BB00086: Li-avvali man sa’ida ilayh (Mulla Husayn)

Part 1: “This is a prayer and visitation…”

This is a prayer and visitation for the first to respond to his Lord, for the manifestations of His Self, and for the martyrs in His path.

In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy

Glorified art Thou, O God! I and all things bear witness that verily Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone, without peer. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, and Thine the Glory and the Might, and Thine the Power and the Divinity, and Thine the Strength and the Ruby. Thou givest life and causest death, then causest death and givest life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not. Within Thy grasp is the kingdom of all things. Thou createst whatsoever Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Glorified art Thou, O God! I and all things bear witness that Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Alone, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, the All-Wise, the Just, the Holy, the Everlasting, the Eternal, the Self-Dependent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, and Thou hast had no partner in sovereignty, nor any protector in all the earth save by Thy leave. Thou didst ordain the creation of all things and fashion them according to Thy Will, and Thou didst determine the measures of all things by Thy leave and decree them by Thy ordering.

Therefore, O my God, send down at this moment from every glory with which Thou hast encompassed all knowledge, and from all majesty, beauty, grandeur, light, mercy, might, word, power, strength and loftiness upon the Tree which Thou hast established from nothing by Thy Will, and raised above all Thy creation, for it responded to Thee in the primal atom by Thy Will. Therefore, O my God, at this moment shower upon it all Thy blessings, and send down upon it Thy manifestations, and ordain for it in the Kingdom of the hereafter and the present all Thy attributes, for this is an Essential Reality, a Pure Essence, an Abstract Spirit, and a Camphorated Soul, a pristine Being, which hath no will save the essence of Thy Will, and no desire save the essence of Thy Desire. How exalted is such a station in creation, whereby Thou hast made its will the essence of Thy Will and its desire the essence of Thy Desire, and through it Thou didst begin all Thy creation and through it Thou wilt return it—a true promise upon Thee, before and after. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

Therefore, O my God, bless the Letters of its Self who have prostrated themselves before Thee through it and have made their will its will in acknowledging Thy unity and in their certitude of Thy oneness, and bless those who follow its path and ascend through its will from among all souls who have turned to Thee and presented themselves before Thee. And especially bless at this moment, on the night of Friday, those who have martyred themselves in the path of Thy Cause and have ascended unto Thee through the glory of Thy grandeur, and have risen up before Thee in the stations of the glory of Thy Lordship, and have detached themselves from all things through their supplication to the Sovereign of Thy Oneness and their attainment unto the King of Thy Unity. How exalted is what Thou hast ordained for them, while they all seek it from Thee night and day yet its means are not provided to them, and they ask Thee about it in every condition yet its fulfillment is not granted to them.

Therefore, I praise Thee, O my God, on their behalf with the most exalted praise, for Thou hast answered their prayers and brought them to their ultimate desire, and I thank Thee, O my God, from their presence for having favored them with this gift and bestowed upon them this station. O my God! How lofty is it before Thee and how mighty in Thy Book! I bear witness that this is a calamity that has become universal and mighty and elevated and advanced beyond all calamities, for it has been cut off unto Thee and has prostrated itself before Thee and has shown humility before Thine eyes and has submitted before Thy hands and has surrendered to Thy Cause through that Simple Essence and Abstract Contingent Being, whereby if Thou accepteth not, none besides it would be accepted, and if Thou art not pleased, none besides it would be pleased.

Therefore, O God, ordain the reward of all who are martyred in Thy path and believe in Thee and in Thy words, unto that Camphor-Tree of the divine Being; for whatsoever they attain of good is but through the overflow of Thy bounty, and whatsoever they acquire of evil is only by the decree of Thy justice. Thus dost Thou create what Thou willest and exalt whom Thou desirest, whereof none other besides Thee hath power. Therefore, O my God, at this time do Thou chastise all Thine enemies, and the enemies of Thy Beloved, and the enemies of the Manifestations of Thyself, and the enemies of those who claim relationship to Thee. For by Thy might! I shall forever disavow all who show enmity toward those who claim relationship to Thee—how much more those whom Thou hast made Manifestations of Thyself!

Therefore, O my God, on this night send down Thy vengeance upon those who have worshipped other than Thee and who have, without any right granted by Thee, waxed proud before the Manifestations of Thy Cause. Seize them, O my God, through Thy might with a mighty seizure, for verily Thou art the All-Powerful, the Almighty. Chastise them, O my God, through Thy power with a great chastisement, for verily Thou art most severe in punishment and in retribution.

O my God! Send down Thy blessings upon the hearts that have grieved in Thy path, and upon the bodies that have endured patiently for Thy good-pleasure, and upon the souls that have yearned for Thee in their love for Thee, and upon the hearts that have ascended unto Thee through their devotion to Thee—blessings that have no equal in Thy knowledge and no likeness in Thy Book, blessings that fill Thy heaven and Thy earth and all things that have been created through Thy will. There is no God but Thee, alone with no partner, and verily he who is martyred in Thy path is a branch of the Tree which hath seven letters with Thee, and verily he who turneth unto him and believeth in him ascendeth to the highest horizon of spiritual realities. And verily whosoever hath not tasted what he hath tasted in Thy path—the acknowledgment of Thy oneness and the certitude of Thy justice and self-subsistence—hath been created from fire and unto it shall return.

Ordain, O my God, on this night which Thou hast magnified in the month which Thou hast associated with Thyself, that which is best in Thy sight for those who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and that which befitteth Thy justice for those who believe not in Thee nor in Thy signs. For verily Thou art most bountiful of the bountiful to those who serve Thee, and most severe of the avengers against those who veil themselves from Thee.

Unto Thee do I entrust my affairs and the affairs of those who seek Thee. Thou art sufficient unto me, O my God, to protect me from all things, while nothing sufficeth to protect from Thee. Through Thee have I become independent of all Thy creation, through Thee have I become independent of all Thy servants. Upon Thee have I relied in my coming and going, unto Thee have I turned in my worldly affairs and in my life to come.

Therefore, O my God, send down now upon my father in the most exalted horizon of Paradise that which will gladden his heart through Thy bounty, and upon those who dwell in my house that which will gladden their hearts through Thy grace, and upon those who are related to me that which will gladden their hearts through the sublimity of Thy loving-kindness and care, and upon those who purely seek me in the path of Thy love that which will gladden their hearts through the excellence of Thy bounty and mercy. For verily Thy mercy hath preceded all atoms and Thy grace hath encompassed all created things. Thou recompensest every soul according to what it hath earned. Thou art too exalted to be questioned and too glorious to be called to account.

Can there be for creation any god besides Thee, or for aught else any lord except Thee, who might deliver whom He willeth from the fire of His justice and cause whom He willeth to enter the paradise of His grace? Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. I have worshipped none but Thee, nor shall I worship any but Thee. There is no command save from Thee, no bounty save from Thy presence; no might nor power except through Thee, and unto Thee is the return.

Then turn to the Tree of Sin and say: Verily the Most Glorious Glory and Most Exalted Praise from God, Lord of the last and the first, be upon you, O Tree of Blessedness, Paradise of Refuge, the Most Remote Temple, the Greatest Sign, the Most Supreme Countenance, the Most Beautiful Face, and Station of “two bow-lengths or closer.” How can I mention You, O my Beloved, now that God has shown me the loftiness of Your station and the exaltation of Your remembrance? And how can I not mention You when You have manifested Yourself through the most perfect expressions of servitude and the most sublime and glorious manifestations of limitation?

Part 2: “I bear witness before God and all things…”

I bear witness before God and all things that Your tribulation has been magnificent, majestic, momentous, and elevated, surpassing all that was decreed for those who came before. To God do we complain of what befell You from those who claim they worship God, yet who inflicted upon You and upon those who turned to God what God had never ordained for anyone before. I bear witness that although You were martyred in God’s path, through You and through what You guided all unto, the hearts of those who glorify God are alive, and the spirits of those who praise God, and the souls of those who proclaim God’s unity, and the bodies of those who magnify God.

How exalted is Your station with God and how elevated is Your rank in God’s Book! I beseech God to inflict the severest punishment upon those who acted proudly against You and transgressed against You, for He is most severe in might and in retribution. May God bestow favor upon those who were guided by Your guidance, and may He grant, through His grace and mercy, His good pleasure to those who are pleased with Your good pleasure, as befits His supreme generosity and bounty, for He is the Munificent, the Inaccessible.

Then turn to the Branches of that Letter and say: The most exalted essence of the abstracted hearts, the most splendid ornament of eternal adornments, the most impregnable manifestations of holy oneness, and the most elevated conditions of lordly glory be upon you, O Branches of the Divine Tree and Fruits of the Tree of Oneness! How exalted is your mention, your mention! How lofty is your station, your station! How sublime is your rank, your rank! How glorious is your elevation, your elevation! How excellent is your ascension, your ascension! How sweet is your detachment, your detachment! For you have detached yourselves wholly unto God your Lord and have veiled yourselves from all else through your ascension unto God your Creator.

Though you were slain in God’s path, God ceaselessly remembers you, all the angels of the heavens praise you, and the maidens of Paradise in their very essence grieve for your sake. Were I to praise the loftiness of your station, none could enumerate it save God Who created you and manifested Himself to you through your own selves. And were I to mention your tribulations, they have risen above all tribulations and transcended all calamities. Is there any essence that has not grieved for you, or any being that has not yearned for you, or any substance that has not cursed those who slew you, or any ethereal spirit that has not blessed those who blessed you?

Upon you be from your Lord that which satisfies your hearts, spirits, souls and bodies, now in the chambers of your Paradise, the seats of your immortality, the pavilions of your glory, and the innermost sanctuaries of your majesty. May God join with you those who follow your path, and may God rend asunder those who acted proudly against you and transgressed against you, for He is the Subduer over whatsoever He wishes and the Powerful over whatsoever He desires. And I shall continue to remember you until my spirit is severed from my heart. The sweetness of your remembrance shall never depart from My Being, nor shall I cease to extol you even as God hath extolled you. He, verily, is the best Protector and Helper.

Then turn unto those who have been martyred in the path of God and say: The most exalted words revealed in the Book of God, the most sublime bounties from God, the most elevated attainments in the good-pleasure of God, the most impregnable strongholds in the dominion of God, and the most glorious creation by the command of God be upon you, O manifestations of God’s mystery, daysprings of God’s Cause, rising-places of God’s countenance, settings of God’s presence, and signs of the kingdom of God’s command!

I testify that ye have ascended unto that which was loved by the first and the last, and have risen unto that which shall be attained by the manifest and the hidden. Would that I were among those for whom God hath ordained what He hath ordained for you, for ye have attained the portion of your existence and have drunk from the cup of the bounty of your Beloved, whereby ye have demonstrated in yourselves the loftiness of God’s Cause and the sublimity of God’s station in your countenance.

Through you the realities of love and detachment have become manifest in the kingdom of souls and horizons, and the essences of awe and reverence have been realized in the kingdom of earth and heaven. Upon each one of you, therefore, be from God, your Lord, that which befitteth the loftiness of His bestowal and the sublimity of His giving.

And verily the most ornate adornment, the most pure essence, the most glorious glory, the most sublime praise, and that which will satisfy your hearts in the hereafter and the former life from the Book of God be upon your first and your last, your outer and your inner being, and upon all that pertaineth to you in your journeying and your abiding.

By the likes of you should the ascending ones ascend, the aspiring ones aspire, the exalted ones be exalted, the elevated ones be elevated, and those who seek precedence seek precedence. Nay, by the glory of your Revealer, naught shall diminish from you.

How many souls have been seized upon the carpet of their glory, yet at that moment had no mention or name; but ye, though ye were seized like the most exalted one on earth upon his throne of glory, who would remember you, or present himself before your seats, or send greetings upon you from your Lord, or offer prayers upon you from your Revealer, or thank you for the exaltation of God’s Cause from your Educator?

Verily, the being that hath not glorified God in His path, even if it possessed existence, would be better in the sight of its Lord had it not existed; and the essence that is not detached unto God, even if it possessed a spirit, would be better in the sight of its Lord had it not existed. For clay returneth to its extinction and is not remembered, and that which God remembereth not endureth not.

Ye have attained unto this and have comprehended it. Therefore, upon you be the most glorious Glory of God, the most sublime Majesty of God, the most beauteous Beauty of God, the most magnificent Grandeur of God, the most luminous Light of God, the most extensive Mercy of God, the most perfect Words of God, the most great Names of God, the most mighty Might of God, the most penetrating Knowledge of God, the most potent Power of God, the most able Ability of God, the most pleasing Good-pleasure of God, the most enduring Authority of God, the most excellent Dominion of God, the most exalted Sublimity of God, the most ancient Favor of God, the most generous Signs of God, and the most bountiful Grace of God.

None shall approach Your sacred threshold, for You have offered up Your souls in the path of Your Lord. Nay, by the glory of Him Who created you and ordained for you this exalted station and lofty rank! All love you for the sake of God, and all pray for you seeking God’s good pleasure. I testify before God and all things that you abide in the pavilions of Ridvan with your Lord in joy, and in the inmost sanctuaries of holiness and grandeur you receive sustenance from God, your Lord. There is no lofty and impregnable grace, nor towering and sublime bounty, but that it descends upon your threshold and appears before you. This is from what God has initiated regarding you through His praise of you. And whomsoever God initiates with a mention from His presence, all shall initiate; and upon whomsoever God bestows mention in His Cause, if it be not altered from His presence, then all shall make mention.

Say: Verily, the Glory is the most pure Embellishment and the most excellent Essence from God—exalted and glorified be His mention—and from the Manifestations of His Cause, and the examples of His names, and the evidence of the kingdom of His majesty. Upon you, O sanctified essence, illumined reality, beloved soul, and content being, who has soared unto God and attained unto the heights of what God has ordained for those who ascend unto Him and are elevated through Him! Blessed be your seat with God, for you have attained, and exalted be what you have achieved from the Book of God. This is from God’s grace upon you and upon your father and upon your mother and upon your brother, wherein you are mentioned with the mention of God—he whom God mentions thereby, all shall mention him, and he whom God raises to the highest horizon through His grace, all shall be annihilated before Him.