BB00100: Alfayn Munajat

Part 1: “Praise be to God Who, by His command…”

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

Praise be to God Who, by His command, hath fashioned the heavens and the earth, and Who shall gather unto their Lord all who have believed in God and in His signs. O my God! Thou art verily God, the Lord of heaven and earth. All things are known unto Thee; naught in the heavens or on the earth is hidden from Thee.

Thou, of a certainty, art aware that on this very day a letter hath been sent down unto me from one of Thy servants, because he had implored the tokens of Thy power and the evidences of Thy stations.

Wherefore, behold me, O my God, calling upon Thee with a lowly heart and trembling limbs. How could I speak in Thy presence when I know that all paths are cut off and every proof withheld from all? And how could I remain silent before the City of Thy might, when Thou art in that state which none but Thyself can comprehend? Thou hast commanded me to supplicate, and Thou hast sent down upon the arrogant the word of chastisement, that Thou mightest draw me into the court of Thy nearness, admit me among Thy chosen servants in Thy precincts, cause me to drink of the water of the wine in cups of pearl through the hands of Thy mercy, and bestow upon me the bounties of Thy Paradise in Thy presence, before the throne of Thy majesty.

Happy is one such as I, if Thou be indeed my Remembrancer! Happy—nay, thrice happy—am I, if Thou be my Companion! Happy—nay, thrice happy—am I, if Thou be my Speaker! Through Thee I have loved Thee; for were it not for Thee, I had been naught. Through Thee I have known Thee; for were it not for Thee, I should not have known how Thou art the Lord. All praise be unto Thee, O my God, for what Thou dost inspire into me of the hidden meanings of Thy verses, for that Thou dost honor me at every moment with the breaths of Thy days, and draw me at every instant through the gracious favors of Thy bountifulness. How sweet to me is Thy remembrance!

How glorious to me is Thy bounty! How great in my sight is Thy mercy! Through Thee I have been enabled to utter the praises of Thy sanctity; through Thee have I remembered the favors of Thy Paradise; through Thee have I given thanks for the majesty of Thy everlasting Singleness. How sweet art Thou to me, O my God, in my secret being, and how sweet art Thou to me, O my God, in my outward state! Through Thee have I been patient; but for Thy promise I had been dead. Through Thee have I endured; but for Thy succor I had been forgotten and lost.

Glorified art Thou! Shall one such as Thou, my Lord—powerful over all things—be patient in regard to me? Glorified art Thou, glorified art Thou! Shall one such as Thou, O my God—knowing all things—behold me in sorrow? By Thy might, I love not any of Thy doings nor am I heedless of Thy chastisements. Whenever Thou dost afflict me with sorrow, I take hold of a portion of the mantle of my Lord. My Lord, my Lord, my Lord, my Lord, my Lord, my Lord! Cast me not away from Thy door, and seize me not through Thy justice; for I am a prisoner to Thy praise, seeking refuge within Thy court, fearful of Thy justice and in need of Thy mercy. And whenever Thou dost rebuke me, I lay hold of a portion of the robe of Thy might, and cry: My God, my God, my God, my God, my God, my God!

Gladden me not with aught that would cause me to forget Thy favors and Thy bounties; and suffer me not to be contented so that I cease to ask of Thy gifts and Thy salutations. For I am poor at Thy gate, thankful for Thy blessings, trembling before Thy chastisements, enraptured by Thy signs. Thou art God, my Lord; none can empty my heart of remembrance of any save Thee—Thou alone, without partner. O my God! Whenever calamity descendeth upon me, I say: This is naught but of Thy mercy; and whenever joy descendeth upon me, I say: This is naught but of Thy trial, that Thou mayest test me by the bounties of Thy kingdom and turn me away from aught save Thy face, then seize me in my heedlessness.

Glorified art Thou! There is no God but Thee. I seek refuge in Thy very Self from the remembrance of any beside Thee, and I cleave to Thy love lest I enter stations remote from Thy presence.

And verily, O my God, when there now descendeth upon me the breath of the morning of meeting with Thee, and I hear, in the expanse of the air, the warbling of the birds of the unseen, mercy overcometh me and casteth out vengeance. Hope crieth aloud, even in the face of chastisement:

“Give thanks unto Him for that which He endureth in thy regard.”

Through Thee is my heart stilled, and my inmost being emptied of all save Thee; and I lie upon the couch of Thy tenderness for less than a tenth of a ninth of the minutes of the hours.

O my God! Thou art He Who hath created me and sustained me, and then hast honored me and raised me up; then hast inspired me and strengthened me, and hast caused Thy verses to descend upon me. Why, then, hast Thou been patient, O my God, in dealing with the unjust? Is it not that Thou wast the God of all worlds? Is it not that I was a servant of the faithful? Why didst Thou, O my God, behold the deeds of the slanderers? Is it not that Thou wast the Lord of the truly one? Is it not that I was a servant of the repentant? Why didst Thou, O my God, hear uttered against me the words of the hypocrites?

Is it not that Thou wast the Helper of the wronged? Is it not that I was a servant of the oppressed? Why hast Thou called Thyself All-Knowing and All-Powerful, and yet, in the hour of dire necessity, hast not commanded the fire, nor said: “Be thou coolness and peace unto My believing servants”? Why didst Thou deliver Abraham from the fire, and yet unveil for me the tests of fire? For I have not beheld, in Thy dealings, a straight path: at one time Thou dost destroy all the wrongdoers for the she-camel of Salih, and at another Thou dost endure, in the case of one like unto Husayn—upon him be peace—until the idolaters compass about the chiefs of Thy near ones amongst men, and bring them into the presence of the unbelievers.

Glory be to Thee, glory be to Thee! All my sorrow is from Thee, and all my hope is of Thee. To Thee be praise, in that Thou hast preserved me from the shameful deeds of the unjust and from the grievous assaults of the idolaters. Glory be to Thee, glory be to Thee! When I stood before Thee upon the throne of nearness, I dared against Thee and spoke, and I feared not my remoteness from Thee nor Thy justice, for I knew Thy nearness and Thy bounty, if I was patient in tribulation.

Yet Thou, O my God, art more patient than I; for Thou hast heard from the Christians and the Jews the word of association, and Thou hast borne with them. Glory be to Thee! I turn unto Thee in repentance, and I am the first of the repentant. I implore Thy forgiveness, O my God, for all that Thy knowledge hath encompassed concerning me, and which Thy Book recordeth against me. Behold me, then, penitent before Thee, clinging to Thy cord, trusting in Thee alone, without partner, and committing my whole affair into Thy hands. Excellent art Thou, O my God, as Protector, and excellent art Thou, O my Master, as Help in need. All good is from Thee and for Thee; it descendeth from Thy presence and returneth unto Thee. Thou alone—there is no God but Thee. And all evil is by Thy command, yet shall it not be ascribed unto Thee.

Glory be to Thee, O God! Thou art the God Who hath existed before all things, Who will exist after all things and will last beyond all things. Thou art the God Who knoweth all things, and is supreme over all things. Thou art the God Who dealeth mercifully with all things, Who judgeth between all things and Whose vision embraceth all things. Thou art God my Lord, Thou art aware of my position, Thou dost witness my inner and outer being. Grant Thy forgiveness unto me and unto the believers who responded to Thy Call. Be Thou my sufficing helper against the mischief of whosoever may desire to inflict sorrow upon me or wish me ill. Verily Thou art the Lord of all created things. Thou dost suffice everyone, while no one can be self-sufficient without Thee.

Shield, O God, Thy believing servants from the evil of all enemies, by the truth of Muhammad and His kindred—Thy blessings be upon them. For through Thee do I traverse the seas of mine enemies; and, by Thy leave, make the letters Kaf-Ha-Ya-Ayn-Sad, and then Ha-Mim-Ayn-Sin-Qaf, my talisman against them all. Admit me, then, into Thy protection in the land of safety; guard me with Thine eye that sleepeth not; strengthen me through Thy sovereignty that suffereth no abasement; shelter me beneath Thy pillar that none can assail; have mercy upon me by Thy power which hath prevailed over all things; preserve me from stumbling by Thy mercy which hath embraced all things; confirm me in every state by the light of Thy countenance wherewith all things are illumined; and vouchsafe unto me, in every condition, the grace of Thy Name that hath been established beneath Thy shadow, which goeth not forth unto any save Thyself, which is not sought by aught beside Thee, nor befitteth any other than Thee—the Most Great, the Most Glorious, the Most Bountiful Name—whereby Thou didst reveal Thyself unto Moses upon the mountain, and the mountain was crushed, and Moses fell swooning; and when he recovered, he said:

“Glory be to Thee! I turn to Thee in repentance, and I am the first of them that worship.”

O my God! How many a bounty hast Thou bestowed upon me, yet I have failed to render Thee the thanks due therefor! How many an affliction hast Thou visited upon me, yet I have failed to show the patience that befitteth it! How many a word of inspiration hast Thou breathed into my secret being, yet I have not bowed down in my outward life before Thy face! How many a word of mystery hast Thou strengthened me by, yet I have not turned wholly unto Thee! Glory be to Thee, glory be to Thee! Thou art the Ever-Known, the Ever-Abiding, the All-Powerful, the Self-Subsisting, the One Who standeth over all things.

Part 2: “And I, O my God, have been guilty…”

And I, O my God, have been guilty of great rebellion and mighty transgressions. Hadst Thou not mercy upon me, hadst Thou not forgiven me, who could forgive me? I am he who disobeyed Thee in secret, yet Thou didst not expose me; and I am he who associated others with Thy bounties in the open, yet Thou didst not abase me; and I am he who acquired sins, and Thou didst forbear with me. By Thy might and Thy majesty, O my God, I have found none more bountiful than Thee, nor do I know one more laden with offences than myself. Thou art He Who hath honored; Thou art He Who hath brought forth; Thou art He Who hath originated; Thou art He Who hath quickened; Thou art He Who hath sustained; Thou art He Who hath numbered; Thou art He Who hath forgiven; Thou art He Who hath pardoned; Thou art He Who hath been patient; Thou art He Who hath seen; Thou art He Who hath witnessed; Thou art He Who hath inspired; Thou art He Who hath confirmed; Thou art He Who hath bestowed; Thou art He Who hath preferred; Thou art He Who hath done good; Thou art He Who hath repelled; Thou art He Who hath spread; Thou art He Who hath preserved; Thou art He Who hath sufficed; Thou art He Who hath known; Thou art He Who hath accepted; Thou art He Who hath raised up; Thou art He Who hath sent down; Thou art He Who hath distinguished; Thou art He Who hath delivered; Thou art He Who hath manifested; Thou art He Who hath concealed; Thou art He Who hath made plain; Thou art He Who hath perfected; glory be to Thee, glory be to Thee, O God—there is no God but Thee—glory be to Thee! Verily I have been of the wrongdoers.

How, then, shall I mention mine own self, O my God, when I know that the mention of myself, in the presence of the City of Thy power, is a sin wherewith no sin can be compared; and that, were Thou to punish me through the everlastingness of Thine Essence as a recompense for my remembrance before Thee, I should indeed deserve it; and Thou art the All-Praised—Thou wilt never deal unjustly with any one.

Yet, O my God, I desire the dawning of the sun of Thy pardon and Thy mercy; therefore do I mention a little of the much that Thy Book recordeth against me, that haply one of the dwellers of the heavens and the earth may hear my cry, weep over me, and call upon Thee for my forgiveness. And Thou lovest that Thou shouldst hear his prayer and answer him; and thereby I should be forgiven in Thy presence.

O my God, my Lord, my Master, my Protector, my Owner! I am he who hath remembered himself without right; I am he who doth not remember Thee as Thou dost deserve; I am he who denied Thy verses after Thou hadst made them manifest to me in all things; I am he who was heedless of Thy bounties, though bounties encompassed me from every side; I am he who sinned, who erred, who forgot, who was negligent, who turned away, who transgressed, who fell short; I am he who entered the land of the “Glories” without Thy leave; I am he who sought forgiveness for my faults and returned unto them; I felt no shame before Thee in the midst of men; I disobeyed Thee, O Almighty of the heavens and of the earth, after Thou hadst taught me Thy chastisements and caused me to behold Thy visitations.

Alas, alas! If I sit before the throne of Thy dominion, hoping for Thy forgiveness, Thy decrees and Thy justice terrify me; and if I weep over myself, knowing Thy justice and Thy decrees, Thy dealings with Thy near ones that encircle Thy throne draw me on. Alas, alas! If Thou wouldst decree, by the rule of justice, concerning me, I swear by Thy might that I have no power to endure Thy justice; and if Thou shouldst cast me, for what mine hands have wrought, into the fire—by Thy truth, besides which there is no God—I have no power to bear separation for days without remembrance of Thee, nor remoteness from the presence of Thy chosen ones among Thy purest friends.

O my God! Thou art rich without my torment, and I am poor in need of Thy forgiveness. If Thou admit me into the court of Thy nearness, naught will be diminished from Thy kingdom; and if Thou chastise me with the fire of Thy justice, naught will be added unto Thy kingdom. Yet if Thou permit me unto Thy good-pleasure, my heart will be emptied of all save Thee, my soul will rejoice, my secret will be stilled, and my outward state will be gladdened—nay, all who are in the kingdoms of Thy heaven and Thine earth will rejoice in Thy bounty toward me and in Thy generosity in my regard, and will say, one and all:

“Thou art God; there is no God but Thee, the Possessor of grace and beneficence and bounty and favor; verily Thou art the Lord of great bounty.”

Glory be to Thee, O my God! Far, far be it from my thought that I should think of Thee otherwise than as forgiving and well-pleased. By Thy might, I have not thought, nor do I think, by Thy power and Thy strength, that Thou wouldst will for me aught save Thy good-pleasure, Thy pardon, Thy concealment, and Thy generosity.

How, then, O my God, shall I complain of what hath befallen me by Thy decree and by Thy leave? At one time the sun of Thy being and Thy mercy riseth upon my right hand, and thereby am I at rest before the City of Thy power; and at another Thou dost permit it to set upon my left, whereupon darkness encompasseth me, and the earth speaketh to me in signs. In this moment I weep for my station of nearness; then I weep for my station of intimacy; then I weep for my station of supplication; then I weep for my loneliness from the seat of my loved ones; then I weep for that from which I have been veiled of Thy breaths in my regard; then I weep for what the earth telleth me of its “I-ness,” and occupieth me from Thy remembrance; then I weep for that which Thou knowest of my station—how Thou art patient in regard to me.

O my God! Should I weep until the spirit departeth from my body, I shall not taste delight nor find repose until the sun hath risen again from the place of its rising. Then shall I bear witness unto Thine own Self with that wherewith Thou bearest witness unto Thine Essence before all things: that Thou hast ever been, from everlasting, in Thy primal state, and wilt ever remain; that Thou art as Thou wast in the beginning; none can know Thee, for Thy selfhood cutteth off all from the path, and Thy very “I-ness” shutteth the worlds from proof. Thou art God, the Ever-Abiding, the Single, the One, the Self-Subsisting, the Incomparable, the Living, the Self-Subsisting; no description from aught can seize Thee, nor can any attribute from aught encompass Thee. Verily Thou art God, the Lord of the worlds. […?]

And now I seal my prayer before Thee with the mention of the dwellers of Paradise in the Qur’an: “Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.”

O God! Thou verily knowest that in that latter inquiry hath been made concerning the Pure Soul slain in the land of Kufih, and concerning him who shall arise from Khurasan and Taliqan, and concerning the rule of the Sayyid of the Hasani line.

O God! Thou knowest that I know nothing save what Thou hast taught me, and with Thee is the knowledge of all things in a Book that neither erreth nor forgetteth. And even as I have believed, had bada’ not been decreed for those ordinances, all these would surely have appeared by God’s leave; nor doth bada’ occur in what hath been promised unto the chosen ones of the All-Merciful. Today I know not my own self, nor do I say that I am one of them, nor that they circle or refrain around that matter. Yet in the inward station there is no doubt that the Bearer of that Most Great Name is greater than them all in the Book of God; and they are servants who shall appear, if God willeth, when God willeth.

I bear a knowledge like unto that of Kazim; if God manifesteth another command, it shall be the joy of mine eye—otherwise I lay no claim, nor say that I am one of them. And Thou, O my God, knowest the lands of obedience, and that today the land known of men is a land of Khurasan, then beyond Qazvin; yet I know not whether it be a land between Mecca and the Kufih—God knoweth its place. Far, far is the Day of the manifestation of the Cause! Had men not denied this Cause, haply God would have forgiven them and hastened the days of His Proof; but today they have deprived themselves of the blessings of the days of manifestation. I beseech God, my Lord, to forgive me and to hasten the days of His sovereignty. Verily there is no God but He, the Possessor of surpassing bounty.

O God! I bear witness before Thee that he who shall arise from Khurasan and Taliqan, who shall be slain between the Corner and the Station and upon the plain of Kufih, and whose hosts shall be joined to the army of truth—men whom God shall cause to appear if He willeth—verily the promise of God hath been fulfilled.

Glory be to God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they ascribe unto Him! And peace be upon the Messengers. Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.