and radiance and decree and change and execution. Verily Thou art God, Lord of creation. Nothing in the heavens or earth is too great for Thee. Thou art God, the Most High, the Most Exalted. Glory be to God, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe. Peace be upon the Messengers. And praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.