BB00302: Li-Mir Muhammad ’Ali

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I bear witness, and all things bear witness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the Kingdom and the Dominion, Thine the Glory and the Might, Thine the Power and the Divinity, Thine the Strength and the Providence, Thine the Sovereignty and the earthly realm. Thou givest life and causeth death, then causeth death and givest life, and verily Thou art the Ever-Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Sovereign Who changeth not, the Just Who oppresseth 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 hast power over all things.

I glorify Thee beyond all wherewith contingent things have glorified Thee or can glorify Thee, and I sanctify Thee beyond all wherewith contingent things have sanctified Thee or can sanctify Thee, and I testify to Thy oneness as Thou hast testified to Thine own oneness, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, and all else besides Thee is Thy creation and within Thy grasp. Verily Thou art the Creator of all things and their Ordainer, the Provider of all things and their Fashioner, the One Who causeth all things to die and bringeth them into being, Who giveth life to all things and taketh account of them. There is no God but Thee, the All-Possessing, the Most Exalted.

How can I mention Thee, knowing that all mention besides Thee is but creation before Thee, and that Thou canst not be mentioned or described by the mention of Thy creatures, nor characterized by the attributes of Thy servants? Glorified art Thou! Thou hast ever existed before all things, and wilt remain after all things, transcendent above all things, and hidden beneath all things. Creation is Thy creation and command is from Thee and unto Thee. All things glorify Thee, all things praise Thee, all things testify to Thy oneness, all things magnify Thee, and all things extol Thee to the extent possible in creation before Thee. Yet all this befitteth not the sublimity of Thy sanctity and the exaltation of Thy glory. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Eternal, Self-Subsisting, Ever-Abiding, Self-Dependent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son.

Therefore, O my God, send down upon the First One in creation, and upon the numbers of that One, and upon those who resemble that One wherein naught is seen but Thee, until the Day of Him Whom Thou shalt manifest on the Day of Resurrection with Thy signs, with the most resplendent of every glory, the most sublime of every majesty, the most beautiful of every beauty, the most magnificent of every grandeur, the most brilliant of every light, the most extensive of every mercy, the most perfect of every word, the greatest of every name, the most mighty of every power, and with such goodness as hath no equal, no likeness, no peer, no similitude, no associate, and no example. For Thy gifts can never resemble the gifts of Thy creation, nor can anything in Thy kingdom equal them.

How wonderful is the manifestation of Thy Word, and how great are the signs of Thy might to those in the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth, wherein from the land which Thou didst open aforetime in Islam and from its surroundings, from that day until this day, all are servants unto Thee, prostrating themselves before Thy face and rejoicing in what Thou didst send down aforetime unto Muhammad, Thy Beloved. Yet until this time, this is the first fruit of his existence in Thy religion from around that land. For Thou didst say, and Thy word is the truth: “God is He Who raised the heavens without pillars ye can see, then established Himself upon the Throne, and compelled the sun and the moon to serve. Each runneth unto an appointed term. He ordereth all things. He showeth His signs clearly, that ye may have certainty of meeting your Lord.”[Q13:2] All upon that earth worship Thee with the utmost humility, yet all are veiled save those who know Thee.

The truth of Thy verses is manifest, for all labor for Thee and prostrate themselves before Thy countenance, by night and by day. But since Thou hast ever been too exalted to be comprehended by human sight, or to be perceived by any possessor of inner vision, Thou hast established in creation the Manifestation of Thyself as the station of Thine own Self, so that whatsoever proceedeth from Thee returneth unto Thee. Glorified art Thou, glorified art Thou! None hath encompassed the knowledge of how Thou dost try Thy creation and of Thy bounty towards whomsoever Thou willest among Thy servants, for he who knoweth not aught hath brought forth that for which he was created, while he who possesseth all knowledge remaineth veiled. Thus dost Thou accept the deeds of those who are sincere in their devotion to Thee, and erase the traces of those who are not sincere unto Thee.

Wherefore, O my God, have mercy upon all who are on earth, lest they be shut out from the places of Thy good-pleasure. For Thou art independent of all else besides Thee. Whoso believeth in Thee and in Thy signs achieveth deliverance, while whoso remaineth veiled harmeth none but himself. Send down, therefore, O my God, upon those who tread the paths of Thy good-pleasure that which beseemeth the loftiness of Thy generosity and Thy glory, for Thou art the All-Bountiful unto all created things, and the Bestower of grace unto all who dwell in the kingdom of earth and heaven.

The deeds of the sincere profit Thee not, nor do the works of all creation add aught to Thy dominion. Therefore, O my God, vouchsafe unto all who seek Thy good-pleasure that which shall lead to their attaining, in the world to come, unto meeting with Thee, according to what Thou lovest and art pleased with. For Thou art my Lord and the Lord of all things in the Hereafter and in this world. Glorified art Thou! There is none other God but Thee. Glorified art Thou! I am one of those who remember Thee.