BB00145: Prayer in reply to Mirza Muhammad ’Ali Nahri et al

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

O my God! I bear witness unto Thee, even as Thou dost bear witness unto Thyself and unto Thy creation, that Thou art God, and there is no God but Thee, alone, with no partner. No attribute existeth apart from Thy Essence, and no name apart from Thy Self. There is no God but Thee, the Mighty, the Wise.

O my God! Thou didst bring creation into being through Thy Will, and didst fashion it through its acceptance of itself, not from the pattern of aught else, and this is a clear decree. Whoso claimeth to know Thy Self, or uttereth a word concerning Thy unity, hath veiled himself from Thee, and comprehendeth not the examples of Thy Will, nor can he indicate aught save the station of Thy might in its essence. Glory be unto Thee, O my God, from any description save Thine own of Thyself, and from any testimony save Thine own to Thine Essence. Thou hast ever been, and there was naught else that could know Thee or point to Thee.

Glorified, glorified art Thou above the description of creation and its people, and exalted art Thou far above what the wrongdoers say, with great exaltation. And I bear witness unto Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hassan, Hussein, Ali, Muhammad, Ja’far, Musa, Ali, Muhammad, Ali, Hassan and Muhammad—Thy blessings be upon them all—even as Thou didst create them for the station of Thy knowledge and didst make them the manifestations of Thy sovereignty, raising up no distinction between them and the example of Thy revelation within them, save the word of servitude. There is no God but Thee.

O God! I bear witness before Thee that I believe in their mystery and their outward manifestation, their visible and their hidden aspects, and in whatsoever Thou hast willed for them in the knowledge of the unseen, which none encompasseth save Thee. I beseech Thee, O God, to send Thy blessings upon them in every condition, and to send Thy peace upon their resting places at all times, as befitteth Thee and as Thou art worthy. Verily, Thou art the Most High, the Great.

I bear witness, O my God, to every truth in accordance with what Thou lovest and art pleased with, and to every falsehood which Thou detesteth and abhorrest. O my God, I am innocent of those who follow their vain desires and fear not Thy justice, even as Thy angels and Thy chosen ones are innocent of them. They act only according to Thy decree, and Thou art witness over all things.

O God! Thou knowest the decree of what hath befallen me from the books of Thy chosen ones, and what they have asked of Thy signs and tokens. Therefore, O God, inspire those who seek the decree of Thy pure religion, for Thou hast power over all things.

Among them is one who hath asked about the firm word which Thou didst mention in the first part of the interpretation of the Book, which is the remembrance of the form of Divine authority and the semblance of unity in the decree of prayer.

O God! Thou knowest that prayer, from beginning to end, is Thy praise of the servant, wherein Thou hast revealed Thyself to him through Thy signs, and it relateth naught save the form of Thy authority in the mention of signs, and the semblance of Thy oneness in the station of evidences, and the first distinction between the mention of the Beloved and the sign of Thy Self in the stations which have no cessation. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee. Thee do we worship and Thy help do we seek. We associate none with Thee. All else beside Thee is Thy creation, within Thy grasp, and all are worshippers before Thy countenance.

Therefore accept, O God, their striving in Thy obedience and their migration to Thy path, and ordain, O God, for their fathers and the people of Thy love that which beseemeth Thee. Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Forbearing.

And among them, O my God, is one who hath asked about the intercession which he reciteth before Thy countenance, and who shall meet the questioning of the angels in the tomb. Do Thou, then, O God, inspire my praise of Thee at the opening of this supplication; turn Thy Face toward him and forgive him. Verily, Thou art the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful. O my God! Thou, verily, art aware that he hath inquired concerning the decree set forth by Thy servants who have celebrated Thy Proofs—blessings be upon them—when recounting their manifestations ere the uprising of Thy Qa’im and Thy Proof, the Awaited One—He Whom men fear and expect. Send down Thy blessings upon Him and upon such as follow Thy command. Thou knowest their station, O my God, and were it not for the verse revealed in the Qur’an “God doth blot out or confirm what He pleaseth: with Him is the Mother of the Book,” I would mention their station. But now the command is in Thy hands, and I have no knowledge save what Thou hast taught me. Thou art the Mighty, the Wise. Write down, O God, for those who seek Thy face what Thou lovest for Thyself. Thou art the Generous, the Bountiful.

Among them, O my God, is one who asked about the words of Thy friend, the Commander of the Faithful—Thy blessings be upon him and his family—regarding that verse in the Qur’an:

“God doth blot out or confirm what He pleaseth: with Him is the Mother of the Book.”

Thou knowest that were it not for this verse being revealed in the Book, he—Thy blessings be upon him and his family—would have informed the people of what Thy knowledge encompasseth. This is of Thy grace unto the people, but most people are not thankful. O God, Thou didst intend by the mention of the Mother of the Book the word Bada’, and by it the people worship through the word Baha, and fear the decree of fate. I, in my station before Thee, acknowledge to Thee the Bada’ which Thou didst create before the decree, however Thou willeth, and whenever Thou willeth after its execution. Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

Among them, O my God, is one who asked about the word of Thy Proof in the Visitation of Musa ibn Ja’far—peace be upon them both—which is “O Thou in Whom God showed forth Bada’.” O God, Thou knowest that he—Thy blessings be upon him—carried the burden of the Book in seven degrees of Thy manifestation in action. Without doubt in Thy decree, their command in the world of the unseen telleth of the Word of Will which Thou didst create before all things, and the decree of Thy Bada’ floweth in the seventh among them like the first among them. Thou art not questioned about what Thou doest, but they shall be questioned.

O God, Thou knowest that I have loved none in the presence of Thy face except through the proof of wisdom, for it is the station of man, and by it the people of the Bayan are distinguished from the likeness of men. I bear witness that Thy friends, even if they had answered the people with proofs of similitude from its sisters, yet the proof with them is a manifest wisdom, but since the people’s station is that of remoteness, they know from it only the way of exhortation and disputation.

Thou knowest, O my God, that the decree is not established with Thee except through wisdom. Therefore forgive those who sought the way of disputation before Thee, and establish the hearts of the unitarians by turning away from the pleasing signs of multiplicity, and bind them to the word of wisdom. Thou art Generous, Wise. Grant, O God, unto this questioner what he seeketh in Thy religion. Thou art the Generous, the Bountiful.

O God, Thou knowest that the likeness of men have held fast to the proof of exhortation and disputation through the verse in the Book where Thou didst command Thy Prophet—Thy blessings be upon him and his family—thereby. O God, the decree is clear, and Thy command is manifest, and Thy purpose is known to the people of obedience, and the proof of exhortation and disputation is renowned among the people of authority. Thou didst command, and Thou didst not intend thereby except Thy knowledge and the knowledge of Thy creation through the decisive verse from the decisive proof. Those who seek what is ambiguous to them from Thy verses desire discord in the signs of multiplicity and without truth. Therefore, O God, make great Thy believing servants through Thy bounty, and bind them to the word of justice through wisdom. Thou art Generous, Ancient.

Among them, O my God, is one who hath inquired concerning the inner interpretation and the ordinance underlying the casting of parables in the Blessed Verse. Thou, verily, art aware, O my God, of the decree of the inner sense: that Thy purpose is the twin souls who summoned to Thy Cause without right, apart from Thy servant who looketh unto Thee. And the similitudes—whether in falsehood or in truth—lie beyond the compass of men’s knowledge; and Thou, in truth, art Witness over all things. Thou knowest, in the inner meaning, concerning the companions of the cave, the people of the depths of Glory, and none can encompass their knowledge and mention save Thee, for Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.

O my God, Thou knowest the names of Thy believing servants through Thy wisdom, while until now I know not a word of their names nor any aspect of their characteristics. Verily, the word of divine decree regarding them is established and ordained by Thee. Therefore, O my God, make them steadfast in Thy pure religion so that they may not be separated by the mention of their own selves in the Book, for Thou art the Generous, the Forbearing.

Thou knowest, O my God, that interpretation hath been sought concerning the inner meaning of the Surih of Unity, before which nothing can stand and none knoweth how Thou art except Thee. The words Thou didst reveal in that blessed Surih are but the interpretation of the letter Ha in the primary letters, as was clearly stated by the Prince of Martyrs in his utterance. Its inner meaning can only be expressed through its outer form, and it speaketh in no station except through the manifestation of Thy creation—neither is it in it, nor is aught else in it besides it, and none knoweth its mention save Thee. Therefore, O God, inspire Thy believing servants with words of wisdom, that through Thee they may become independent of all else besides Thee.

Thou knowest that I have withheld myself from being seen by any soul only because I know of the persecution that would arise in my wake amongst the people. Therefore, O God, forgive Thy servants who believe in Thy unity, through all Thy mercy, and protect them by Thy verses from my traces. For Thou, O my God, art sufficient against all things, while nothing sufficeth against Thee. There is no God but Thee, there is nothing like unto Thee, and Thou art the Generous, the Wise. Glory be to God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they describe, and peace be upon the Messengers.