BB00218: Answer to Hasan

This is what was revealed in response to Hasan when he communed with his Lord on that great night which God had magnified aforetime. I beseech God his Lord that he may recite it in all his prayers during his devotions until he beholds what God hath intended for him in all his affairs and conditions, and that he may thank his Lord at all times, before all times and after all times, and send a copy after transcription to his honor the Scribe. ʿAli.

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

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I testify, and all things testify, that Thou art God, and that there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the kingdom and the dominion, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and divinity, Thine the force and sovereignty, Thine the grandeur and majesty, Thine the countenance and beauty, Thine the direction and perfection, Thine the mercy and bounty, Thine the authority and justice, Thine the likeness and examples, Thine the station and glory, Thine the greatness and pride, Thine the proofs and names, Thine the glory and inaccessibility, Thine the power and exaltation, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and detachment. Thine is whatsoever Thou lovest in the kingdom of Thy command and creation, for all belongeth to Thee and is within Thy grasp. Thou dost ever give life and cause to die, then cause to die and give life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the Sovereign Who passeth not away, the Just Who oppresseth not, the Ruler Who changeth not, and 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.

Sanctified are Thy names, O my God, and exalted are Thine examples, O my Beloved! Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Alone, Eternal, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Just, the Holy, the Everlasting, the Eternal, the Most Exalted. 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 hast created all things by Thy power with precision, and formed all things by Thy will with perfection.

Thou art the One Who existed before all things, and Thou art the Being after all things, and Thou art the Creator through all things, and Thou art the Essence apart from all things, and Thou art the Hidden above all things. All are Thy servants and within Thy grasp. The dwellers of Thy heaven and earth and all between them from among the varieties of Thy creation prostrate before Thee, and all within the kingdom of Command and Creation and whatsoever lieth between them glorify Thee according to what Thou hast ordained.

Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. Thou wert the First and there was nothing before Thee, and Thou art the Last and there is nothing after Thee, and Thou art the Manifest and there is nothing above Thee, and Thou art the Hidden and there is nothing beneath Thee, and Thou art powerful over all things.

Thou hast made Thyself known through all Thy creation, whereupon those who recognize have recognized and prostrated before Thy face, while those who are veiled remained veiled, glorifying Thy countenance without truly knowing Thee. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. I know no paradise save the knowledge of Thee and Thy good-pleasure, and no fire save being veiled from Thee and that which encompasseth not the knowledge of Thy good-pleasure.

O God! Cause all things to enter into the knowledge of Thyself and to seek shelter under the shadow of the places of Thy Command, for without this there would be no bounty for contingent beings nor glory for created things, for without this all that is on earth, each according to their stations, though existing and mentioned according to their degrees, would benefit them not, and how could it be otherwise?

Glory be unto Thee and exalted art Thou! Through Thee have I become independent of all Thy creation, through Thee have I gained sovereignty over all Thy servants, and through Thee have I become well-pleased with all that Thou hast created or wilt create by Thy command, being certain of this and acting according to what Thou hast taught me thereof.

Glory be to Thee! Thine is the most glorious exaltation above all exaltation and splendor. Glory be to Thee, O Revealer! Thou wert manifest above all contingent beings, dominant above all created things, transcendent above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, inaccessible above all beings, sovereign above all who dwell in the kingdoms of earth and heaven, all-subduing over all things and all-powerful over all things. Thou didst not create the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them save in truth, that all Thy creation might glorify Thee with all that the glorifiers have glorified, that all Thy servants might sanctify Thee above all that the sanctifiers have sanctified, that all Thy servants might unite in oneness with Thee above all that the unifiers have united, that all things might magnify Thee above all that the magnifiers have magnified, and exalt Thee above all that the exalters have exalted. For none of these can attain unto the summit of Thy majesty and the height of Thine inaccessibility. Rather, this is the portion of Thy creation and the share of Thy servants from Thee. He who knoweth Thee seeketh none other than Thee, and how can one who seeketh other than Thee claim to know Thee?

Glory be to Thee! Glory be to Thee! Were anyone to possess all that is on earth from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end, and were he given choice between gazing upon Thy countenance or eternal life throughout all eternity with all that Thou hast bestowed upon him of Thy dominion, should he choose the latter he would not be worthy to be mentioned before Thee. For all this is but that the servant might draw nigh unto Thee and seek Thy nearness. How great is Thy bounty unto him whom Thou hast favored with eternal service to Thee and with beholding Thy Beauty in the glory of eternity and with abiding before Thy presence unto the heights of perpetuity!

Praise be to Thee, O my God, for the wonders of Thy grace. Thou didst create me, sustain me, cause me to die, and give me life. Were it not for Thy protection, who would protect me besides Thee? Were it not for Thy exaltation, who would exalt me other than Thee? Were it not for Thy causing me to return unto Thee, who would cause me to return? For all besides Thee are but Thy creation and within Thy grasp. If they possess any good, it is from Thee, and if they possess aught else, it is by Thee and because Thou hast permitted it, else all are Thine, from Thee, and unto Thee; there is no God but Thee. Thou hast not created anything save for Thy knowledge, and all else are but changing conditions that pass away from their people, whether they be in the highest heights or the lowest depths. For the spirit of divinity belongeth to him who beholdeth Thee with Thine eye and seeth what is among Thy creation, standing by Thy command. All else are but veils for the dwellers of Thy realm.

O God! Make known to all Thy creation the sweetness of knowing Thee and the joy of what hath been sent down from Thee of the signs of Thy power, the manifestations of Thy might, the evidences of Thy oneness, and the tokens of Thy singleness. Thou hast ever been forgiving to those who turn to Thee, generous to those who glorify Thee, bountiful to those who sanctify Thee, bestowing to those who exalt Thee, gracious to those who magnify Thee, and beneficent to those who extol Thee. Forgiveness diminisheth Thee not, nor doth disobedience harm Thee.

Glory be to Thee! There is no God but Thee. Glory be to Thee! I am of those who remember Thee. O God! Gather together the means of what he hath desired of Thy grace through Thy power. Verily, Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful. I seek Thy forgiveness, O God, my Lord, morning and evening, and we bow down before Thee, O Lord, in willing submission, bearing witness that Thy mercy hath encompassed all atoms and Thy bounty hath surrounded all contingent beings. None can be veiled from Thee by any veil, nor can any who know Thee find another path. All stand by Thy command, worship Thy Being, bow before Thy countenance, and draw nigh unto Thee through Thyself. O God! Clothe all atoms in the garments of Thy knowledge and love, and array all contingent beings in the robes of Thy love and favor, until they see nothing save in Thy dominion, standing by Thy command, and glorify Thee in every condition through what Thou hast revealed unto it of Thyself, that there is no God but Thee, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.