BB00661: Prayer for Friday evening

Part 1: “Glorified art Thou, O my God! This…”

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

Glorified art Thou, O my God! This is the night of Friday wherein I beseech Thee by Thine own Self, for nothing in Thy knowledge can equal Thee, nor is there any like unto Thee, nor any comparison with Thee, nor any peer for Thee. Creation is Thy creation and command is from Thee unto Thee. Thou alone, there is no God but Thee. Thou hast ever been one God, Single, Unique, Self-Subsisting, Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining, Eternal, Everlasting, Independent. Thou hast taken neither consort nor son. All within the kingdom of the heavens and earth and whatsoever is between them glorify Thee, and all within the kingdom of Command and Creation and whatsoever is beneath them praise Thee. All realities in their essence profess Thy unity, and all entities in their abstraction magnify Thee.

For whoso boweth not before Thee in the manifestation of Thy wondrous creation deserveth not to be mentioned in the gathering of the exalted ones, nor among them that glorify Thee, nor among those who sanctify Thee night and day and who tire not, nor among those who turn from right to left and who, by Thy leave, glorify Thee, nor among those who are detached unto Thee and who stand in awe of Thee.

Therefore, O my God, do Thou at this hour send down upon the First One and upon that which hath been multiplied therefrom—wherein naught can be seen save Thy manifestation in the Beginning, for verily Thou art the First before all things, and the Last after all things, and the Manifest above all things, and the Hidden within all things—I beseech Thee to send down upon the hearts that have ascended unto Thee, and their spirits, their souls and their bodies, and their outward parts, from every most resplendent glory, and every most exalted majesty, and every most beauteous beauty, and every most supreme grandeur, and every most brilliant light, and every most extensive mercy, and every most perfect word, and every greatest name, and every most mighty power, and every most conclusive will, and every most penetrating knowledge, and every most potent power, and every most pleasing utterance, and every most beloved and impregnable matter, and every most noble honor, and every most enduring sovereignty, and every most glorious dominion, and every most elevated loftiness, and every good thing befitting the sublimity of Thy grace and the exaltation of Thy bounty.

For Thou didst not create the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them save for them that profess Thy unity, that glorify Thee, that know Thee, and that are annihilated in Thee and through Thee.

O God, then cause to descend, at that appointed hour, upon Him Whom Thou wilt make manifest, the signs of Thy power, the effulgences of Thy sovereignty, the upholdings of Thy Qayyumiyyah, the forth-shinings of Thy holiness, and the diverse modes of Thy unicity—of every good whereunto no equal, no likeness, no peer, no match, no companion can be conceived.

And vouchsafe, O my God, unto everyone who hath entered the Bayan to attain unto His presence—by believing in Him and by prostrating themselves before Thee in His very sight—for Thou didst not send down the Bayan, nor plant the knowledge of that One in the hearts of Thy celebrants, the spirits of Thy sanctified ones, the souls of Thy affirmers of Thy oneness, and the bodies of those who magnify Thee, save for the Day of His manifestation.

Lay up, then, O my God, in His behalf, of every beauty the most resplendent thereof; of every majesty the most sublime thereof; of every comeliness the most perfect thereof; of every greatness the most transcendent thereof; of every light the most luminous thereof; of every mercy the most expansive thereof; of every word the most complete thereof; of every name the most mighty thereof; of every glory the most glorious thereof; of every Will the most effectual thereof; of every knowledge the most penetrating thereof; of every power the most prevailing thereof; of every utterance the most acceptable thereof; of every supplication the most beloved before Thee and the most safeguarded in Thy presence; of every honor the most exalted thereof; of every dominion the most enduring thereof; of every kingdom the most illustrious thereof; of every elevation the most lofty thereof; and of every good such as beseemeth the height of Thy bounty and the exaltation of Thy grace.

O God, do Thou bestow upon His parents and those who love Him that which befitteth the loftiness of Thy generosity and the sublimity of Thy grace. O God, do Thou guard Him through the angels of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, from before Him and behind Him, from His right and His left, from above His head and beneath His feet, and all that Thy power encompasseth, for verily Thou art potent over whatsoever Thou willest and mighty over whatsoever Thou desirest.

O God, do Thou make known to all who have believed in the Bayan that if they stand firm in their allegiance to Him, they shall become the treasurers of all good, whereupon they shall expend in the fortification of His Word and the exaltation of His majesty that which Thou hast bestowed upon them through His bounty and conferred upon them through Thy grace, for this is the essence of all Thy creation, since none in all creation can equal Him, nor can any in the realm of invention resemble Him.

O God, ordain for Him on the day of His manifestation, from beginning to end, such glory as hath no equal, such exaltation as hath no likeness, and such loftiness as hath no peer, and likewise for His night, and likewise for all that Thou hast ordained for Him throughout His life. O God, send down all Thy good pleasure upon whosoever pleaseth Him and all Thy wrath upon whosoever grieveth Him, for all good proceedeth from Him and returneth unto Him, and all else existeth through Him though returneth not unto Him.

I beseech Thee, O God, by Him—for there is none greater than He in Thy knowledge—and by the Letters of the Living, for none preceded them in their faith in Him, and then by those who aid His Cause and are devoted to His good pleasure. For by Thy might, I bear witness before Thee and before all things that should any follower of the Bayan be veiled from attaining His presence, his very existence and all his works would be as naught.

O God, preserve all who follow the Bayan and purify the whole earth until there remaineth upon it only that which He loveth and approveth, for Thou didst create the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them for His sake, as a manifestation of Thine independence from all things and Thy sovereignty over all things. O God, do Thou prolong His days and bestow upon Him of all Thy grace that which hath no equal, for verily I turn toward Thee through Him and draw near unto Thee through Him, having no refuge from Thee save in Thee alone, there is no God but Thee.

I beseech Thee, O God, by Thy Names the Inaccessible and All-Subduing, then by Thy Names the Mighty and All-Dominating, then by Thy Names the Sublime and All-Transcending, then by Thy Names the Most High and All-Sublime, then by Thy Names the Ancient and All-Preceding, that Thou make me of such a station that when Thy Self is made manifest on the Day of Resurrection, should I behold but one soul, I would prostrate myself before Thee, and should I behold all who are on earth prostrating before Him, I would prostrate myself before Thee, neither being altered by any condition of all creation, whether in their religion or their worldly affairs, nor being veiled from meeting Him by any manifestations of all creation, whether in their heights or their depths, for this is a glory which if Thou shouldst bestow it upon anyone, Thou wilt have bestowed upon him every good, and if Thou shouldst withhold it from anyone, Thou wilt have withheld from him every grace.

Here am I, O my God, beseeching Thee by that Most Great Name, and the Most Noble Manifestation, and Thy Most Ancient Mystery, and Thy Most Enduring Revelation, and Thy Most Straight Path, that Thou mayest send down upon Thy witnesses in the Bayan, until the first day of Thy manifestation on the Day of Resurrection, every victory Thou hast created or wilt create, and every glory Thou hast created or wilt create, and every dominion Thou hast created or wilt create, and every sovereignty Thou hast created or wilt create, and every invincibility Thou hast created or wilt create, for on that day there shall be no servants on earth but these, and no worshippers but these.

Part 2: “And O God, withhold from them all Thy…”

And O God, withhold from them all Thy grace and mercy at the time of Thy manifestation on the Day of Resurrection, unless they enter beneath the shadow of Thy manifestation and believe in Him Who manifesteth Thy Self through what Thou hast revealed unto Him of Thy words.

And O God, multiply for them all Thy grace and mercy when they behold not the rays of the Sun of Thy manifestation in the Bayan, which Thou hast placed within their essence as a preparation for them, that they may be able to withstand the appearance of the Sun of Thy Reality on the Day of Resurrection. For hadst Thou not willed this, Thou wouldst not have made Thyself known to them.

And how not? For there abideth not in the shadow of this—hast Thou created any paradise greater than Thy knowledge, or any heaven more noble than the good-pleasure of Thy Proof? Nay, by Thy glory! Therefore, O my God, grant success unto me and unto all who follow the Bayan to attain that most exalted Paradise and most glorious Heaven.

And reward me, O my God, and all who follow the Bayan, on the day of the manifestation of Him Whom Thou shalt make manifest, by His tongue and His pen, with Thy most mighty signs and most noble words. For from the beginning of that manifestation unto this, all work for that recompense, and Thy recompense appeareth not save through His manifestation, and Thy decree is not established save through His decree.

Therefore, O my God, raise up all who are in the Bayan from their slumber on the day of His appearance, lest they be veiled from Him by anything, for to be veiled from Him is to be veiled from Thee, and to be veiled from Thee is to be veiled from Him. For Thou art too exalted for eyes to perceive Thee, and too sanctified for the loftiest pinnacles of denial to reach Thee. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee, the Single, the All-Compelling, the Almighty.

And when thou art like that night on the Day of Manifestation, then recognize the Manifestation of God, for after the rising of the sun it is not permitted to seek sustenance from what was provided before, nor to seek nearness through what was done before. Fix thy gaze with utmost intensity upon this, and focus thy vision with utmost concentration upon that, for thou mayest become veiled and die and enter the fire while thy heart perceiveth not His manifestation, even after God hath caused thee to hear His verses—like the followers of Jesus, peace be upon Him, when there came what Jesus had promised them of guidance and clear proofs, and one thousand two hundred and seventy years passed while they remained veiled in the fire. They heard of the manifestation of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, but they paid no heed and their souls were not convinced that He was the One Whom Jesus had promised them.

Likewise, if thou shouldst recognize Him Whom God shall make manifest and find anyone from among the followers of the Qur’an, I beseech God to cause all who are on earth to enter that most great paradise and most ancient heaven, that none may remain in the fire. But this shall not appear except through your own selves, if ye but knew.

Wait not on the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest for angels to descend from heaven, nor for the earth to swallow its inhabitants, but be such that ye may manifest victory and triumph, and become dawning-places of the unique and zealous One, lest others rise against you unjustly while you remain supplicating in your dwellings.

For instance, if you desire sustenance, doth it descend from heaven or spring forth from earth? Nay, God provideth for you from the treasuries of His creation, whether through yourself or through your brother. Thus must thou understand all thy affairs. But beware lest thou look to anyone save God, for even if others be mentioned, they change not—for God is the Creator of all things and their Sustainer, the One Who causeth all to die and giveth life, the Helper of every servant and their Exalter through the Manifestations of Command and Creation.

These are your essential realities, your innermost beings, your true selves and your identities, though ye see them not while gazing toward God. But if in the night all of God’s guides […] in the depths of their gardens, delighting in their sacred mysteries with their Lord. But thou must not remain veiled from the seats of the One, if thou canst find a way thereto.

All this is so that thou mayest find companionship with one of them, and on the Day of Resurrection hearken to their words and be guided by what they convey from Him Whom God shall make manifest. Whatever reverence or humility thou showest before them shall benefit thee on the Day of Resurrection.

And if thou visitest the First Letter, it is equal to ninety-five pilgrimages, then five for each one, as God hath bound Himself to grant this if thou believest in what God hath revealed in the Bayan and awaitest the appearance […] according to what God promised them in their first [manifestation]. Consider how God hath benefited thee in the pilgrimage to the House, making five equal to that.

But be not veiled from the House of God, for He Whom God shall make manifest shall enter that House and observe those who perform pilgrimage for God their Lord, and shall ask God to grant them faith in Him on the Day of His Manifestation. For that is a glory which no other glory can equal—if one should possess all that is on earth but believe not in Him, it profiteth him not; whereas if one possess nothing but believe in Him, it profiteth him. Is there any glory equal to this, if ye be of them who reflect?

Then say at the seat of each one: “The Glory from God be upon you, then the Majesty from God on your right, then the Beauty from God on your left, then the Grandeur from God before you, then the Light from God behind you, then the Mercy from God above your heads, then the Gift from God beneath your feet. God doth ever send down upon you that which exalteth your essential beings, elevateth your realities, protecteth your souls, and manifesteth your identities. Upon you be from God your Lord, and upon those who were with you in the sacred garden and paradise of intimacy, from the first to the last, the outward and the inward, blessings to the number of the name of God the Luminous, or like unto them until the Day of Resurrection. For all the mighty ones bow down in your court, all the sovereign ones humble themselves at your gate, all the powerful ones stand before you, and all the mighty ones submit themselves before your eyes. This is what God hath ordained for you, for your first and your last. He is the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.” Then say “God is Most Luminous” two hundred times, then return to your seat.

And if you possess means, extend your hands in giving to its people, for whosoever spends one mithqal of silver in those lands, it is as though he had spent two thousand and one mithqals in lands other than those lands. [You must] reach out to the most helpless of people, and you shall watch over in those lands one who is not known and whom no one knows, for these are the friends of God. God loves that there should reach them from the treasuries of His Cause that which will sustain their bodies in the presence of His holy city.

You shall make your dwellings pleasant throughout all those lands, for He Whom God shall make manifest may, should He wish, descend upon a house and dwell therein, lest He be saddened by anything. This is what God, your Lord, has enjoined upon you, that you may be mindful. You shall place your trust in God, your Lord, the All-Merciful, at all times, before all times and after all times, for all do place their trust in God, our Lord, the All-Merciful.

And say: “What God willeth; there is no power but in God. His is the Creation and the Command, before and after. There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the Beloved.” Then say: “What God willeth; there is no glory but in God. His is the Grandeur and the Majesty in the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them. There is none other God but He, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting.”