BB00341: Du’a Tawassul

Date: 1262 ? [1845-1846]

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

Praise be to God Who sends down whatsoever He willeth by His command. Glorified and exalted is He above what they describe.

O my God! How can I praise Thee, knowing that all are cut off from knowing Thee? And how can I not call upon Thee when my heart finds no rest save in Thy remembrance? I testify that Thou art God, the Beloved, Whom nothing can know and none can find a way unto, for Thy Essence is the Camphor-like Reality which by its very nature severs all substances from expression, and Thy Being is the Simple Reality which by its very nature prevents all material things from knowing Thee.

Glorified art Thou! Having realized there is no way for me to reach Thee, I turn to Thee through Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad, the loci of Thy knowledge, the seats of Thy grace, the signs of Thy oneness, and the manifestations of Thy mercy. O God! By their right in Thy Book and their station in Thy knowledge, I beseech Thee to bless them with all Thy revelations, breezes, manifestations and stations which know no cessation, and to fulfill this need of mine now, now, now! For hope has been cut off from all else besides Thee, and necessity has reached the ultimate degree of impossibility.

Thou art my Lord, my God, my Master, my Protector and my Trust. If Thou dost not have mercy upon me, who will have mercy upon me? And if Thou dost not answer me, who will answer me? O God! I adjure Thee by the countenance of Thy Being and the glory of Thy might to make all that is in Thy knowledge the means of fulfilling this need, and to grant it to me without my experiencing any sorrow in Thy path or fear from Thy enemies. Thou, O my God, art powerful and all-knowing. Nothing can frustrate Thy power; nothing exists except through Thy Will, the design of Thy Purpose, the limits of Thy decree, and the execution of Thy judgment. Thou hast not ordained in the realms of creation anything less than this. Thou encompasseth all things. When Thou willest something, nothing in Thy dominion can prevent it, and in that instant it exists before Thee.

How can I be patient, O my God, when Thou knowest my condition? How can I cry out, O my Master, when Thou hast power over all things? How can I fear Thy justice when I hope in Thy grace? How can I not hope for Thy good-pleasure when I know that Thou hast both beginnings and endings? And how can I not be certain of the fulfillment of my need when I have sought the intercession with Thee of Muhammad and his Family? Far, far be it that such should be my thought of Thee! This was never known of Thy grace and way.

I am certain that whoever relies upon them, Thou art sufficient for him; whoever holds fast to their cord, Thou art his support; whoever takes refuge in their presence, Thou art his shelter; and whoever beseeches through them, Thou art his answerer. Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! Praise be to Thee—praise radiant, brilliant, sanctified and exalted above the praise of all else—for having taught me the path of Thy love, inspired me to seek the mediation of the loci of Thy Will, to rely upon the dwellings of Thy blessings, and to hold fast to the cord of the seats of Thy grandeur.

O joy unto me, then joy unto me, for I am content with Thee in all Thy doings! Make my state before Thee like one who has no will when Thy Will is manifested, lest I love to hasten what Thou hast delayed or delay what Thou hast hastened. Rather, let my private and public self be like a corpse in the hands of the washer before the vast ocean of Thy decree and destiny.

Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! How great is Thy beneficence and how magnificent Thy favors! I see no portion for myself except in my inability to offer Thee thanks and my confession of falling short in praising Thee adequately. Glory be unto Thee! Glory be unto Thee! I confess before Thee what I deserve, seek Thy forgiveness, turn unto Thee in repentance, and ask of Thy generosity as Thou art worthy, for Thou art the Lord of righteousness and forgiveness. Glorified be God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they describe! Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds!