BB00169: Du’a’ li’lladhina ’araju

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou hast ever been the Creator of all things, the Provider of all things, the Giver of life and the Ordainer of death unto all things, the Beloved of all that have loved Thee. Thou hast ever been one, single, peerless, self-subsisting, eternal, living, all-sustaining, just, and sovereign. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor child, nor hast Thou any partner in Thy dominion, nor any protector upon earth save by Thy leave. By Thy power didst Thou bring into being the creation of all things, and by Thy might didst Thou ordain each one according to Thy decree. By Thy Will didst Thou fashion the form of all that hath been created, and by that same Will didst Thou give unto each its image and proportion.

O Thou Whose dominion is exalted above the kingdoms of all possible beings, Whose Will shineth resplendent above the existence of all created things, Whose Decree holdeth sway over whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth, and Whose command is uplifted above all that hath come to be or shall be! O Thou Whose permission none can attain save by Thy bounty, and Whose knowledge encompasseth all things, bearing witness unto Thy creatures, and Whose might doeth whatsoever Thou willest by a word of Thine!

I beseech Thee, before the breaking of dawn in that month which Thou hast ascribed unto Thyself, clothed with the vesture of Thy might, and adorned with the raiment of Thy grace—wherein Thou didst send down the tokens of Thy Revelation and ordain in one of its nights the measures of Thine invention—that Thou wouldst cause to descend upon the hearts that have ascended unto Thee the mysteries befitting the loftiness of Thy praise; upon the spirits that have winged their flight to Thy presence the adorations consonant with the sublimity of Thy glory; upon the souls that have melted in the path of Thy love the recognitions meet for the majesty of Thy unity; and upon the bodies that have turned wholly unto Thee, inwardly and outwardly, the exultations worthy of the greatness of Thy magnification.

Send down, then, upon those hallowed temples and exalted dawning-places that which shall gladden their eyes in the highest of the gardens of Ria¸van and the brightest of the seats of Paradise. For we have ever been the objects of Thy … bounty, and the recipients of Thy … favor, and the trophies Thou bestowest upon those who have acknowledged Thy unity are the evidences of Thy mercy, while the mention of whatsoever pertaineth unto Thee is exalted above all that can be mentioned. Blessed, then, is the dust that is content with Thy good-pleasure and is ennobled by ascription unto Thee through Thy permanence.

Therefore, I entreat Thee, O my God, by Thyself—for beside Thee there is none to ask—by Him who hath known Thee, that Thou wouldst send down what Thou lovest upon all who have ascended unto Thee through the Bayan from the first moment of its descent until the hour when the verses of Thy Manifestation shall appear; upon those who have sorrowed in Thy path; upon those who have striven, bearing Thy tokens in the path of Thy love and guidance.

How numerous the souls raised to life who were exposed to dire humiliation in Thy Path for exalting Thy Word and for glorifying Thy divine Unity! How profuse the blood that hath been shed for the sake of Thy Faith to vindicate the authenticity of Thy divine Mission and to celebrate Thy praise! How vast the possessions that were wrongfully seized in the Path of Thy love in order to affirm the loftiness of Thy sanctity and to extol Thy glorious Name! How many the feet that have trodden upon the dust in order to magnify Thy holy Word and to extol Thy glory! How innumerable the voices that were raised in lamentation, the hearts that were struck with terror, the grievous woes that none other than Thee can reckon, and the adversities and afflictions that remain inscrutable to anyone except Thyself; all this to establish, O my God, the loftiness of Thy sanctity and to demonstrate the transcendent character of Thy glory.

These decrees were ordained by Thee so that all created things might bear witness that they have been brought into being for the sake of naught else but Thee. Thou hast withheld from them the things that bring tranquillity to their hearts, that they might know of a certainty that whatever is associated with Thy holy Being is far superior to and exalted above aught else that would satisfy them; inasmuch as Thine indomitable power pervadeth all things, and nothing can ever frustrate it. Indeed Thou hast caused these momentous happenings to come to pass that those who are endued with perception may readily recognize that they were ordained by Thee to demonstrate the loftiness of Thy divine Unity and to affirm the exaltation of Thy sanctity….

For if Thou wert pleased, O my Lord, to cause Thy decree to descend even upon him who was the most beloved of Thy creation and the nearest of the former saints unto Thy presence, it would be but for the uplifting of the Tree of Thy Oneness, the elevation of the canopy of Thy Eternity, the exaltation of the standard of Thy Singleness, and the appearance of the fruits of Thy Self-subsisting Being. How then could that loftiness, that glory and majesty, be unbefitting unto any other in Thy sight?

Thine are, O my Lord, the essential decrees of existence in the purity of their simplicity and the calamities of detachment in the fragrance of their camphor-like whiteness—each bereft of independent being save in so far as it proveth Thy sanctity, and each devoid of self-identity save as it testifieth to the exaltation of Thy unity. For had these not appeared, all would have returned to dust and clay; whence then could aught yield fruit or make mention of Thee in the realms Thou hast created? How could any soul remember Thee with the glances of Thy sanctified Lordship, or cause Thy Name to descend amid the names of the manifestations of Thy might?

Glorified art Thou! Even as Solomon whom Thou didst cause to possess the dominion of the earth—he had no remembrance save Thy remembrance of him; so likewise, whosoever is made to reign over men without Thy sanction shall have no portion but Thy curse pronounced aforetime in Thy Book. Naught remaineth of either save Thy praise and Thy thanksgiving, wherein are all the delights of Paradise; for no garden is higher than that, nor fragrance more beauteous than its perfume. In Thy chastisement is naught but justice, and in Thy pardon naught but mercy; there is no torment greater than remoteness from Thee, nor felicity sweeter than nearness unto Thy favor.

I therefore beseech Thee, O my God, to ordain for whosoever hath believed in the Bayan Thy good-pleasure; for if Thou shouldst sustain Thy servant throughout his life with the tender flesh of birds, yet when his soul is taken from his body he would find no delight therein. And if Thou shouldst allot unto him the leaves of trees to eat, yet when his spirit departeth he would find no pain therein. For what availeth aught save Thy good-pleasure, and what harmeth aught save Thy wrath and rejection?

Have mercy, then, O my God, upon all who have embraced the Bayan, for those who are deprived thereof abide in the fire and have no station before Thee. Bestow, moreover, upon the dwellers of that Paradise such bounty that their gaze shall not be drawn to aught that perisheth or changeth, but rather to that which abideth with Thee—that is, the relation of the servant to Thy good-pleasure and his steadfastness in the path of Thy love and meeting. There is no power nor might save in Thee, O Lord of might and glory, of majesty and beauty, of authority and perfection, of sovereignty and exaltation, of mercy and bounty, of dominion and justice, of tenderness and grace, of similitude and exemplarity!

Thou beholdest, O my God, all things testifying unto Thee that beside Thee there was no being endowed with mention save through Thy remembrance of it, nor any existence possessed of reality save through Thy causing it to exist by Thy will. No glory is there save in Thy good-pleasure, no beauty save in Thy meeting. Therefore do I entreat Thee, O my Beloved, Who hast ever been and wilt ever remain, to make mention of me before Thy presence with a remembrance none knoweth save Thee; for none comprehendeth the stations of Thy remembrance but Thee Thyself. Whoso remembereth Thee through the Point of the Bayan, that one hath indeed remembered Thee; whoso hath borne witness unto that Reality, that one hath verily borne witness unto Thee; whoso hath been well-pleasing unto Thee, that one art Thou pleased withal; and whoso hast been deprived of Thy leave, him hast Thou debarred by Thine own decree.

For verily, O my God, by Thy Essence Thou art united with naught; by Thy Being Thou art comprehended by naught; by Thy sanctity Thou art glorified by naught; by Thy simplicity Thou art thanked by naught; by Thy Self Thou art known by naught—for all besides Thee are veiled in the garb of limitation in the realm of origination, whereas Thou art exalted above all mention in the sublimity of invention and the majesty of restraint.

Nay rather, whatsoever Thy Manifestation doeth, that hast Thou done; whatsoever Thy Manifestation commandeth, that hast Thou commanded. Verily, they are one reality—if it dawn, it hath no beginning; if it set, it hath no equal. It is one essence that abideth in the firmament of glory, without peer or likeness. Its similitude before Thee is as the sun—Thou hast created it for the manifestation of Thy splendour.

Glorified art Thou above all that have known Thee! I beg forgiveness of Thee for all with which I have praised Thee, and turn repentant unto Thee for all wherewith I have magnified Thee, for whatsoever is mine is unworthy to be ascribed unto Thee. Pardon me, O my God, through Thy bounty, Thy grace, Thy generosity, Thy tenderness, Thy mercy, Thy compassion, and Thy munificence; for whatsoever is attributed unto Thee—were it but a single atom—would transcend all being by reason of its association with Thee.

And I bear witness, O my God, and all things bear witness, that there is no power nor strength save in Thee, the Almighty, the All-Compelling, the Ever-Abiding.