BB00217: Kitabu’l-Sayyah

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, there is no God but Thee, alone without peer. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Glory and the Might, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Chrysolite, Thine the Sovereignty and the Human Realm, Thine the Glory and the Majesty, Thine the Countenance and the Beauty, Thine the Direction and the Perfection, Thine the Greatness and the Grandeur, Thine the Strength and Independence, Thine the Joy and the Gladness, Thine the Glory and the Invincibility, Thine the Loftiness and Exaltation, Thine the Awe and the Impenetrability, Thine the Uniqueness and the Opening, Thine the First and the Names, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved or wilt love in the Kingdom of Thy Command and creation.

Thou hast ever been One God, Single, Eternal, Living, Self-Subsisting, Wise, Just, Holy, Sovereign, Inaccessible, Transcendent, Exalted, Resplendent, Glorious, Praised, Illumined, Mighty, Supreme, Sovereign, Ruling, Pure, Hidden, Powerful, Forever and Always. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son, nor hath there been any partner in what Thou hast created, nor any protector in what Thou hast fashioned. Thou didst create by Thy power whatsoever Thou didst ordain, and formed by Thy will whatsoever Thou didst desire to form.

Thou hast ever been the Being before all things, the Creator of all things, the Essence after all things, the Reality above all things, the Generator at the height of all things, the Subduer of whatsoever Thou willest, the Manifester of whatsoever Thou desirest, the Vanquisher over whatsoever Thou hast ordained, the Ruler over whatsoever Thou hast loved, the Almighty above whatsoever Thou hast brought into being, the Forgiver unto the dwellers of Thy kingdom, the Illuminator unto those in the dominion of Thy will, the Ordainer of all things through the power of Thy Self-Subsistence, the All-Knowing above all things through the penetration of Thy Lordship’s knowledge, Greatest above all the great, Mightiest above all the mighty, Most Merciful above all the merciful, Most Generous above all the generous, Most Powerful above all the powerful, Most Wise above all the wise, Most Knowing above all the knowers, Most Sovereign above all sovereigns, Most Ancient above all the ancient, Most Enduring above all the enduring.

Thou dost ever give life and cause death, then cause death and give life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Just Who oppresseth not, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Single One from Whose grasp nothing escapeth, whether in the heavens or on the earth or between them. Thou createst what Thou willest by Thy command. Verily, Thou art powerful over all things.

And I testify, O my God, that he who hath attained unto the sublime seats in the Ridvan and the exalted stations in Paradise, and followed Thy good-pleasure in the Furqan, and descended upon the place of the throne of the manifestation of Thy Name, the Most Merciful, and ascended by Thy leave to the highest pinnacle of existence—this one who hath come to Thy court, approached Thee, drawn near through Thy light, submitted to Thy Beloved, and prayed for what Thou hast chosen from Thy creation and bestowed upon him—O God, do Thou magnify his reward in Thee and in the Point of the Bayan and in the First One who was wholly severed unto Thee at the highest pinnacle of possibility, and in those who are the branches of the Tree of Thy love and its leaves and fruits, through Thy bounty and grace and favor and kindness and generosity and bestowals, for that which Thou hast specially designated for him is too exalted for any recompense to equal it, and that which Thou hast particularly chosen for him in obedience to Thee is too sublime for any glory to match it.

Praise be to Thee, O my God, with such praise that things fall short of attaining unto it, and the heavens and the earth and all that is between them shine with the first rays of its light—praise that filleth Thy names and Thy earth and what lieth between them from the pillars of all things, that there is no God but Thee, the Possessor of Most Splendid Glory, of Most Sublime Majesty, of Most Beautiful Beauty, of Most Great Grandeur, of Most Brilliant Light, of All-Encompassing Mercy, of Perfect Words, of Most Great Names, the One possessed of Supreme Might, and the One endowed with Purpose in all things, and the One with All-Conquering Dominion, and the One with Far-Reaching Power, and the One whose Word is Well-Pleasing, and the One with Unshakeable Proofs, and the One with Everlasting Sovereignty, and the One with Glorious Dominion, and the One with Exalted Grace, and the One with Lofty Praise—for no one can enumerate the manifestations of Thy names, nor can anyone’s knowledge encompass the conditions of Thy likenesses. Thou hast not distinguished any among the dwellers of Thy kingdom save through Thy knowledge and obedience to Thee, for less than that is the common creation shared among all Thy servants and the attribute gathered among all Thy creatures.

Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. Send Thy blessings upon him who hath borne from Thy light, from the clay which Thou hast attributed to Thyself, and whom Thou hast adorned, exalted, beautified, magnified, illumined, honored, ennobled, strengthened, taught, empowered, formed, made well-pleasing, given sovereignty, given dominion, made manifest and kept hidden. For all this was naught but from Thy Command, as all Thy creation circles round Thy Will and follows Thy Purpose, even as they circle round Thy House yet circle only round Thy Command through Thy Beloved—Thy blessings be upon him and upon those near to him.

Were the Cause to be severed, who then could desire it? Praised be Thou, praised be Thou! Thou hast not assigned to any thing a share of Thy Will save by Thy command; for it is but a living being from Thee, and a bird soaring in the atmosphere of the cloud of Thy holiness, through Thy might. I bear Thee witness that this is dearer in Thy sight, and more mighty with Thee, than those who, from aforetime, have been ascending unto the stations of Thy command, and mounting unto the seats of Thy glory. For Thou hast ever been, and wilt ever be, loving that Thou shouldst be worshipped, and looking toward the wondrous effulgences of the manifestations of Thy primal handiwork, and the penetration of Thy marvellous decree.

And whatsoever hath been veiled from the knowledge of Thee and love of Thee—from the perfection of Thy wondrous creation—until that time hath been only by this, and by none other. Is there, then, aught that doth not worship Thee and prostrate itself before Thee, or doth not obey Thee and turn toward Thee, or doth not thank Thee and remember Thee? Glorified and exalted art Thou! Thou hast raised up, in every Revelation of Thine, whatsoever Thou didst send down—raising it up for the exaltation of Thy Word, and the strengthening of Thy Wisdom—that Thou mightest bear witness unto Thy creatures that they are obedient to Thy command and glorifiers of Thine Essence; that they desire naught save what Thou hast desired, and will not save what Thou hast loved.

Glorified, glorified art Thou, in the loftiest of Thy bounty unto whomsoever Thou hast ordained for him this; and in Thy generosity unto whomsoever Thou hast willed for him that. For the cause of Thy bestowals is Thy munificence, and Thy justice, and Thy grace, through Thy splendour. Otherwise, who is worthy of Thy remembrance and Thy praise, and who is fit for Thy glory and Thy beauty?

And I bear Thee witness, O my God, concerning that which hath been mentioned from Thee in the Book: that Thy measures for all things proceed through means; that with Thee are the reins of ordained affairs, and the fashioning of wondrous things from their beginnings; and that the end of Thy creation is the exaltation of Thy Cause and the deliverance of Thy Word. No doubt is there that Thy command—its first is even as its last, and its outward is even as its inward. Yet, because the people are nurtured little by little, there appeareth in them that which can appear, through means which Thou hast created and measures which Thou hast brought into being.

Send down, therefore, O God, that whereby the hearts of Thine loved ones may be made steadfast, and lift away sorrow from the souls of Thy chosen ones. Verily, Thou art powerful to do what Thou willest, and mighty to accomplish what Thou desirest. Nothing escapeth Thy knowledge—neither in the heavens, nor in the earth, nor between them—and nothing can frustrate Thee, neither in the kingdom of command, nor of creation, nor in whatsoever is beneath them both. Thou requitest every soul for that which it hath earned; and verily Thou art All-Knowing, All-Powerful; and verily Thou art the Bestower, the Gentle; and verily Thou art the Most Exalted, the Great; and verily Thou art the Ancient, the Luminous. All are equal in Thy sight.

Whoso pointeth to Thee is a herald of the leaders of Thy Cause; and whoso attaineth unto Thee is sheltered beneath the shadow of the names of Thy might. Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. Glorified art Thou! Verily I have been of them that prostrate themselves before Thee.