BB00206: Kitab-i-Ismi’l-Vahid

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, and that there is no God but Thee. Thou art One, without peer. Thine is the Kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the omnipotence, Thine the power and the divinity, Thine the strength and sovereignty, Thine the majesty and glory, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the visage and perfection, Thine the likeness and similitude, Thine the station and sublimity, Thine the might and inaccessibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the grandeur and greatness, Thine the guidance and the names, Thine the power and the deeds, Thine the awe and majesty, Thine the love and detachment, Thine the victory and triumph.

Thine is all that Thou hast created or wilt create. Thou dost both give life and cause death, then cause death and give life. Verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who deviateth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, the Single One Who escapeth not, the Subduer Who is never overcome, the Almighty Whom none can rival, the Inaccessible Who cannot be subdued, the Most Exalted Who cannot be approached, the Most High Who hath no equal, the Self-Subsisting Who slumbereth not, the Holy One Who cannot be attained, the Unique Who cannot be confused, the Single One Who needeth no counsel, the Powerful Who is never helpless, the All-Knowing Who cannot be compared, the Manifest Who is never hidden, the Creator Who is uncreated, the Life-Giver Who receiveth not life.

Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command and ordaineth what Thou desirest by Thy power. All are within Thy grasp and in the right hand of Thy will. Thou hast ever been supreme over all possibilities, manifest above all beings, transcendent above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, exalted above all creation, inaccessible above all atoms, sovereign above all symbols and allusions, and mighty over all who dwell in the kingdoms of beginning and end.

Thou hast ever been He Who giveth life and causeth death; then Thou causest death and givest life again. Thou createst whatsoever Thou willest by Thy command. Verily Thou wast, and art, powerful over all things. Thou hast ever been, O my God, existing before all things, abiding after all things, exalted above all things, sustaining all things, and holding sway, in loftiness, over every thing. Thou hast raised up the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them out of nothing, through Thy might, and hast brought into being whatsoever Thou didst will of the wonders of the marvellous workmanship of Thy lordship, through Thy power.

Thou hast ever been one God—single, peerless, solitary, self-subsisting—Living, Self-Subsisting, Judge, Just, Holy, Sovereign, All-Watchful, Self-Reliant; veiled in majesty, robed in glory, resplendent, most great, luminous, most proud; unique, all-powerful, well-pleased, all-compelling; manifest, all-dominating, all-possessing; inwardly hidden, uplifted, exalted, inaccessible. Thou hast taken to Thyself neither consort nor child. Through fear of Thee the dwellers of Thy heaven and of Thy earth, and all that is between them of the diverse kinds of Thy creation, would fain flee; and through dread of Thy justice all who are in the kingdom of Thy command and of Thy creation do tremble. Thou art He from Whom none can withhold that which Thou hast raised up, nor can any raise up that which Thou hast cast down; none can give life to him whom Thou hast caused to die, nor can any cause to die him whom Thou hast given life.

Thy Will hath ever been dominant over what hath been and what shall be, and Thy Purpose over all that is originated and altered. All would sanctify Thee in the loftiness of Thy oneness; and unto Thee would all render glory in the sublimity of Thy self-sufficiency. All would attest Thy unity in the unapproachableness of Thy singleness; and unto Thee would all magnify in the exaltation of Thy self-subsistence. All would extol Thee in the independence of Thy self-subsisting might; all would turn wholly unto Thee in the loftiness of the sovereignty of Thy holiness; and all would seek to draw from Thy bounty through the dominion of the might of Thy belovedness.

Thou art He Who hath glorified Thine own Being through Thine own Being, and sanctified Thine own Essence through Thine own Essence, and made one Thine own Self through Thine own Self, and magnified Thine “I” through Thine “I”, and exalted Thine utter simplicity through Thine utter simplicity. Wherefore glory be unto Thee and splendour; glory be unto Thee and majesty; glory be unto Thee and beauty; glory be unto Thee and greatness; glory be unto Thee and light; glory be unto Thee and speech; glory be unto Thee and pride; glory be unto Thee and uniqueness; glory be unto Thee and power; glory be unto Thee and strength; glory be unto Thee and good-pleasure; glory be unto Thee and dominion; glory be unto Thee and sovereignty; glory be unto Thee and omnipotence; glory be unto Thee and manifestation; glory be unto Thee and sanctity; glory be unto Thee and exaltation!

I sanctify Thee above all that the sanctified ones have sanctified, in their essential being; and I glorify Thee above all that the glorifiers have glorified, in their primal simplicity; and I declare Thee pure above all that the pure ones have declared pure, in their essential being; and I affirm Thine oneness above all that the affirmers have affirmed, in their immateriality; and I magnify Thee above all that the magnifiers have magnified, in their very selves; and I exalt Thee above all that the exalters have exalted, in their very selves; and I render Thee glorious above all that the glorifiers have rendered glorious, in their “I-ness”.

Thou art He Who hast risen, through Thy loftiness, above every loftiness and sublimity, and hast established Thy dominion, through Thy strength, above every height and splendour. Thou hast ever been powerful to do what Thou willest, and inaccessible above what Thou desirest. Thou doest what Thou willest, and ordainest what Thou desirest.

I bear Thee witness, O my God, from the first moment Thou didst cause the Manifestation of Thine own Self to appear, that that was the first Day of Resurrection: Thou didst make Thyself known unto every thing through that whereby Thou wast known unto all before, that none might be able to veil itself from Thy Countenance after Thou hadst made Thyself known and sent down Thy signs. For whoso had known Thee aforetime was assured that none besides Thee could reveal a sign; and whoso, after he hath beheld, findeth for himself no path but must be assured that both are from Thee—since none besides Thee was the Sender of the Messengers, nor the Revealer of the Books. Creation is Thy creation, and the command is from Thee and unto Thee; and none possesseth anything save through Thee. Thou art the Owner of all atoms and the Possessor of all contingent beings. Thou hast created nothing save for Thy recognition and Thy obedience; and Thou hast made Thyself known unto every thing.

Then, when the knowers shall have known and entered Thy Paradise, they shall be brethren, seated upon couches, facing one another. And they that have veiled themselves shall be veiled, after Thy proof hath been completed against them; and they shall enter the Fire, crying aloud therein for succour, and none shall succour them.

O God! Through Thy power, cause all who are on earth to enter into knowledge of Thee and Thy good-pleasure, that none may remain in Thy fire. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things. For I know no paradise higher than Thy knowledge and love, nor any fire more intense than being veiled from the sublimity of Thy manifestation and Thy affection. When Thou didst make Thyself known to all Thy creation, Thou didst perfect Thy proof against all Thy creation. It was not incumbent upon Thee to make Thyself known to them and to demonstrate Thy power in the Book, nor was it incumbent upon Thy creation to exalt Thy Cause and to make Thy religion victorious. They are of diverse ranks and endless veils, though Thy handiwork at the time of Thy manifestation is perfect and complete.

But since the essences of creation are veiled from the seat of Thy glory and the summit of Thy majesty, they must needs ascend gradually, even as human existence ascends until it is perfected in nine months, though some appear before that time. Thou didst manifest in six [months], like John Thy Prophet aforetime and Thy Proof in the religion of Thy Prophet thereafter, manifesting Thy power. Indeed, Thou didst manifest Jesus, Thy Spirit, in three hours—all this to demonstrate Thy power and to establish Thine eternity. Thus as human creation advances, those who reason deduce from it the creation of wondrous essences in the sublimity of the gardens. Therefore hast Thou bestowed favor in the Vav upon the Temple of Baha’ for whoso fulfilleth Thy covenant.

O God! Ordain for him what he loveth and what pleaseth him of Thy bounty, and what is exalted and most exalted through Thy power in him, for Thy power in him is not as it was before, since the wonders of Thy creation in a new creation are mightier than the perfection of Thy previous manifestation in an ancient handiwork. O God! Preserve all these, the people of Thy Self and the names of Thy might, that they may not draw nigh unto what grieveth save that they may ascend through what gladdeneth, for Thou hast loved naught save the glory of Thy friends and the exaltation of Thy chosen ones, and what is with Thee is that Thou shouldst make Thyself known and send down the wonders of Thy favors upon the dwellers of Thy heaven and of Thine earth, and over everything, and over all Thy creation to execute Thy command, to follow Thy decree, to exalt Thy word, to elevate Thy sovereignty, to establish Thy self-subsistence, to magnify Thy singleness, to make impregnable Thine oneness, and to make resplendent the lights of the beauty of Thy countenance.

Through Thee have I triumphed, sought aid, gained victory, prevailed, exercised dominion, possessed, acquired might, endured, and advanced. There is no power nor strength except through Thee. Verily, Thou art my sufficiency. In Thee have I placed my trust, and in Thee let Thy believing servants place their trust.