Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. No G.o.d is there save Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Cx.x.xVI: "LAUDED BE THY NAME, O LORD MY G.o.d! I AM THY..."

Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord my G.o.d! I am Thy servant who hath laid hold on the cord of Thy tender mercies, and clung to the hem of Thy bounteousness.

I entreat Thee by Thy name whereby Thou hast subjected all created things, both visible and invisible, and through which the breath that is life indeed was wafted over the entire creation, to strengthen me by Thy power which hath encompa.s.sed the heavens and the earth, and to guard me from all sickness and tribulation. I bear witness that Thou art the Lord of all names, and the Ordainer of all that may please Thee. There is none other G.o.d but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Do Thou ordain for me, O my Lord, what will profit me in every world of Thy worlds. Supply me, then, with what Thou hast written down for the chosen ones among Thy creatures, whom neither the blame of the blamer, nor the clamor of the infidel, nor the estrangement of such as have withdrawn from Thee, hath deterred from turning towards Thee.

Thou, truly, art the Help in Peril through the power of Thy sovereignty.

No G.o.d is there save Thee, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

Cx.x.xVII: "GLORIFIED ART THOU, O MY G.o.d! I YIELD THEE THANKS..."

Glorified art Thou, O my G.o.d! I yield Thee thanks that Thou hast made known unto me Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy mercy, and the Dawning-Place of Thy grace, and the Repository of Thy Cause. I beseech Thee by Thy Name, through which the faces of them that are nigh unto Thee have turned white, and the hearts of such as are devoted to Thee have winged their flight towards Thee, to grant that I may, at all times and under all conditions, lay hold on Thy cord, and be rid of all attachment to any one except Thee, and may keep mine eyes directed towards the horizon of Thy Revelation, and may carry out what Thou hast prescribed unto me in Thy Tablets.

Attire, O my Lord, both my inner and outer being with the raiment of Thy favors and Thy loving-kindness. Keep me safe, then, from whatsoever may be abhorrent unto Thee, and graciously a.s.sist me and my kindred to obey Thee, and to shun whatsoever may stir up any evil or corrupt desire within me.

Thou, truly, art the Lord of all mankind, and the Possessor of this world and of the next. No G.o.d is there save Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Cx.x.xVIII: "O G.o.d, AND THE G.o.d OF ALL NAMES, AND MAKER OF..."

O G.o.d, and the G.o.d of all Names, and Maker of the heavens! I entreat Thee by Thy Name through which He Who is the Day-Spring of Thy might and the Dawning-Place of Thy power hath been manifested, through which every solid thing hath been made to flow, and every dead corpse hath been quickened, and every moving spirit confirmed-I entreat Thee to enable me to rid myself of all attachment to any one but Thee, and to serve Thy Cause, and to wish what Thou didst wish through the power of Thy sovereignty, and to perform what is the good pleasure of Thy will.

I beseech Thee, moreover, O my G.o.d, to ordain for me what will make me rich enough to dispense with any one save Thee. Thou seest me, O my G.o.d, with my face turned towards Thee, and my hands clinging to the cord of Thy grace. Send down upon me Thy mercy, and write down for me what Thou hast written down for Thy chosen ones. Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. No G.o.d is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

Cx.x.xIX: "GLORY BE TO THEE, O THOU WHO HAST, THROUGH THE..."

Glory be to Thee, O Thou Who hast, through the movement of Thy most august pen, subdued the concourse of Thy creation, and manifested the pearls of the ocean of Thy wisdom through the words which Thy tongue hath spoken before all who are in heaven and on earth. I testify that Thy might hath encompa.s.sed the whole universe, and Thy mercy surpa.s.sed all created things. The powers of the earth have never prevailed against Thee, nor hath the tumult of the nations frustrated Thy purpose. Thou hast revealed in Thy realm whatsoever Thou hadst desired through the power of Thy sovereignty, and hast ordained all things according to the good pleasure of Thy will. From eternity Thou hast inhabited the loftiest heights of Thy dominion and of Thine unfettered sovereignty, and wilt unto eternity continue to abide in the inaccessible retreats of Thy majesty and glory.

I implore Thee, by Thy Name through which the fragrance of the raiment of Thy presence was wafted, and the gentle winds of Thy bountiful grace pa.s.sed over all created things, to graciously a.s.sist me, at all times and under all conditions, to serve Thy Cause, and to enable me to remember Thee and to extol Thy virtues. Let, then, Thine almighty arms enfold me, O my G.o.d, and ordain for me what beseemeth Thy bounty in every world of Thy worlds.

Thou beholdest, O my Lord, how I have set myself towards the ocean of Thy grace and the adored sanctuary of Thy favors. Deny me not, I pray Thee, the drops which are sprinkled from the ocean of Thy gifts; neither do Thou withhold from me the outpourings of the clouds of Thy tender mercies. I am he, O my G.o.d, that hath clung to the resplendent hem of Thy robe, and taken hold on Thy strong cord that none can sever. I testify that Thou hast created me, and nourished me, and brought me up, and fed me, and sustained me, that I may recognize Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs, and the Revealer of Thy clear tokens. I offer unto Thee, therefore, most high praise, O Lord my G.o.d, that Thou hast suffered me to attain unto this most sublime station and this most august seat. Thou, truly, art the Great Giver, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

Illumine mine eyes, O my Lord, with the splendors of the horizon of Thy Revelation, and brighten my heart with the effulgence of the Day-Star of Thy knowledge and wisdom, that I may set myself wholly towards Thy face, and be rid of all attachment to any one except Thee, in such wise that the changes and chances of the world will be powerless to hinder me from recognizing Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine own Self, and the Revealer of Thy signs, and the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, and the Repository of Thy Cause.

Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Protector, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.

CXL: "PRAISED BE THOU, O MY G.o.d! THIS SERVANT OF THINE..."

Praised be Thou, O my G.o.d! This servant of Thine testifieth that naught else except Thee can ever express Thee, nor canst Thou be described by any one save Thyself. The thoughts of them that have recognized Thy reality, however much they may ascend towards the heaven of Thy praise, can never hope to pa.s.s beyond the bounds which, by Thy behest and decree, have been fixed within their own hearts. How can the creature who is as nothing comprehend Him Who is the Ancient of Days, or succeed in describing the full measure of His sovereignty, His glory, and His grandeur? Nay, and to this Thou Thyself dost witness, O Thou Who art the Governor of nations!

Every created thing hath recognized its own impotence, and the power of Thy might, and hath confessed its own abas.e.m.e.nt and Thy great glory.

I beseech Thee by Thy Lastness which is the same as Thy Firstness, and by Thy Revelation which is identical with Thy Concealment, to grant that they who are dear to Thee, and their children, and their kindred, may become the revealers of Thy purity amidst Thy creatures, and the manifestations of Thy sanct.i.ty amongst Thy servants.

Thou art, verily, powerful to do Thy pleasure. Thou art, in truth, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

CXLI: "I GIVE THEE THANKS, O MY G.o.d, FOR THAT THOU HAST..."

I give Thee thanks, O my G.o.d, for that Thou hast made me to be a target for the darts of Thine adversaries in Thy path. I offer Thee most high praise, O Thou Who art the Knower of the seen and unseen and the Lord of all being, that Thou hast suffered me to be cast into prison for love of Thee, and caused me to quaff the cup of woe, that I may reveal Thy Cause and glorify Thy word.

Which of my tribulations am I to recount before Thy face, O my Lord? Am I to recite before Thee what in days of old befell me at the hands of the workers of iniquity among Thy creatures, or to describe the vexations which have compa.s.sed me about in these days for the sake of Thy good pleasure?

Thanks be to Thee, O Thou the Lord of all names; and glory be to Thee, O Maker of the heavens, for all that I have sustained in these days at the hands of such of Thy servants as have transgressed against Thee, and of Thy people that have dealt frowardly towards Thee.

Number us, we implore Thee, with them who have stood fast in Thy Cause until their souls finally winged their flight unto the heaven of Thy grace and the atmosphere of Thy loving-kindness. Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

CXLII: "GLORY BE TO THEE, O MY G.o.d! MY FACE HATH BEEN..."

Glory be to Thee, O my G.o.d! My face hath been set towards Thy face, and my face is, verily, Thy face, and my call is Thy call, and my Revelation Thy Revelation, and my self Thy Self, and my Cause Thy Cause, and my behest Thy behest, and my Being Thy Being, and my sovereignty Thy sovereignty, and my glory Thy glory, and my power Thy power.

I implore Thee, O Thou Fashioner of the nations and the King of eternity, to guard Thy handmaidens within the tabernacle of Thy chast.i.ty, and to cancel such of their deeds as are unworthy of Thy days. Purge out, then, from them, O my G.o.d, all doubts and idle fancies, and sanctify them from whatsoever becometh not their kinship with Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of names, and the Source of utterance. Thou art He in Whose grasp are the reins of the entire creation.

No G.o.d is there but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the Self-Subsisting.