BB00282: Li-harfi’r-ra’ va’l-ba’

In the Name of God, the Most Great, the Most Great

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I testify before Thee and before all things that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thine is the dominion and the kingdom, Thine the might and the power, Thine the strength and the divinity, Thine the force and sovereignty, Thine the majesty and the glory, Thine the countenance and the beauty, Thine the face and the perfection, Thine the similitude and all similitudes, Thine the loftiness and exaltation, Thine the grandeur and independence, Thine the greatness and transcendence, Thine the glory and inaccessibility, Thine the power and sublimity, Thine the joy and gladness, Thine the sovereignty and dominion, and Thine is whatsoever Thou hast loved and lovest in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation.

Thou hast ever been sanctified above all names and exalted beyond all similitudes. Thou didst make Thyself known unto all created things, and thus did the Exponents of Thy Names recognize Thee in the Bayan, whereby Thou didst cause them to enter the pavilions of Thy holiness in the Ridvan, while denying whomsoever Thou willest from knowing Thee and attaining Thy presence—a just decree from Thee wherein there is no wrong, and an expression of Thy Will wherein there is no deviation.

Glorified, glorified art Thou! All, in their places of existence and essence of their being, do sanctify Thee, glorify Thee, unite with Thee, magnify Thee, exalt Thee and extol Thee—a glory from Thee upon them, inasmuch as Thou hast moved them to answer Thy call, guided them to Thy Cause, sheltered them beneath the shadow of Thy love, and chosen them from among all created things in relation to the Sovereign of the might of Thy oneness—a bounty from Thee and a favor from Thy presence.

Otherwise, glorified, glorified art Thou beyond being known through Thy creation, or being exalted through the worship of those Thou hast created or wilt create, or being praised by the praise of those Thou hast brought into being or wilt bring into being, for all these are Thy creation and within Thy grasp. How exalted is Thy bounty unto them that confess Thy oneness, and how loftily doth Thy grace descend upon those who glorify Thee—inasmuch as Thou hast led them forth from the broad expanse of contingent being, invested them with Thy proof and Thy tokens, and dealt with each one of them in such wise as will enable him to attain—by Thy leave—unto that measure of Thy bounty and exaltation which Thou hast ordained.

Some—when Thou didst behold their hearts conformed to the pattern of Thy unity and the manifestation of Thy singleness—Thou didst gather for them the means and cut off from them the props, that they might become a sign of the sovereignty of Thy oneness and a qiblih for the dominion of Thy solitariness. Some did Thy proofs take shelter beneath their shade, that they might exalt Thy Cause, proclaim Thy decree, and judge by Thy command. Some Thou hast made as luminaries for those whom Thou didst bring forth through origination. Some Thou hast lodged as intimates behind the veils of shadow, forasmuch as they succour Thy proofs in the darkness. Some Thou hast caused to dwell in the citadel of Thy remembrance and Thy testimony. Some Thou hast empowered by Thy angels and Thy hosts. Some Thou hast set free for Thy worship and Thy praise. Some Thou hast tried in the path of exalting Thy Word and establishing Thy justice. All these are but degrees of Thy bounty among such of Thy creatures as know Thee, and dawning-places of Thy favour among Thy servants who do celebrate Thy praise.

Glorified art Thou! Thine is the power, before and after; Thou bestowest upon whom Thou wilt as Thou wilt. Thine is the might in heaven and on earth; Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest as Thou pleasest. Thine is the greatness in the kingdoms of Command and creation; Thou doest with whom Thou pleasest as Thou pleasest. Ever hast Thou been all-knowing of all things and potent over whatsoever Thou desirest. Whatsoever Thou mayest bring forth from the treasuries of Thy unseen and the dawning-places of Thy holiness, Thou wilt assuredly manifest even as Thou hast heretofore manifested it—perfect in the impregnable conclusiveness of Thy decree and complete in the amplitude of Thy bounteous favour.

Glorified, glorified art Thou! How wondrous the one whom Thou didst cause, amidst the broad gloom, to speak Thy unity, exclaiming: “Glorified art Thou! There is none other God but Thou.” And how marvellous that by the manifestation of Thy oneness and the conveyance of Thy decree, he who had not confessed Thy unity affirmed himself to be among the guides to Thy oneness and the witnesses to the proofs of Thy sanctity. Even thus dost Thou, by Thy bounty, exalt whom Thou wilt and by Thy Spirit confirm whom Thou pleasest.

Wherefore, O God, send down all Thy might upon them that champion Thy friends and exalt Thy evidences. Bring all into Thy religion; grant unto all success in Thy love, Thy good-pleasure, Thy affection, and the meeting with Thee. Verily, ever hast Thou been God—One, Alone, Eternal, Single, Living, Self-Subsisting, Sovereign, All-Dominating, Most Holy—ever and forever, the Reliant, the Most Exalted, the Most High, the Inaccessible, the Invested with majesty, the All-Powerful. Thou hast taken unto Thyself neither consort nor son; no partner hast Thou in what Thou hast created, nor any helper in what Thou hast wrought. Thou hast been the refuge of him that findeth no refuge, the stronghold of him that findeth no stronghold, the pillar of him that hath no pillar, the support of him that hath no support, the guardian of him that hath no guardian. Thine be praise for what Thou hast created and wilt yet create; Thine the glory for what Thou hast originated and wilt yet originate.

Hallowed and exalted art Thou! On the Day of Thy Manifestation Thou didst judge between all Thy creatures, and didst shew unto every multitude the proofs of Thy unity—each calling upon Thee thereby, each prostrating himself thereby, each confessing Thy oneness thereby, each sanctifying Thee thereby, each magnifying Thee thereby—till Thou madest them testify, through the creation of their own selves, that they revolve about the dawning-places of Thy unity, and that they possess naught save what is from Thee. Exalted and glorified art Thou! Ever hast Thou been self-sufficient, inaccessible, lifted above similitudes, august, all-subduing, the Possessor, exalted above names. Thou givest life and causest death; then Thou causest death and givest life. Verily, Thou art the Living Who dieth not, the King Who passeth not away, the Justice Who doth not wrong, the Sovereignty that suffereth no change, the Single One Who faileth not. From Thy grasp there escapeth naught—in the heavens, on the earth, or between them. Thou createst whatsoever Thou wilt by Thy command; verily, Thou ever hast been potent over whatsoever Thou desirest.