"Tear off the robe of stillness, drink deep from the pure chalice, and hasten to embrace the true Friend."

 

Baku 
Jináb-i-Áqá Siyyid Naṣru’lláh, may the Glory of God be upon him! 

He is God.
O thou who hast held fast unto the unbreakable Handle!¹Render thanks unto God that thou hast quaffed from the cup of steadfastness and constancy and clung unto the sure handle of perseverance. Thou hast been inebriated with the wine of true knowledge; thou hast proceeded from the habitation of ruin to the abode of prosperity. Wherefore, seize the chalice of the Covenant, exhilarate the friends with the wine of the Divine Testament, and frustrate the purpose of those who waver. Tear off the robe of stillness, drink deep from the pure chalice, and hasten to embrace the true Friend. By the grace and bounty of God, souls have been raised that stand immovable as a mountain of iron in the Covenant and are as firm and strong as an impregnable foundation. They are like unto a steel barrier in the face of the Gog of vacillation, a strong wall before the Magog of confusion, a shelter amidst the whirlwind of sedition, and a safeguard against the tempest of trials. I fain would hope that through the bounties and bestowals of the Ancient Beauty—may My soul be a sacrifice for His faithful lovers—this exquisite robe may befittingly adorn the figure of that servant of the Abhá Beauty, and thou mayest be so firm and steadfast that all the friends in that land may too become steadfast and firm. 

The Glory of God rest upon thee and upon all them that have held fast unto the Covenant! 

With regard to the late King’s assassin, His Excellency the Prime Minister²informed all the consuls in the surrounding regions that, after careful investigation and inquiry, it had become clear that the contemptible assassin was an anti-monarchist and an atheist who had no affiliation with other groups.³Indeed, the establishment of the truth of the matter was due to the competence, discernment, capacity, fairmindedness, and justice of the Prime Minister. Praised be God that the truth of this treason and the partisanship of that arrogant outcast were made clear and evident. This is for no other reason save the confirmations of the Kingdom. All the friends of God must pray continuously, by day and by night, for the glory of His Majesty, the new just king,⁴ and should also value the fairness and justice of the Prime Minister and pray for his well-being. 

The Glory of God rest upon thee. 

Ibn-i-Abhar—upon him be the effulgent Glory of God—highly praised the steadfastness and constancy shown by thee and by all the friends in that land. Blessed, doubly blessed, are ye, O servants of the All-Merciful! ...

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/466857621

1. Cf. Qur’án 2:256. 
2 ‘Alí-Aṣghar Khán, the Amínu’s-Sulṭán. 
3. Following the assassination of Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh on 1 May 1896, it was assumed, in the atmosphere of all-pervasive fear, and in light of the previous attempt on the life of the Sháh in 1852, that his murderer, Mírzá Riḍáy-i-Kirmání, was a Bábí. Only later did the government acknowledge the fact that Mírzá Riḍá was an adherent of Siyyid Jamálu’d-Dín-i-Afghání, a political activist and an enemy of the Cause. 
4. Muẓaffari’d-Dín Sháh. 

"The Glory of Glories rest upon the people of Bahá in the world to come."

 

Gordon Parks

"He is the All-Glorious.

O beloved physician! If thou art indeed a skilled and able healer, prescribe a healing medicine, for I am ailing; administer a soothing remedy, for I am sorely afflicted. Bring peace and tranquillity to my bereaved soul, and relieve the burning grief that consumeth my being. Lay a balm upon my wounded heart, and shed a sprinkling of healing waters upon my inflamed limbs and organs. This servant’s ailment is his separation from the Abhá Beauty. The wound in his heart is his remoteness from Him Who is the peerless Beloved. The illness afflicting his soul is want of beholding that world-adorning Countenance. The remedy he needeth is admission to the precincts of His transcendent mercy and ascension unto the Abhá Kingdom. Grant, O Lord, that I may attain thereunto! The Glory of Glories rest upon the people of Bahá in the world to come."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks)
www.bahai.org/r/506350921

"Do, through Thy favour, breathe Thy spirit into me ..."

 

Revelation Writing - Bahá'u'lláh

"O Lord so rich in bounty, so replete with grace,
Whose knowledge doth mine inmost heart and soul embrace!

At morn, the solace of my soul is none but Thee;
The knower of mine ardent goal is none but Thee.

The heart that for a moment hath Thy mention known
Will seek no balm save longing pain for Thee alone.

Withered be the heart that sigheth not for Thee,
And better blind the eye that crieth not for Thee!

In all mine hours of deepest gloom, O Lord of might,
My heart hath Thy remembrance for a shining light.

Do, through Thy favour, breathe Thy spirit into me,
That what hath never been may thus forever be.

Consider not our merit and our worth,
O Lord of bounty, but the grace Thou pourest forth.

Upon these broken-winged birds whose flight is slow
Out of Thy tender mercy newfound wings bestow."

(Prayers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, #26)
www.bahai.org/r/874596075

"O Lord, my God! Be Thou their companion in their loneliness, and in their moments of anguish surround them with Thine aid."

 

"He is God.

O God, my God! With utter lowliness and fervour, humility and devotion, I implore Thee with my tongue and my heart, with my spirit and my soul, and with my mind and my conscience, to grant the most cherished of all desires, destine the most meritorious of all deeds, and ordain all honour and perfection, favour and beauty, prosperity and salvation for this family that hath hastened to Thy sheltering shadow at the break of Thy resplendent morn and sought refuge within Thy safe haven and Thy mighty stronghold. Verily, these souls heeded Thy call, drew nigh unto Thy Threshold, were set aflame with the fire of Thy love, and were carried away by the breaths of Thy holiness. They were constant in the service of Thy Cause, humble before Thy Countenance, and noble beneath Thy sheltering shadow. They are renowned as the bearers of Thy name amongst Thy people and make mention of Thee amidst Thy servants.

O God, my God! Exalt them by Thine ancient glory, honour them in Thy Kingdom of grandeur, and assist them with the hosts of Thy favours in this great Day. O Lord, my God! Raise aloft their banner, grant them an ampler share of Thy protection, spread abroad their signs, and increase their radiance, that they may become a glass for the lamp of Thy manifold favours and spreaders of Thy loving-kindness and bounties.

O Lord, my God! Be Thou their companion in their loneliness, and in their moments of anguish surround them with Thine aid. Bequeath unto them Thy Book and vouchsafe unto them the full measure of Thy gifts and bestowals. Thou art in truth the Mighty, the Powerful, the Gracious, the Bountiful, and verily, Thou art the Merciful, the Compassionate.

(Prayers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, #25)
www.bahai.org/r/874596070

"We are as tiny ants, and Thou art the Lord of majesty, enthroned in the highest heaven."

"O Thou incomparable God! We are Thy humble servants, and Thou art the All-Glorious. We are sinners, and Thou art the Ever-Forgiving. We are captives, poor and lowly, and Thou art our shelter and our aid. We are as tiny ants, and Thou art the Lord of majesty, enthroned in the highest heaven. Protect us, as a token of Thy grace, and withhold not from us Thy care and assistance. O Lord! Thy tests are indeed severe, and Thy trials can lay in ruin foundations wrought of steel. Preserve and strengthen us; cheer and gladden our hearts. Graciously assist us to serve, even as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Thy sacred Threshold."

(Prayers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, #24)

www.bahai.org/r/874596068

"Let this dearly loved servant of Thine abide beneath the shadow of Thy glory ..."

 

"O Divine Providence, Thou art the Ever-Forgiving! O Thou Almighty God, Thou art the Gracious! Let this dearly loved servant of Thine abide beneath the shadow of Thy glory, and grant that this hapless and lowly one may prosper and flourish within the precincts of Thy mercy. Give him to drink from the chalice of Thy nearness, and let him abide under the shade of the Blessed Tree. Confer upon him the honour of attaining Thy presence, and bestow upon him everlasting bliss. Graciously assist the surviving kindred of this noble soul to follow in the footsteps of their dear father, to show forth his character and conduct amongst all people, to follow Thy path, seek Thy good-pleasure, and utter Thy praise. Thou art the Ever-Loving God, the Lord of bounty."

(Prayers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, #23)
www.bahai.org/r/874596066

"How, then, can I celebrate, with the instrument of an earthly voice, the praise of Him Who hath neither peer nor likeness?"

 

"He is the All-Glorious, the Most Effulgent.

O Divine Providence, O forgiving Lord! How can I ever befittingly sing Thy praise or sufficiently worship and glorify Thee? Thy description by any tongue is naught but error, and Thy depiction by any pen is an evidence of folly in attempting this formidable task. The tongue is but an instrument composed of elements; voice and speech are naught but accidental attributes. How, then, can I celebrate, with the instrument of an earthly voice, the praise of Him Who hath neither peer nor likeness? All that I can say or seek is limited by the grasp of the human mind and encompassed by the bounds of the human world. How can human thought ever scale the lofty summits of divine holiness, and how can the spider of idle fancy ever weave the frail web of vain imaginings upon the retreats of sanctity? Naught can I do but testify to my powerlessness and confess my failure. Thou art, verily, He Who is the All-Possessing, the Inaccessible, He Who is immeasurably exalted above the comprehension of them that are endued with understanding."

(Prayers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, #22)
www.bahai.org/r/874596063