BB00198: Du’a’i laylati nisfi sha’ban

In the Name of God, the Most Unapproachable, the Most Holy

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou hast nurtured me through numbered days, guiding me through the depths of Thy love and causing me to witness the effulgence of Thy countenance. Thou hast given me to drink naught but the water of Thy mercy from the heaven of Thy dominion, and Thou hast veiled from mine eyes the regions of fire, ordaining not that I should witness them—as though Thou hadst not created them—a token of Thy grace and a mercy from Thy presence, whilst I was engaged in glorifying Thee in the depths of the most exalted heaven and sanctifying Thee in the highest of high realms, beyond which neither the cherubim nor those nigh unto Thee can ascend.

Then, by Thy decree and through the operation of Thy will, my very essence was compelled to remember other than Thee and to endure hardships from aught beside Thee, for by this means is the fire created and those who worship Thee not. Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou art the Creator of all things. From time immemorial Thou hast known the position of all things in relation to Thy proof, such that no thing hath any proof before Thee. Thou createst Paradise and those therein through their turning unto Thee with their hearts, spirits, souls and all they possess, and Thou createst the fire through their turning away after Thou hast perfected Thy proof unto them.

I beseech Thee, O my God, in this hour of the night of the middle of the month of Sha’ban, to send down upon the Tree of God—its root, branch, twigs, leaves and fruits—from every most glorious glory, from every most exalted majesty, from every most beauteous beauty, from every most mighty grandeur, from every most brilliant light, from every most extensive mercy, from every most perfect word, from every most complete perfection, from every most great name, from every most mighty might, from every most effectual will, from every most penetrating knowledge, from every most far-reaching and powerful capacity that Thou possessest, from every matter most beloved and cherished by Thee in the Mother Book, from every most impregnable loftiness, from every most enduring sovereignty, from every most glorious dominion, from every most exalted elevation, from every most ancient bounty, from every most wondrous sign, from every most elevated evidence, and from all that Thou hast loved or lovest as befitteth the sublimity of Thy oneness, the exaltation of Thy singleness, the inaccessibility of Thy Self-Subsistence, the elevation of Thy Self-Sufficiency, the independence of Thy grandeur, the majesty of Thy light, and the holiness of Thy eternity.

And do Thou establish this Tree by Thy power which hath sustained the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and send down upon it at every moment the water of Thy mercy from the places of Thy manifestation, that it may bring forth at all times the fruits of Thy sanctification, the gardens of Thy glorification, and whatsoever beseemeth the loftiness of Thy praise, the sublimity of Thy holiness, the elevation of Thy oneness, the inaccessibility of Thy magnification, and the joy of Thy uniqueness. For Thou art the Originator of this Tree and its Creator, having brought it into being by Thyself and not through anything else, and established it in Thy shadow and not through anything else. Thou hast manifested Thyself unto it through what Thou hast cast upon it of Thine image in Thy most exalted height therein. How glorious is Thy beauty upon it! How majestic is Thy grandeur before it! How lofty is Thine inaccessibility in every part of it! How powerful is Thine elevation beyond its comprehension! It hath grown great and majestic, hath been magnified and purified, and hath risen to a station wherein naught can be seen therein save Thee.

Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee before every before. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee after every after. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee above every above. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee to the right of every right. Glory be unto Thee! There is no God but Thee to the left of every left. I beseech Thee, O my God, to settle this Tree in the palm of Thy greatness and the right hand of Thy power, that no leaf may fall but another taketh its place more swiftly than knowledge returneth to the heart of Thy servant, nor is any fruit plucked but instantly there appeareth one more resplendent than that which came before.

And likewise with its branches and all the ornaments the tree hath borne, for Thou hast said—and Thy word is the truth—“Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it or its like. Knowest thou not that God is potent over all things?” God removeth no leaf but He createth a better one in its place, nor doth He remove any branch but He createth one more exalted, nor is any fruit taken but He produceth one more glorious, nor doth any wind of sorrow blow but He createth winds of joy more sublime. For this is God’s promise, and who is more truthful than God in His utterance?

Glorified art Thou, O my God! This is a night which Thou hast magnified, honored and distinguished for the Manifestations of Thy countenance. Send down, O my God, upon the Letters of the Unity that which befitteth the loftiness of Thy exaltation, the joy of Thy sovereignty, the sublimity of Thy singleness, the detachment of those who love Thee, and the gladness of the signs of Thy power. And upon those who have sought shelter beneath the tree of Thy oneness, from the most exalted to the most lowly, send down that which beseemeth the loftiness of Thy sanctification and the station of Thy uniqueness, for they are but letters through which Thy unity is established.

All else besides Thee is but Thy creation and within Thy grasp. Thou exaltest whom Thou willest as Thou willest by what Thou willest, and Thou aidest whom Thou willest as Thou willest by what Thou willest. I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thyself—for nothing is greater than Thee in Thy sight or in the sight of others—to exalt the Bayan and all who are within it, and to abase those who have not entered it. Ordain in this night for the Dawning-Places of Thy verses of affirmation that which befitteth the loftiness of Thy glory and the sublimity of Thy might, and for the Manifestations of denial that which befitteth the severity of Thy grasp and the potency of Thy might. Destroy them from off the face of the earth and seize them with Thy most severe chastisement, for Thou art the Lord of fierce retribution, severe in Thy grasp, and swift in Thy punishment. None can escape Thy grasp, nor can anything elude Thy will, for these two prevail over all things and tower above all things.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thyself and by those who have ascended unto Thee through the attraction of their hearts and the severance of their bodies, to visit those who have waxed proud in the land without right and who refuse to prostrate themselves before Thee or worship Thee with Thy most severe vengeance, to destroy them with utmost speed, to afflict them with Thy most grievous punishment, and to annihilate them from the face of the earth until no mention of them remaineth except coupled with Thy curse. For this is the recompense of those who believe not in Thee, who deny Thy Messenger, and who believe not in Thy signs. And who is more severe than Thee in retribution, more swift than Thee in seizing and punishing?

Judge Thou, therefore, O my God, through Thy might which prevaileth over all things, through Thy glory which dominateth all things, through Thy power which transcendeth all things, through Thy sovereignty which is exalted above all things, and through Thy grandeur which is supreme over all things, to aid the truth and those who adhere to it with true victory from Thy presence, and to destroy falsehood and those who incline unto it with true destruction from Thy presence. Verily, Thou art powerful and mighty to do this, and swift to accomplish whatsoever Thou willest. There is no power nor strength except through Thee, and verily Thou doest what Thou pleasest and ordainest what Thou willest. None can resist Thy will or frustrate Thy purpose.

Thou art He Who hath broken the might of tyrants by Thy power and destroyed the Pharaohs by Thy strength. I beseech Thee, therefore, O my God, to hasten that whereby Thou wilt bring peace to the hearts of Thy loved ones and tranquility to the souls of Thy chosen ones, for none but Thee hath power over this.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by the names through which Thou hast revealed Thyself and which Thou hast made the Manifestations of Thy Cause and the Dawning-places of Thy creation, to send Thy blessings upon Muhammad and the Manifestations of His Self, and to send down at this moment upon the Tree of Thy Oneness and upon those who seek shelter beneath its shade that which beseemeth the loftiness of Thy bounty and the excellence of Thy gifts, and upon those who seek not its shelter that which they deserve by Thy chastisement. Verily Thou encompassest all things. Nothing escapeth Thy knowledge in the heavens or on the earth, nor can anything frustrate Thee in the kingdom of creation or command. Thou, verily, hast power over all things.