Prayers Surrounding the Fasting Season

7/28/2019 Prayers Surrounding the Fasting Season

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Prayers of BahullhSurrounding the Fasting Season


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Table of Contents

Prayer for Ayym-i-H____________________ 3

Prayer for the First Day of the Fast__________ 5

Prayer before Commencing the Fast________ 7

Prayers for Breaking the Fast______________ 19

General Prayers for the Fast_______________ 42

Prayer for Naw-Rz______________________ 55


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Prayer for Ayym-i-H

My God, my Fire and my Light! The dayswhich Thou hast named the Ayym-i-Hin Thy Book have begun, O Thou Who artthe King of names, and the fast which Thy most

exalted Pen hath enjoined unto all who are inthe kingdom of Thy creation to observeis approaching. I entreat Thee, O my Lord,by these days and by all such as haveduring that period clung to the cord of Thycommandments, and laid hold on the handle ofThy precepts, to grant that unto every soul may

be assigned a place within the precincts of Thycourt, and a seat at the revelation of thesplendors of the light of Thy countenance.

These, O my Lord, are Thy servants whom nocorrupt inclination hath kept back from what

Thou didst send down in Thy Book. They havebowed themselves before Thy Cause, andreceived Thy Book with such resolve as is bornof Thee, and observed what Thou hadstprescribed unto them, and chosen to follow thatwhich had been sent down by Thee.

Thou seest, O my Lord, how they haverecognized and confessed whatsoever Thou hast


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revealed in Thy Scriptures. Give them to drink,O my Lord, from the hands of Thy graciousnessthe waters of Thine eternity. Write down, then,for them the recompense ordained for him thathath immersed himself in the ocean of Thypresence, and attained unto the choice wine ofThy meeting.

I implore Thee, O Thou the King of kings andthe Pitier of the downtrodden, to ordain forthem the good of this world and of the world tocome. Write down for them, moreover, whatnone of Thy creatures hath discovered, and

number them with those who have circledround Thee, and who move about Thy throne inevery world of Thy worlds.

Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the All-Knowing,the All-Informed.


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Prayer for the First Day of the Fast

This is, O my God, the first of the days onwhich Thou hast bidden Thy loved ones toobserve the Fast. I ask of Thee by Thy Self andby him who hath fasted out of love for Thee and

for Thy good-pleasureand not out of self anddesire, nor out of fear of Thy wrathand by Thymost excellent names and august attributes, topurify Thy servants from the love of aughtexcept Thee and to draw them nigh unto theDawning-Place of the lights of Thy countenanceand the Seat of the throne of Thy oneness.

Illumine their hearts, O my God, with the lightof Thy knowledge and brighten their faces withthe rays of the Daystar that shineth from thehorizon of Thy Will. Potent art Thou to do whatpleaseth Thee. No God is there but Thee, theAll-Glorious, Whose help is implored by all

men.

Assist them, O my God, to render Theevictorious and to exalt Thy Word. Suffer them,then, to become as hands of Thy Cause amongstThy servants, and make them to be revealers ofThy religion and Thy signs amongst mankind, in

such wise that the whole world may be filledwith Thy remembrance and praise and with Thy


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proofs and evidences. Thou art, verily, the All-Bounteous, the Most Exalted, the Powerful, theMighty, and the Merciful.


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Prayer before Commencing the Fast

These are, O my God, the days whereon Thoudidst enjoin Thy servants to observe the fast.With it Thou didst adorn the preamble of theBook of Thy Laws revealed unto Thy creatures,

and didst deck forth the Repositories of Thycommandments in the sight of all who are inThy heaven and all who are on Thy earth. Thouhast endowed every hour of these days with aspecial virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee,Whose knowledge embraceth all created things.Thou hast, also, assigned unto every soul a

portion of this virtue in accordance with theTablet of Thy decree and the Scriptures of Thineirrevocable judgment. Every leaf of these Booksand Scriptures Thou hast, moreover, allotted toeach one of the peoples and kindreds of theearth.

For Thine ardent lovers Thou hast, according toThy decree, reserved, at each daybreak, the cupof Thy remembrance, O Thou Who art the Rulerof rulers! These are they who have been soinebriated with the wine of Thy manifoldwisdom that they forsake their couches in their

longing to celebrate Thy praise and extol Thyvirtues, and flee from sleep in their eagerness to


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approach Thy presence and partake ofThy bounty. Their eyes have, at all times,been bent upon the Day-Spring of Thy loving-kindness, and their faces set towards theFountain-Head of Thine inspiration. Raindown, then, upon us and upon them from theclouds of Thy mercy what beseemeth the heaven

of Thy bounteousness and grace.

Lauded be Thy name, O my God! This is thehour when Thou hast unlocked the doors of Thybounty before the faces of Thy creatures, andopened wide the portals of Thy tender mercy

unto all the dwellers of Thine earth. I beseechThee, by all them whose blood was shed in Thypath, who, in their yearning over Thee, ridthemselves from all attachment to any of Thycreatures, and who were so carried away by thesweet savors of Thine inspiration that everysingle member of their bodies intoned Thy

praise and vibrated to Thy remembrance, not towithhold from us the things Thou hastirrevocably ordained in this RevelationaRevelation the potency of which hath causedevery tree to cry out what the Burning Bush hadaforetime proclaimed unto Moses, Whoconversed with Thee, a Revelation that hathenabled every least pebble to resound again


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with Thy praise, as the stones glorified Thee inthe days of Muhammad, Thy Friend.

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These are the ones, O my God, whom Thou hastgraciously enabled to have fellowship with Theeand to commune with Him Who is the Revealerof Thyself. The winds of Thy will have scattered

them abroad until Thou didst gather themtogether beneath Thy shadow, and didst causethem to enter into the precincts of Thy court.Now that Thou hast made them to abide underthe shade of the canopy of Thy mercy, do Thouassist them to attain what must befit so august a

station. Suffer them not, O my Lord, to benumbered with them who, though enjoying nearaccess to Thee, have been kept back fromrecognizing Thy face, and who, though meetingwith Thee, are deprived of Thy presence.

These are Thy servants, O my Lord, who have

entered with Thee in this, the Most Great Prison,who have kept the fast within its wallsaccording to what Thou hadst commanded themin the Tablets of Thy decree and the Books ofThy behest. Send down, therefore, upon themwhat will thoroughly purge them of all Thouabhorrest, that they may be wholly devoted to


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Thee, and may detach themselves entirely fromall except Thyself.

Rain down, then, upon us, O my God, thatwhich beseemeth Thy grace and befitteth Thybounty. Enable us, then, O my God, to live inremembrance of Thee and to die in love of Thee,

and supply us with the gift of Thy presence inThy worlds hereafterworlds which areinscrutable to all except Thee. Thou art ourLord and the Lord of all worlds, and the God ofall that are in heaven and all that are on earth.

Thou beholdest, O my God, what hath befallenThy dear ones in Thy days. Thy glory bearethme witness! The voice of the lamentation of Thychosen ones hath been lifted up throughout Thyrealm. Some were ensnared by the infidels inThy land, and were hindered by them fromhaving near access to Thee and from attaining

the court of Thy glory. Others were able toapproach Thee, but were kept back frombeholding Thy face. Still others were permitted,in their eagerness to look upon Thee, to enter theprecincts of Thy court, but they allowed the veilsof the imaginations of Thy creatures and thewrongs inflicted by the oppressors among Thypeople to come in between them and Thee.


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This is the hour, O my Lord, which Thou hastcaused to excel every other hour, and hastrelated it to the choicest among Thy creatures. Ibeseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Self and bythem, to ordain in the course of this year whatshall exalt Thy loved ones. Do Thou, moreover,

decree within this year what will enable theDay-Star of Thy power to shine brightly abovethe horizon of Thy glory, and to illuminate, byThy sovereign might, the whole world.

Render Thy Cause victorious, O my Lord, and

abase Thou Thine enemies. Write down, then,for us the good of this life and of the life tocome. Thou art the Truth, Who knoweth thesecret things. No God is there but Thee, theEver-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

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I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy mightySign, and by the revelation of Thy graceamongst men, to cast me not away from the gateof the city of Thy presence, and to disappointnot the hopes I have set on the manifestations of

Thy grace amidst Thy creatures. Thou seest me,O my God, holding to Thy Name, the Most


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Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, theMost Great, the Most Exalted, the MostGlorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe towhich have clung all in this world and in theworld to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy most sweet

Voice and by Thy most exalted Word, to drawme ever nearer to the threshold of Thy door, andto suffer me not to be far removed from theshadow of Thy mercy and the canopy of Thybounty. Thou seest me, O my God, holding toThy Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous,

the Most Mighty, the Most Great, the MostExalted, the Most Glorious, and clinging to thehem of the robe to which have clung all in thisworld and in the world to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by the splendor ofThy luminous brow and the brightness of the

light of Thy countenance, which shineth fromthe all-highest horizon, to attract me by thefragrance of Thy raiment, and make me drink ofthe choice wine of Thine utterance. Thou seestme, O my God, holding to Thy Name, the MostHoly, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, theMost Great, the Most Exalted, the MostGlorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to


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which have clung all in this world and in theworld to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy hair whichmoveth across Thy face, even as Thy mostexalted pen moveth across the pages of ThyTablets, shedding the musk of hidden meanings

over the kingdom of Thy creation, so to raise meup to serve Thy Cause that I shall not fall back,nor be hindered by the suggestions of them whohave caviled at Thy signs and turned away fromThy face. Thou seest me, O my God, holding toThy Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous,


I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Name whichThou hast made the King of Names, by which

all who are in heaven and all who are on earthhave been enraptured, to enable me to gaze onthe Day-Star of Thy Beauty, and to supply mewith the wine of Thine utterance. Thou seestme, O my God, holding to Thy Name, the MostHoly, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, theMost Great, the Most Exalted, the MostGlorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to


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which have clung all in this world and in theworld to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by the Tabernacle ofThy majesty upon the loftiest summits, and theCanopy of Thy Revelation on the highest hills,to graciously aid me to do what Thy will hath

desired and Thy purpose hath manifested.Thou seest me, O my God, holding to ThyName, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, theMost Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted,the Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem ofthe robe to which have clung all in this world

and in the world to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Beauty thatshineth forth above the horizon of eternity, aBeauty before which as soon as it revealeth itselfthe kingdom of beauty boweth down inworship, magnifying it in ringing tones, to grant

that I may die to all that I possess and live towhatsoever belongeth unto Thee. Thou seestme, O my God, holding to Thy Name, the MostHoly, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, theMost Great, the Most Exalted, the MostGlorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe towhich have clung all in this world and in theworld to come.


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I beseech Thee, O my God, by the Manifestationof Thy Name, the Well-Beloved, through Whomthe hearts of Thy lovers were consumed and thesouls of all that dwell on earth have soared aloft,to aid me to remember Thee amongst Thycreatures, and to extol Thee amidst Thy people.

Thou seest me, O my God, holding to ThyName, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, theMost Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted,the Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem ofthe robe to which have clung all in this worldand in the world to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by the rustling of theDivine Lote-Tree and the murmur of the breezesof Thine utterance in the kingdom of Thy names,to remove me far from whatsoever Thy willabhorreth, and draw me nigh unto the stationwherein He Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs

hath shone forth. Thou seest me, O my God,holding to Thy Name, the Most Holy, the MostLuminous, the Most Mighty, the Most Great, theMost Exalted, the Most Glorious, and clinging tothe hem of the robe to which have clung all inthis world and in the world to come.


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I beseech Thee, O my God, by that Letter which,as soon as it proceeded out of the mouth of Thywill, hath caused the oceans to surge, and thewinds to blow, and the fruits to be revealed, andthe trees to spring forth, and all past traces tovanish, and all veils to be rent asunder, andthem who are devoted to Thee to hasten unto

the light of the countenance of their Lord, theUnconstrained, to make known unto me whatlay hid in the treasuries of Thy knowledge andconcealed within the repositories of Thywisdom. Thou seest me, O my God, holding toThy Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous,


I beseech Thee, O my God, by the fire of Thylove which drove sleep from the eyes of Thy

chosen ones and Thy loved ones, and by theirremembrance and praise of Thee at the hour ofdawn, to number me with such as have attainedunto that which Thou hast sent down in ThyBook and manifested through Thy will. Thouseest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name, theMost Holy, the Most Luminous, the MostMighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the


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Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem of therobe to which have clung all in this world and inthe world to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by the light of Thycountenance which impelled them who are nighunto Thee to meet the darts of Thy decree, and

such as are devoted to Thee to face the swordsof Thine enemies in Thy path, to write down forme with Thy most exalted Pen what Thou hastwritten down for Thy trusted ones and Thychosen ones. Thou seest me, O my God, holdingto Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most

Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most Great, theMost Exalted, the Most Glorious, and clinging tothe hem of the robe to which have clung all inthis world and in the world to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Namethrough which Thou hast hearkened unto the

call of Thy lovers, and the sighs of them thatlong for Thee, and the cry of them that enjoynear access to Thee, and the groaning of themthat are devoted to Thee, and through whichThou hast fulfilled the wishes of them that haveset their hopes on Thee, and hast granted themtheir desires, through Thy grace and Thy favors,and by Thy Name through which the ocean of


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forgiveness surged before Thy face, and theclouds of Thy generosity rained upon Thyservants, to write down for every one who hathturned unto Thee, and observed the fastprescribed by Thee, the recompense decreed forsuch as speak not except by Thy leave, and whoforsook all that they possessed in Thy path and

for love of Thee.

I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thyself, and byThy signs, and Thy clear tokens, and the shininglight of the Day-Star of Thy Beauty, and ThyBranches, to cancel the trespasses of those who

have held fast to Thy laws, and have observedwhat Thou hast prescribed unto them in ThyBook. Thou seest me, O my God, holding to ThyName, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, theMost Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted,the Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem ofthe robe to which have clung all in this world

and in the world to come.


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Prayers for Breaking the Fast

Praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Wehave observed the Fast in conformity with Thybidding and break it now through Thy love andThy good-pleasure. Deign to accept, O my God,

the deeds that we have performed in Thy pathwholly for the sake of Thy beauty with our facesset towards Thy Cause, free from aught else butThee. Bestow, then, Thy forgiveness upon us,upon our forefathers, and upon all such as havebelieved in Thee and in Thy mighty signs in thismost great, this most glorious Revelation.

Potent art Thou to do what Thou choosest.Thou art, verily, the Most Exalted, the Almighty,the Unconstrained.

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Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! These arethe days whereon Thou hast bidden all men toobserve the fast, that through it they may purifytheir souls and rid themselves of all attachmentto any one but Thee, and that out of their heartsmay ascend that which will be worthy of the

court of Thy majesty and may well beseem theseat of the revelation of Thy oneness. Grant, O


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my Lord, that this fast may become a river oflife-giving waters and may yield the virtuewherewith Thou hast endowed it. Cleanse Thouby its means the hearts of Thy servants whomthe evils of the world have failed to hinder fromturning towards Thine all-glorious Name, andwho have remained unmoved by the noise and

tumult of such as have repudiated Thy mostresplendent signs which have accompanied theadvent of Thy Manifestation Whom Thou hastinvested with Thy sovereignty, Thy power, Thymajesty and glory. These are the servants who,as soon as Thy call reached them, hastened in

the direction of Thy mercy and were not keptback from Thee by the changes and chances ofthis world or by any human limitations.

I am he, O my God, who testifieth to Thy unity,who acknowledgeth Thy oneness, who bowethhumbly before the revelations of Thy majesty,

and who recognizeth with downcastcountenance the splendors of the light of Thytranscendent glory. I have believed in Thee afterThou didst enable me to know Thy Self, WhomThou hast revealed to mens eyes through thepower of Thy sovereignty and might. Unto HimI have turned, wholly detached from all things,and cleaving steadfastly unto the cord of Thy


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gifts and favors. I have embraced His truth, andthe truth of all the wondrous laws and preceptsthat have been sent down unto Him. I havefasted for love of Thee and in pursuance ofThine injunction, and have broken my fast withThy praise on my tongue and in conformitywith Thy pleasure. Suffer me not, O my Lord, to

be reckoned among them who have fasted in thedaytime, who in the night-season haveprostrated themselves before Thy face, and whohave repudiated Thy truth, disbelieved in Thysigns, gainsaid Thy testimony, and pervertedThine utterances.

Open Thou, O my Lord, mine eyes and the eyesof all them that have sought Thee, that we mayrecognize Thee with Thine own eyes. This isThy bidding given us in the Book sent down byThee unto Him Whom Thou hast chosen by Thybehest, Whom Thou hast singled out for Thy

favor above all Thy creatures, Whom Thou hastbeen pleased to invest with Thy sovereignty,and Whom Thou hast specially favored andentrusted with Thy Message unto Thy people.Praised be Thou, therefore, O my God,inasmuch as Thou hast graciously enabled us torecognize Him and to acknowledge whatsoeverhath been sent down unto Him, and conferred


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upon us the honor of attaining the presence ofthe One Whom Thou didst promise in Thy Bookand in Thy Tablets.

Thou seest me then, O my God, with my faceturned towards Thee, cleaving steadfastly to thecord of Thy gracious providence and generosity,

and clinging to the hem of Thy tender merciesand bountiful favors. Destroy not, I imploreThee, my hopes of attaining unto that whichThou didst ordain for Thy servants who haveturned towards the precincts of Thy court andthe sanctuary of Thy presence, and have

observed the fast for love of Thee. I confess, Omy God, that whatever proceedeth from me iswholly unworthy of Thy sovereignty and fallethshort of Thy majesty. And yet I beseech Thee byThy Name through which Thou hast revealedThy Self, in the glory of Thy most excellent titles,unto all created things, in this Revelation

whereby Thou hast, through Thy mostresplendent Name, manifested Thy beauty, togive me to drink of the wine of Thy mercy andof the pure beverage of Thy favor, which havestreamed forth from the right hand of Thy will,that I may so fix my gaze upon Thee and be sodetached from all else but Thee, that the worldand all that hath been created therein may


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appear before me as a fleeting day which Thouhast not deigned to create.

I moreover entreat Thee, O my God, to raindown, from the heaven of Thy will and theclouds of Thy mercy, that which will cleanse usfrom the noisome savors of our transgressions,

O Thou Who hast called Thyself the God ofMercy! Thou art, verily, the Most Powerful, theAll-Glorious, the Beneficent.

Cast not away, O my Lord, him that hath turnedtowards Thee, nor suffer him who hath drawn

nigh unto Thee to be removed far from Thycourt. Dash not the hopes of the suppliant whohath longingly stretched out his hands to seekThy grace and favors, and deprive not Thysincere servants of the wonders of Thy tendermercies and loving-kindness. Forgiving andMost Bountiful art Thou, O my Lord! Power

hast Thou to do what Thou pleasest. All else butThee are impotent before the revelations of Thymight, are as lost in the face of the evidences ofThy wealth, are as nothing when compared withthe manifestations of Thy transcendentsovereignty, and are destitute of all strengthwhen face to face with the signs and tokens ofThy power. What refuge is there beside Thee, O


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my Lord, to which I can flee, and where is therea haven to which I can hasten? Nay, the powerof Thy might beareth me witness! No protectoris there but Thee, no place to flee to except Thee,no refuge to seek save Thee. Cause me to taste,O my Lord, the divine sweetness of Thyremembrance and praise. I swear by Thy might!

Whosoever tasteth of its sweetness will ridhimself of all attachment to the world and allthat is therein, and will set his face towardsThee, cleansed from the remembrance of anyone except Thee.

Inspire then my soul, O my God, with Thywondrous remembrance, that I may glorify Thyname. Number me not with them who read Thywords and fail to find Thy hidden gift which, asdecreed by Thee, is contained therein, andwhich quickeneth the souls of Thy creatures andthe hearts of Thy servants. Cause me, O my

Lord, to be reckoned among them who havebeen so stirred up by the sweet savors that havebeen wafted in Thy days that they have laiddown their lives for Thee and hastened to thescene of their death in their longing to gaze onThy beauty and in their yearning to attain Thypresence. And were any one to say unto them ontheir way, Whither go ye? they would say,


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Unto God, the All-Possessing, the Help in Peril,the Self-Subsisting!

The transgressions committed by such as haveturned away from Thee and have bornethemselves haughtily towards Thee have notavailed to hinder them from loving Thee, and

from setting their faces towards Thee, and fromturning in the direction of Thy mercy. These arethey who are blessed by the Concourse on high,who are glorified by the denizens of theeverlasting Cities, and beyond them by those onwhose foreheads Thy most exalted pen hath

written: These! The people of Bah. Throughthem have been shed the splendors of the lightof guidance. Thus hath it been ordained, atThy behest and by Thy will, in the Tablet ofThine irrevocable decree.

Proclaim, therefore, O my God, their greatness

and the greatness of those who while living orafter death have circled round them. Supplythem with that which Thou hast ordained forthe righteous among Thy creatures. Potent artThou to do all things. There is no God but Thee,the All-Powerful, the Help in Peril, theAlmighty, the Most Bountiful.


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Do not bring our fasts to an end with this fast, Omy Lord, nor the covenants Thou hast madewith this covenant. Do Thou accept all that wehave done for love of Thee, and for the sake ofThy pleasure, and all that we have left undoneas a result of our subjection to our evil andcorrupt desires. Enable us, then, to cleave

steadfastly to Thy love and Thy good-pleasure,and preserve us from the mischief of such ashave denied Thee and repudiated Thy mostresplendent signs. Thou art, in truth, the Lordof this world and of the next. No God is therebeside Thee, the Exalted, the Most High.

Magnify Thou, O Lord my God, Him Who is thePrimal Point, the Divine Mystery, the UnseenEssence, the Day-Spring of Divinity, and theManifestation of Thy Lordship, through Whomall the knowledge of the past and all theknowledge of the future were made plain,

through Whom the pearls of Thy hiddenwisdom were uncovered, and the mystery ofThy treasured name disclosed, Whom Thou hastappointed as the Announcer of the One throughWhose name the letter B and the letter E havebeen joined and united, through Whom Thymajesty, Thy sovereignty and Thy might weremade known, through Whom Thy words have


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been sent down, and Thy laws set forth withclearness, and Thy signs spread abroad, and ThyWord established, through Whom the hearts ofThy chosen ones were laid bare, and all thatwere in the heavens and all that were on theearth were gathered together, Whom Thou hastcalled Al-Muhammad in the kingdom of Thy

names, and the Spirit of Spirits in the Tablets ofThine irrevocable decree, Whom Thou hastinvested with Thine own title, unto Whose nameall other names have, at Thy bidding andthrough the power of Thy might, been made toreturn, and in Whom Thou hast caused all Thine

attributes and titles to attain their finalconsummation. To Him also belong such namesas lay hid within Thy stainless tabernacles, inThine invisible world and Thy sanctified cities.

Magnify Thou, moreover, such as have believedin Him and in His signs and have turned

towards Him, from among those that haveacknowledged Thy unity in His LatterManifestationa Manifestation whereof Hehath made mention in His Tablets, and in HisBooks, and in His Scriptures, and in all thewondrous verses and gem-like utterances thathave descended upon Him. It is this sameManifestation Whose covenant Thou hast


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bidden Him establish ere He had establishedHis own covenant. He it is Whose praise theBayn hath celebrated. In it His excellence hathbeen extolled, and His truth established, and Hissovereignty proclaimed, and His Causeperfected. Blessed is the man that hath turnedunto Him, and fulfilled the things He hath

commanded, O Thou Who art the Lord of theworlds and the Desire of all them that haveknown Thee!

Praised be Thou, O my God, inasmuch as Thouhast aided us to recognize and love Him. I,

therefore, beseech Thee by Him and by ThemWho are the Day-Springs of Thy Divinity, andthe Manifestations of Thy Lordship, and theTreasuries of Thy Revelation, and theDepositories of Thine inspiration, to enable us toserve and obey Him, and to empower us tobecome the helpers of His Cause and the

dispersers of His adversaries. Powerful artThou to do all that pleaseth Thee. No God isthere beside Thee, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the One Whose help is sought by allmen!

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Revelation and creation trembled except such ashave fasted from all that is repugnant to Thygood-pleasure and restrained themselves fromturning toward aught besides Thee, to includeus among them and to write down our nameson the Tablet whereon Thou hast inscribed theirnames. O God, through the wonders of Thy

might and the tokens of Thy sovereignty andgrandeur, Thou didst send forth their namesfrom out of the sea of Thy names, and didstcreate their inner essences out of the substanceof Thy love, and their inmost beings from thespirit of Thy Cause. Theirs is a reunion not

succeeded by separation, a nearness thatknoweth no remoteness, and a perpetuity thathath no end. Verily, these are servants who everrecount Thee, who eternally circle round Thee,and who circumambulate the sanctuary of Thypresence and the Kaaba of reunion with Thee.Thou hast ordained, O my God, no distinction

between them and Thee, except that when theybeheld the lights of Thy countenance, they settheir faces towards Thee, and prostratedthemselves before Thy beauty, submissive toThy greatness and severed from all thingsbesides Thee.


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We have fasted this day, O my Lord, by Thycommand and Thy bidding in accordance withwhat Thou hast revealed in Thy perspicuousBook. We have withheld our souls from passionand from whatsoever Thou abhorest until theday drew to an end and the time arrived tobreak the Fast. Wherefore, I implore Thee, O

Desire of the hearts of ardent lovers and Belovedof the souls of them who are endued withunderstanding, O Rapture of the breasts of themthat yearn after Thee and Object of the desire ofthem that seek Thee, to cause us to soar in theatmosphere of Thy nearness and the heaven of

Thy presence, and to accept from us what wehave performed in the pathway of Thy love andgood-pleasure. Write down our names, then,among those who have acknowledged Thyoneness and confessed to Thy singleness andwho have humbled themselves before theevidences of Thy majesty and the tokens of Thy

grandeur, those who have taken refuge in Thynearness and sought shelter in Thee, who haveexpended their lives in their eagerness to meetThee and attain the court of Thy presence, andwho have cast the world behind their backs forlove of Thee and severed every tie with aughtsave Thee in their eagerness to draw nigh untoThee. These are servants whose hearts melt in


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ardent desire for Thy beauty at the mention ofThy Name, and whose eyes overflow with tearsin their longing to find Thee and enter theprecincts of Thy court.

This is, O my Lord, my tongue which testifiethto Thy unity and peerlessness, mine eye which

beholdeth the seat of Thy generosity andmanifold bounties, and mine ear which is readyto hearken unto Thy summons and Thineutterance, for I am assured, O my God, thatThou hast decreed the words proceeding out ofthe mouth of Thy will to be inexhaustible, and

unto them the ears which Thou hast sanctified tohear Thy words and verses are at all timeshearkening. And these are my hands, O myLord, uplifted toward the heaven of Thy favorand tender mercy. Wilt Thou, then, turn awaythis poor one who hath taken to himself nobeloved except Thee, no bestower beside Thee,

nor king other than Thee, no shelter savebeneath the shadow of Thy mercy, and norefuge but before Thy gate, which Thou hastopened unto all who dwell in Thy heaven andon Thine earth? Nay, by Thy glory! I am hewhose confidence in Thy loving kindness willremain undaunted even though Thou wert toafflict me with torments for the duration of Thy


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dominion; and should anyone ask me aboutThee, every limb of my body would proclaim:He is beloved in His acts and obeyed in Hisdecree, merciful in His nature andcompassionate to His creatures!

Thy might beareth me witness, O Well-Beloved

of the hearts of them that yearn after Thee, wertThou to turn me away from Thy door andabandon me to the swords of the tyrantsamongst Thy servants and to the rods of theungodly amongst Thy creatures, and shouldsomeone ask me about Thee, every hair of my

body would still declare: He is, in truth, theBest Beloved of the worlds; He is the MostBountiful; He is the Ever-Abiding! He drawethme nigh whilst distancing me from Himself; Hegranteth me His sanctuary whilst debarring mefrom His presence. None found I more mercifulthan He, by Whom I have become independent

of all else but Him and have been raised upabove aught besides Himself.

Well is it with the one, O my God, who hathbeen so enriched by Thee as to be madeindependent of the kingdoms of earth andheaven. Rich is the one who hath held fast tothe cord of Thy wealth, is submissive before Thy


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with perplexity, for I am fully aware that all ofThine exalted attributes and all of the mostexcellent names which I associate with Thee andby which in Thy holy presence I supplicateThee, reflect naught but the measure of mineown understanding, inasmuch as whenever Ihave regarded a name to be laudable, I have

associated it with Thyself.

Immeasurably exalted is Thy true state abovethe description or knowledge of anyone besidesThee, and sanctified art Thou from theglorification of Thy creatures and the praise of

Thy servants in their attempts to ascend untoThee. Whatsoever appeareth from Thy servantsis limited by the limitations of their own selvesand is created by their own idle fancies andimaginings.

Alas, alas, O my Beloved, for mine inability to

befittingly praise Thee and for my shortcomingsduring Thy days! If I acclaim Thee, O my God,as Him Who knoweth all things, I readilyperceive that shouldst Thou point to a mute rockwith a single finger of Thy will, Thou wouldstenable it to unfold the knowledge of all past andfuture ages; and if I extol Thee as the All-Powerful, I find that one word issuing from the


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mouth of Thy purpose is sufficient to convulsethe heavens and the earth.

Thy glory beareth me witness, O Beloved of allthat recognize Thee, should any learned one failto confess his ignorance before the revelations ofThy knowledge, he would be accounted the

most ignorant of Thy people; and should anymighty one refuse to admit his weakness beforethe evidences of Thy power, he would beconsidered the weakest and the most heedless ofThy creatures. Given my knowledge andcertainty that this is so, how can I extol Thee or

describe and praise Thee? Wherefore, knowingmy weakness, I have hastened toward theshelter of Thy strength; and realizing mypoverty, I have sought refuge under the shadowof Thy wealth; and recognizing mypowerlessness, I have arisen to stand before thetabernacle of Thy power and might. Wilt thou

cast away this poor one after he hath taken noone but Thee as his succorer, or turn away thisstranger after he hath found no one but Thee tobe his true beloved?

Thou knowest all that is in me, O Lord, but Iknow not what is in Thee. Have mercy thenupon me through Thy loving providence and


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inspire me with that which shall give peace tomy heart during Thy days and tranquillity tomy soul through the revelations of Thy sacredpresence. All created things have beenillumined with the splendors of the lights of Thycountenance, O Lord, and the dwellers of earthand heaven are shining resplendently on

account of the manifestations of Thineincomparable majesty, in such wise that I beholdnothing without first beholding within it therevelation of Thyself, a revelation which ishidden from the sight of those among Thyservants who lie fast asleep.

Deprive me not, O my Lord, of Thy grace whichhath encompassed all the realms of existence,whether visible or invisible. Wilt Thou stay farremoved, O my God, after Thou hast invited allmankind to return and draw nigh unto Thee,and urged them to hold fast to Thy cord? Wilt

Thou cast me out, O my Beloved, even whenThou hast promised in Thine incorruptible Bookand in Thy wondrous verses to gather all thosewho yearn after Thee within the pavilion of Thygracious providence, and those who desire Theeunder the shadow of Thy bountiful favor, andthose who search for Thee under the canopy ofThy mercy and loving-kindness?


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I swear by Thy might, O my God, that mylamentations have halted my heart within me,and its groans have seized the reins from myhands! At whatever time I reassure myself andgladden my soul with the wonders of Thymercy, the tokens of Thy gracious providence,

and the evidences of Thy generosity, I tremblebefore the manifestations of Thy justice and thesigns of Thy wrath. I recognize that Thou artknown by these two names and described bythese two attributes, yet Thou carest notwhether Thou art invoked by Thy name the

Ever- Forgiving, or Thy name the Wrathful. ByThy glory, were it not for my knowledge thatThy mercy surpasseth all things, the limbs of mybody would have ceased to exist, my realitybeen extinguished and my inner being reducedto utter nothingness. But when I behold thatThy grace encompasseth all things and Thy

mercy embraceth the entire creation, my souland my inmost being become well assured.

Alas, alas, O my God, for the things that haveescaped me during Thy days, and again alas,alas, O Desire of my heart, for what I have leftundone in service and obedience to Thee duringthese days the likes of which the eyes of Thy


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chosen ones and trusted ones have neverwitnessed! I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by ThySelf and by the Manifestation of Thy Cause Whois seated upon the throne of Thy mercy, toconfirm me in Thy service and good- pleasure.Guard me, then, from those who have turnedaway from Thee and disbelieved in Thy verses,

who have denied Thy truth, resisted Thineevidences, and violated Thy Covenant andtestament.

All praise, O Lord my God, be unto Him Who isthe Manifestation of Thine Essence, the

Dayspring of Thy oneness, the Mine of Thyknowledge, the Source of Thy Revelation, theRepository of Thine inspiration, the Seat of Thysovereignty, and the Dawning-Place of ThyDivinityHe Who is the Primal Point, the MostExalted Countenance, the Ancient Root, and theQuickener of nations; and glory be upon him

who was the first to believe in Him and in Hisverses, whom Thou didst make a throne for theascendancy of Thy most sublime Word, a focal-point for the manifestation of Thy most excellentnames, a dayspring of the radiance of the Sun ofThy providence, a dawning-place for theappearance of Thy names and attributes, and atreasury of the pearls of Thy wisdom and Thy


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commandments. And all honor be upon himwho was the last to come unto Him, whosearrival was like His arrival, and Thymanifestation in him like Thy manifestation inHim, except that he was illumined with thelights of His face and prostrated himself beforeHim and testified to his servitude unto Him;

and glory be upon those who were martyred inHis path and who offered up their lives for loveof His beauty.

We testify, O my God, that these are servantswho have believed in Thee and in Thy signs,

who have sought the sanctuary of Thy presenceand turned toward Thy countenance, who havedirected their faces toward the court of Thynearness and walked in the path of Thy good-pleasure, who have worshipped Thee accordingto Thy desire and detached themselves from allbut Thee. O Lord, confer upon their spirits and

their bodies at all times a share of the wondersof Thine all-encompassing mercy. Thou art,verily, powerful to do as Thou pleaseth. No Godis there save Thee, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, Whose help is implored by all men.

I beseech Thee, O Lord, by Him and by them,and by Him Whom Thou hast established on the


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throne of Thy Faith and caused to overshadowall the dwellers of earth and heaven, to purify usfrom our transgressions, to ordain for us a seatof truth in Thy presence and to cause us toassociate with those whom the adversities of theworld and its misfortunes have not hinderedfrom turning toward Thee. Thou art, verily, the

All-Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Protector,the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.


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General Prayers for the Fast

In the Name of Him Who hath been promisedin the Books of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed! The days of fasting have arrivedwherein those servants who circle round Thy

throne and have attained Thy presence havefasted. Say: O God of names and creator ofheaven and earth! I beg of Thee by Thy Name,the All-Glorious, to accept the fast of those whohave fasted for love of Thee and for the sake ofThy good-pleasure and have carried out whatThou hast bidden them in Thy Books and

Tablets. I beseech Thee by them to assist me inthe promotion of Thy Cause and to make mesteadfast in Thy love, that my footsteps may notslip on account of the clamor of Thy creatures.Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thouwillest. No God is there but Thee, the

Quickener, the All-Powerful, the Most Bountiful,the Ancient of Days.

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O my God and my Master! Thou seest me

among Thy creatures who have rebelled andtransgressed against Thee. Every time I invite


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them unto the ocean of Thy knowledge, theirrepudiation of Thy Cause increaseth and theirrejection of the Dawning-Place of Thy Willwaxeth greater. I beg of Thee, O my God, bythose who have fasted for love of Thee and havequaffed the living waters of submission from thehands of Thy bounty, to ordain for Thy loved

ones, who under the blaze of the orb of Thytrials have clung to the cord of patience, all thegood Thou hast reckoned in Thy Books and ThyTablets. Write down, then, for such as havebeen afflicted with adversities for Thy sake, thereward of those who have suffered martyrdom

in the path of Thy good-pleasure. Send down,moreover, upon them, O Lord, that which willrejoice their hearts, solace their eyes, andexhilarate their souls. Thou art, verily, the MostPowerful, the Most Exalted, the Help in Peril,the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

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Praised be Thou, O God, my God! These arethe days whereon Thou hast enjoined Thychosen ones, Thy loved ones and Thy servantsto observe the Fast, which Thou hast made a

light unto the people of Thy kingdom, even asThou didst make obligatory prayer a ladder of


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ascent unto those who acknowledge Thy unity.I beg of Thee, O my God, by these two mightypillars, which Thou hast ordained as a glory andhonor for all mankind, to keep Thy religion safefrom the mischief of the ungodly and theplotting of every wicked doer. O Lord, concealnot the light which Thou hast revealed through

Thy strength and Thine omnipotence. Assist,then, those who truly believe in Thee with thehosts of the seen and the unseen by Thycommand and Thy sovereignty. No God isthere but Thee, the Almighty, the MostPowerful.

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Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beseechThee by this Revelation whereby darkness hathbeen turned into light, through which the

Frequented Fane hath been built, and theWritten Tablet revealed, and the Outspread Rolluncovered, to send down upon me and uponthem who are in my company that which willenable us to soar into the heavens of Thytranscendent glory, and will wash us from thestain of such doubts as have hindered the

suspicious from entering into the tabernacle ofThy unity.


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I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast thecord of Thy loving-kindness, and clung to thehem of Thy mercy and favors. Do Thou ordainfor me and for my loved ones the good of thisworld and of the world to come. Supply them,then, with the Hidden Gift Thou didst ordain for

the choicest among Thy creatures.

These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thouhast bidden Thy servants to observe the fast.Blessed is he that observeth the fast wholly forThy sake and with absolute detachment from all

things except Thee. Assist me and assist them,O my Lord, to obey Thee and to keep Thyprecepts. Thou, verily, hast power to do whatThou choosest.

There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, theAll-Wise. All praise be to God, the Lord of all

worlds.

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Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! I supplicateThee by Him Whom Thou hast called into being,

Whose Revelation Thou hast ordained to beThine own Revelation and His Concealment


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Thine own Concealment. Through His FirstnessThou hast confirmed Thine own Firstness, andthrough His Lastness Thou hast affirmed Thineown Lastness. Through the power of His mightand the influence of His sovereignty the mightyhave apprehended Thine omnipotence, andthrough His glory they who are endowed with

authority have acknowledged Thy majesty andgreatness. Through His supreme ascendancyThy transcendent sovereignty and all-encompassing dominion have been recognized,and through His will Thine own will hath beenrevealed. Through the light of His countenance

the splendors of Thine own face have shoneforth, and through His Cause Thine own Causehath been made manifest. Through thegenerative power of His utterance the wholeearth hath been made the recipient of thewondrous signs and tokens of Thy sovereignty,and the heavens have been filled with the

revelations of Thine incomparable majesty, andthe seas have been enriched with the sacredpearls of Thine omniscience and wisdom, andthe trees adorned with the fruits of Thyknowledge. Through Him all things have sungThy praise, and all the eyes have been turned inthe direction of Thy mercy. Through Him thefaces of all have been set towards the splendors


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of the light of Thy countenance, and the souls ofall have been inclined unto the revelations ofThy divine greatness.

How great is Thy power! How exalted Thysovereignty! How lofty Thy might! Howexcellent Thy majesty! How supreme is Thy

grandeura grandeur which He Who is ThyManifestation hath made known and wherewithThou hast invested Him as a sign of Thygenerosity and bountiful favor. I bear witness,O my God, that through Him Thy mostresplendent signs have been uncovered, and

Thy mercy hath encompassed the entirecreation. But for Him, how could the CelestialDove have uttered its songs or the HeavenlyNightingale, according to the decree of God,have warbled its melody?

I testify that no sooner had the First Word

proceeded, through the potency of Thy will andpurpose, out of His mouth, and the First Callgone forth from His lips than the whole creationwas revolutionized, and all that are in theheavens and all that are on earth were stirred tothe depths. Through that Word the realities ofall created things were shaken, were divided,separated, scattered, combined and reunited,


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disclosing, in both the contingent world and theheavenly kingdom, entities of a new creation,and revealing, in the unseen realms, the signsand tokens of Thy unity and oneness. Throughthat Call Thou didst announce unto all Thyservants the advent of Thy most greatRevelation and the appearance of Thy most

perfect Cause.

No sooner had that Revelation been unveiled tomens eyes than the signs of universal discordappeared among the peoples of the world, andcommotion seized the dwellers of earth and

heaven, and the foundations of all things wereshaken. The forces of dissension were released,the meaning of the Word was unfolded, andevery several atom in all created things acquiredits own distinct and separate character. Hellwas made to blaze, and the delights of Paradisewere uncovered to mens eyes. Blessed is the

man that turneth towards Thee, and woe betidehim who standeth aloof from Thee, who deniethThee and repudiateth Thy signs in thisRevelation wherein the faces of the exponents ofdenial have turned black and the faces of theexponents of truthfulness have turned white, OThou Who art the Possessor of all names andattributes, Who holdest in Thy grasp the empire


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of whatever hath been created in heaven and onearth!

Praise be to Thee, therefore, O my Godsuchpraise as Thou didst ascribe to Thine own Self,and which none except Thee can eithercomprehend or reckon. Thou art He, O my

Lord, Who hath made known His own Self untome, at a time when Thy servants have failed torecognize Theeservants who, by virtue of theties that bind them to Thee, have been rulingover all that dwell on earth and have beenvaunting themselves over its peoples. Were I, O

my God, to exercise from pole to pole supremedominion over the earth, and were I to beoffered all the treasures it containeth, and were Ito expend them in Thy path, I would still bepowerless to attain unto this station, unless Iwere assisted and strengthened by Thee. Andwere I to glorify Thee, O my God, so long as the

glory of Thy majesty endureth and the influenceof Thy sovereignty and power will last, such aglorification could never be compared with anyof the praises which Thou, as a token of Thygrace, hast taught me, and wherewith Thou hastbidden me to extol Thy virtues. If such be theexcellence of each one of the praises which Thouhast taught me, how immeasurably greater must


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be the excellence of the station of the One Whohath known Thee, Who hath entered ThyPresence, and pursued steadfastly the path ofThy Cause!

I have clearly perceived, and I am whollypersuaded, that Thou hast from everlasting been

immeasurably exalted above the mention of allbeings, and wilt continue unto everlasting toremain far above the conception of Thycreatures. None can befittingly praise Theeexcept Thine own Self and such as are like untoThee. Thou hast, verily, been at all times, and

wilt everlastingly continue to remain,immensely exalted beyond and above allcomparison and likeness, above all imaginationof parity or resemblance. Having, thus,recognized Thee as One Who is incomparable,and Whose nature none can possess, it becomethincontrovertibly evident that whosoever may

praise Thee, his praise can befit only such as areof his own nature, and are subject to his ownlimitations, and it can in no wise adequatelydescribe the sublimity of Thy sovereignty, norscale the heights of Thy majesty and holiness.How sweet, therefore, is the praise Thou givestto Thine own Self, and the description Thougivest of Thine own Being!


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I testify, O my God, that Thou hast, frometernity, sent down upon Thy servants naughtelse except that which can cause them to soar upand be drawn near unto Thee, and to ascendinto the heaven of Thy transcendent oneness.Thou hast established Thy bounds among them,

and ordained them to stand among Thycreatures as evidences of Thy justice and assigns of Thy mercy, and to be the stronghold ofThy protection amongst Thy people, that noman may in Thy realm transgress against hisneighbor. How great is the blessedness of him

who, for love of Thy beauty and for the sake ofThy pleasure, hath curbed the desires of acorrupt inclination and observed the preceptslaid down by Thy most exalted Pen! He, intruth, is to be numbered with them that haveattained unto all good, and followed the way ofguidance.

I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy Namethrough which Thou hast enabled Thy servantsand Thy people to know Thee, through whichThou hast drawn the hearts of those who haverecognized Thee towards the resplendent courtof Thy oneness, and the souls of Thy favoredones unto the Day-Spring of Thy unityI


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beseech Thee to grant that I may be assisted toobserve the fast wholly for Thy sake, O ThouWho art full of majesty and glory! Empower me,then, O my God, to be reckoned among themthat have clung to Thy laws and precepts for thesake of Thee alone, their eyes fixed on Thy face.These, indeed, are they whose wine is all that

hath proceeded out of the mouth of Thy primalwill, whose pure beverage is Thine enthrallingcall, whose heavenly River is Thy love, whoseParadise is entrance into Thy presence andreunion with Thee. For Thou hast been theirBeginning and their End, and their Highest

Hope, and their Supreme Desire. Blinded be theeye that gazeth on whatsoever may displeaseThee, and confounded be the soul that seekeththe things that are contrary to Thy will.

Deign, O my God, I implore Thee, by Thy Selfand by them, to accept, through Thy grace and

Thy loving-kindness, the works we haveperformed, however much they fall short of theloftiness of Thy state and the sublimity of Thystation, O Thou Who art most dear to the heartsthat long for Thee, and the Healer of the soulsthat have recognized Thee! Rain down,therefore, upon us from the heaven of Thymercy and the clouds of Thy gracious


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providence that which will cleanse us from thefaintest trace of evil and corrupt desires, andwill draw us nearer unto Him Who is theManifestation of Thy most exalted and all-glorious Self. Thou art, verily, the Lord of thisworld and of the next, and art powerful to do allthings.

Do Thou bless, O Lord my God, the PrimalPoint, through Whom the point of creation hathbeen made to revolve in both the visible andinvisible worlds, Whom Thou hast designated asthe One whereunto should return whatsoever

must return unto Thee, and as the Revealer ofwhatsoever may be manifested by Thee. DoThou also bless such of His Letters as have notturned away from Thee, who have been firmlyestablished in Thy love, and clung steadfastly toThy good-pleasure. Bless Thou, likewise, aslong as Thine own Self endureth and Thine own

Essence doth last, them that have sufferedmartyrdom in Thy path. Thou art, verily, theEver-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Moreover, I beseech Thee, O my God, by HimWhom Thou hast announced unto us in all ThyTablets and Thy Books and Thy Scrolls and ThyScriptures, through Whom the kingdom of


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names hath been convulsed, and all that lay hidin the breasts of them that have followed theirevil and corrupt desires hath been revealedIbeseech Thee to strengthen us in our love forHim, to make us steadfast in His Cause, to helpus befriend His loved ones and challenge Hisenemies. Shield us, then, O my God, from the

mischief wrought by them that have denied Thypresence, and turned away from Thy face, andresolved to put an end to the life of Him Who isthe Manifestation of Thine own Self.

O my God and my Master! Thou knowest how

they have disgraced Thy Cause and dishonoredThee among Thy creatures, how they havejoined Thine enemies, that they may undermineThy Revelation and injure Thee. Lay hold onthem with the power of Thy wrath and might, Omy God, and expose their shameful acts andtheir wickedness, that whatever is hid in their

breasts may be revealed unto the people thatdwell within Thy land, O Thou Who art theInflictor of trials, the Fashioner of nations, andthe Bestower of favors! No God is there besideThee, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.


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Prayer for Naw-Rz

Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hastordained Naw-Rz as a festival unto those whohave observed the fast for love of Thee andabstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee.

Grant, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love andthe heat produced by the fast enjoined by Theemay inflame them in Thy Cause, and make themto be occupied with Thy praise and withremembrance of Thee.

Since Thou hast adorned them, O my Lord, with

the ornament of the fast prescribed by Thee, doThou adorn them also with the ornament ofThine acceptance, through Thy grace andbountiful favor. For the doings of men are alldependent upon Thy good-pleasure, and areconditioned by Thy behest. Shouldst Thou

regard him who hath broken the fast as one whohath observed it, such a man would be reckonedamong them who from eternity had beenkeeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree thathe who hath observed the fast hath broken it,that person would be numbered with such ashave caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be

stained with dust, and been far removed fromthe crystal waters of this living Fountain.


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Thou art He through Whom the ensignPraiseworthy art Thou in Thy works hathbeen lifted up, and the standard Obeyed artThou in Thy behest hath been unfurled. Makeknown this Thy station, O my God, unto Thyservants, that they may be made aware that the

excellence of all things is dependent upon Thybidding and Thy word, and the virtue of everyact is conditioned by Thy leave and the good-pleasure of Thy will, and may recognize that thereins of mens doings are within the grasp ofThine acceptance and Thy commandment.

Make this known unto them, that nothingwhatsoever may shut them out from ThyBeauty, in these days whereon the Christexclaimeth: All dominion is Thine, O Thou theBegetter of the Spirit (Jesus); and Thy Friend(Muhammad) crieth out: Glory be to Thee, OThou the Best-Beloved, for that Thou hast

uncovered Thy Beauty, and written down forThy chosen ones what will cause them to attainunto the seat of the revelation of Thy Most GreatName, through which all the peoples havelamented except such as have detachedthemselves from all else except Thee, and setthemselves towards Him Who is the Revealer of


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Thyself and the Manifestation of Thineattributes.

He Who is Thy Branch and all Thy company, Omy Lord, have broken this day their fast, afterhaving observed it within the precincts of Thycourt, and in their eagerness to please Thee. Do

Thou ordain for him, and for them, and for allsuch as have entered Thy presence in those daysall the good Thou didst destine in Thy Book.Supply them, then, with that which will profitthem, in both this life and in the life beyond.

Thou, in truth, art the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Documents

Prayers Surrounding the Fasting Season