Forgiveness, grace, bounty, mercy and compassion of God

Glorified be the loving kindness of our Lord, His grace and His mercy that have preceded us from every direction! Verily, He is the Source of good deeds.

O handmaiden of God! The Truth remembers thee from the Most Great Prison. Strive thou to attain, through His aid, the sweetness of this bounty. I swear by the Ancient Beauty, if thou attainest to that which was mentioned, thou shalt behold thyself in the most exalted station with perfect joy and ecstasy. This is the bounty of the Beloved that He hath bestowed before any request.

O Ata'u'llah! Divine bestowals are beyond reckoning. He bestowed existence and granted being. And another bestowal: He ordained means, and through these means He bestowed order upon the world and granted comfort to souls.

There are some times when the favors of God descend without man asking for them, without request on the part of man.

Before man entered this world, he did not make a request, nor any wish did he express, but when he came into this world he found that God prepared for him a mother, prepared for him sustenance, his milk. Provision was already provided him, and all his necessaries were provided for him. This God does before the infant ever asks for it, before it prays or supplicates for it. That is a pure gift out of grace.

All creatures that exist are dependent upon the Divine Bounty. Divine Mercy gives life itself. As the light of the sun shines on the whole world, so the Mercy of the infinite God is shed on all creatures. As the sun ripens the fruits of the earth, and gives life and warmth to all living beings, so shines the Sun of Truth on all souls, filling them with the fire of Divine love and understanding.

Thy mercy, like a copious rain, descendeth upon the righteous and the sinful. O Merciful One! Withhold not Thy servants from the ocean of Thy bounty and deprive them not. Thou art the Bestower and the Kind.

His favor hath encompassed the world of existence, both seen and unseen.

… The forbearance of God, exalted be His glory, seeketh salvation for all. Verily He is the Most Merciful of them that show mercy and the Most Generous of the generous ones.

His generosity is not withheld from the manifestations of existence, and His bounty is not impeded by the differences among nations.

The favors of Truth are endless and the outpourings of the Realm of Oneness are eternal and everlasting. However much you draw from this ocean it will not diminish, and whatever you derive from that Sun of Reality, its rays will not come to an end.

The effulgence of the All-Merciful's grace hath never ceased, nor shall it ever cease. If the Ancient Beauty is manifest, His mercy's splendors shine forth outwardly and inwardly without interruption, and if the Ancient Beauty is concealed, the effulgences of His grace have been and shall forever be directed toward those who have turned unto Him. Therefore, the infinite outpourings of divine bounty are present at all times.

O manifestation of divine bounty! The bounty of God is of two kinds: manifest and hidden. The manifest bounty comprises all that exists in creation, which are signs of divine bounty - "Behold the evidences of thy Lord's mercy." But this bounty is limited, for through the succession of like things and the similarity of conditions, the illusion of permanence is created. The hidden divine bounty, however, is everlasting and unchanging, never to be altered or transformed, for it is the eternal outpouring of God and the perpetual gift of the Lord.

O thou who thirst for a drop from the ocean of God's riches! In the blessed verse "On that day God will make all rich through His bounty," He states that this richness, amplitude and vastness of mercy truly encompasses all degrees of existence.

The foregoing premises establish the conclusion that the Grace of God is universal and that all the created objects are destined to manifest their ultimate and ulterior perfection.

God is kind to all; He is the giver of bounty to all alike, even as Jesus Christ has declared that God "sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" -- that is to say, the mercy of God is universal. All humanity is under the protection of His love and favor, and unto all He has pointed the way of guidance and progress.

It is a mercy which precedes asking. There is another kind of mercy, which is realized after questioning and supplication. He has bestowed both upon us -- without asking and with supplication.

O you who are firm in the Covenant! When you look carefully, you will see that every gift is God-given, not achieved through effort and striving in the world of creation.

… Such a gift has been bestowed upon us through pure grace, otherwise if we strive and surge and cry out day and night, without such a connection the attainment of joy and expansiveness would be impossible and unattainable.

Do you realize that divine mercy has encompassed your state without any seeking on your part? Eternal fortune has knocked at your door - open it and welcome it with the utmost joy and gladness. You know not what a bounty has been bestowed upon that household, which has caused the family to attain endless glory. Appreciate its value. Surely open your eye of insight so that you may witness this bounty and bestowal and be thankful.

Thou, however, having neither expended effort, nor suffered hardship, nor experienced the fatigue of arduous devotions, hast, through purest grace and bounty, become a recipient of this bestowal from Him Who is the Lord of the seen and the unseen, attained unto the Days of God, and been favoured with a boundless outpouring of His mercy and loving-kindness.

Through God's grace and bounty, it is hoped that He will grant endless bounties to the friends and freely bestow a royal treasure.

… This is a bounty without equal, for while bounty and generosity in the contingent world has limits, the gifts of the world of the Kingdom are infinite.

We are as atoms and He is the Sun of Truth. We are as drops and He is the Most Great Ocean. Poor are we, yet the outpouring of the treasury of the Kingdom is boundless. Weak are we, yet the confirmation of the Supreme Concourse is abundant. Helpless are we, yet our refuge and shelter is Baha'u'llah.

O My servants! My remembrance of you is My greatest gift, were you to perceive it.

Hadst thou expended all that is on earth, thou wouldst not have attained unto this Tablet. But God doeth whatsoever He willeth, and He is the All-Bountiful, the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

His is the grace and generosity in all conditions. After establishing the station of sanctification and transcendence, He permitted every soul to call upon and mention Him according to its tongue and understanding. His is the praise and glory, His the favor and splendor, His the bounty and grandeur.

The essence of expression is mute in the arena of Thy praise, and the reality of speech is dumb in the court of Thy mention. Yet the ocean of Thy generosity has given hope to the realm of utterance, and the banner of Thy bounty has confirmed existence, that they might not remain utterly deprived of Thy mention according to their capacity. For were the door of Thy remembrance and praise to be shut, hope would vanish and the sword of despair would cut down and uproot the saplings of existence.

Thou hast, however, by virtue of Thy mercy that hath surpassed the kingdoms of earth and heaven, deigned to accept from Thy servants the laud and honor they pay to Thine own exalted Self, and hast bidden them celebrate Thy glory, that the ensigns of Thy guidance may be unfurled in Thy cities and the tokens of Thy mercy be spread abroad among Thy nations, and that each and all may be enabled to attain unto that which Thou hast destined for them by Thy decree, and ordained unto them through Thine irrevocable will and purpose.

Every existence, whether seen or unseen, O my Lord, testifieth that Thy mercy hath surpassed all created things, and Thy loving-kindness embraced the entire creation.

I testify to the potency of Thy Cause, the pervasive influence of Thy decree, the immutability of Thy will, the endlessness of Thy purpose.

… Thou art, in truth, He Whose mercy hath encompassed all the worlds, and whose grace hath embraced all that dwell on earth and in heaven.

Nevertheless, we servants submit with the utmost lowliness and supplication:

O Lord! O Self-Sufficient One! O All-Bountiful! O All-Merciful! Thou art He Whose mercy has preceded all and Whose generosity has encompassed all peoples and nations. Should the breeze of Thy wealth pass by, it would erase the very name of poverty from the world, and should the ocean of Thy forgiveness surge, it would remove all distinction between the sinful and the obedient.

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Forever hath Thy way been that of bounty and the path of grace. Thou didst create me when I was nothing, and nurture me through Thy favor after Thou hadst chosen glory. My being witnessed naught except through Thy clemency in the eternal past, and my essence spoke no praise save through those blessings.

Unto God belongeth all mercy; He sendeth it down upon whomsoever He willeth of His servants. He, verily, is the Mighty, the All-Bountiful. Unto God belongeth the transcendence of the heavens and the earth and of whatsoever lieth between them, and God was supremely transcendent. Unto God belongeth all mercy whereby ye show mercy one to another.

For Thy way is beneficence and Thy practice is bestowing favors.

The cause of Thy grace hath ever been Thy grace, just as Thou didst originate my creation through favors and bestow upon me hopes. Thou art indeed independent of all things while all are in need of Thee.

O Pen! Send down out of the clouds of Thy generosity that which shall enrich all created things, and withhold not Thy favours from the world of being. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful in the heaven of Thine eternity, and the Lord of infinite grace unto all who inhabit the kingdom of names. Look not upon the people and the things they possess; look rather upon the wonders of Thy gifts and favours. Gather then Thy servants beneath Thy shade that shadoweth all mankind. Stretch forth the hand of bounty over all creation, and the fingers of bestowal over all existence.

Not for a moment hath His grace been withheld, nor have the showers of His loving-kindness ceased to rain upon mankind.

None but the All-Merciful Lord has ever been, or is, capable of forgiving the wayward and the sinful. How can one who has not received existence bestow existence, and how can one who is himself guilty of error forgive error?

The inmost essence of all things voiceth in all things the testimony: "All forgiveness floweth, in this Day, from God, Him to Whom none can compare, with Whom no partners can be joined, the Sovereign Protector of all men, and the Concealer of their sins!"

O thou who art the adornment of them that are nigh unto God! Remind My servants on My behalf, then gladden them with tidings of My mercy and My loving-kindness, then My grace and My generosity, that none may despair of the mercy that hath encompassed all the worlds.

God, the Exalted Truth, brought creation into being from nothingness specifically for this Day, and afterwards caused the sun of grace to shine forth equally upon all, that all might attain to the recognition of the true Friend.

Creation came into being so that on this blessed Day none might be deprived of the outpourings of the clouds of mercy.

This is a day wherein grace hath encompassed all religions, and the Divine Lott Tree hath called out from the Most Exalted Horizon: 'Verily, there is none other God but Him, the One, the Single, the All-Knowing.'

On this wondrous Day the gates of Paradise have been flung open before the faces of all creation by the command of the All-Glorious Lord, and the spring rain of the All-Merciful's grace hath poured forth from the clouds of divine bounty upon the infinite dawning-places and manifestations.

In this Night oceans of forgiveness have surged and the reviving breeze of His benevolence hath been diffused. Be then of good cheer, O companions of the Merciful Lord! And therein all the trespasses committed by the people of the earth have been forgiven.

Therefore, O people of creation, rejoice within yourselves, for the breezes of forgiveness have wafted over all created things, and the spirit of life hath been breathed into the worlds.

These are the days of grace - we look to grace. Were we to look to justice, not a single word would flow from the Pen of the Ancient of Days.

But when the ocean of forgiveness and grace appeared, therefore in those days I beseeched God for that which was the cause of love, fellowship and unity among all who are on earth -- until, on the second of the month of the Birth before the Dawning, all my mental states, my words and thoughts, were turned upside down, an inversion that bore the glad-tidings of the Ascent.

The foremost degree of comprehension in the world of nature is that of the rational soul. This power and comprehension is shared in common by all men, whether they be heedless or aware, wayward or faithful.

O beloved! Although the divine grace, in accordance with His all-merciful nature, is perfect and all-encompassing, yet there exists a special bounty and a particular favor from the Lord. Guidance is a special bestowal and knowledge is a particular manifestation. And "He singles out for His mercy whomsoever He willeth" is sufficient proof and clear evidence. Give thanks unto God.

O manifestation of mercy! Mercy is of two kinds - special and general, spiritual and physical. General physical mercy is "His mercy encompasses all things." But special spiritual mercy is conscious and divine, and "He singles out for His mercy whomsoever He willeth."

That is why it is said:- "This is through the Mercy of God. He giveth unto whomsoever He willeth." It is also said:- "He specializes whomsoever He desireth for His Mercy." Likewise it is said:- "Thou art not guiding those whom thou lovest but God is guiding whomsoever He willeth."

Beseech the True One, exalted be His glory, that He may enable all and adorn them with the ornament of fairness, that they may not remain deprived of the outpourings of the All-Bountiful One.

How many a servant hath been debarred from the choice wine of revelation, and how many a handmaiden hath turned unto it, partaken thereof, and said: "Praise be unto Thee, O God of all worlds!" Verily, grace is in the hand of God; He bestoweth what He willeth upon whom He willeth, and withholdeth from whom He willeth what He desireth. He, verily, is the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

His loving-kindness hath encompassed all, His mercy hath preceded all things, and He hath created countless means whereby He might lead that honored handmaiden, through the attraction of His call, to the Most Exalted Horizon.

God's eternal Mercy is immeasurable. He has always chosen certain souls upon whom He has shed the Divine Bounty of His heart, whose minds He has illumined with celestial light, to whom He has revealed the sacred mysteries, and kept clear before their sight the Mirror of Truth. These are the disciples of God, and His goodness has no bounds.

How great, therefore, is the bounty of the Abha Beauty Who, notwithstanding our utter unworthiness, hath through His grace and mercy breathed into us in this divinely-illumined century the spirit of life, hath gathered us beneath the standard of the Beloved of the world, and chosen to confer upon us a bounty for which the mighty ones of bygone ages had craved in vain.

O friends! I truly say that whosoever is deprived today of the outpourings from the heaven of divine mercy shall never succeed in making up for it, inasmuch as this day is the Lord of days and the King of all days.

Although the tribulation of the year of shidad hath caused most of the people to become heedless of the direction of the Beloved, yet the wondrous outpourings of His grace and bounty have never ceased, nor shall they ever cease.

The Hand of Grace draws nigh unto them and stirs them, that perchance they may awaken in this Dawn wherein the lights have shone forth.

He that partaketh of the waters of My Revelation will taste all the incorruptible delights ordained by God from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end.

How many a learned one have We left to himself, and how many an ignorant one have We rescued through My all-prevailing grace that overshadoweth all who are seen and unseen.

I am the one, O my God, who lay fast asleep on his couch, when lo, the messengers of Thy manifold mercies were sent down upon me by Thee, and the gentle winds of Thy loving-kindness blew over me, and roused me up, and caused me to set my face towards the sanctuary of Thy knowledge, and to fix mine eyes upon the splendors of the light of Thy face.

O ye loved ones of God! Is there any giver save God? He singleth out for His mercy whomsoever He willeth. Erelong will He open before you the gates of His knowledge and fill up your hearts with His love. He will cheer your souls with the gentle winds of His holiness and make bright your faces with the splendours of His lights, and exalt the memory of you amongst all peoples. Your Lord is verily the Compassionate, the Merciful.

And if I seek forgiveness by my deservingness for anyone, it has no beginning or end, and if I seek Your forgiveness by Your deservingness, I am ashamed to mention this before the court of Your holiness. Forgiveness appears only through what does not fail, and I seek refuge with You from what You do not love, and through such my relation should not be cut off from You when I relate myself to You.

I know well that your generosity has ever been most exalted and your grace will ever be most glorious. None need ask for your pardon, for knowledge of your forgiveness after my recognition of your station is the greatest pardon possible in my case, beyond compare. For had you dealt with me at the first mention according to your justice, neither I nor my turning away would exist - all things would perish. But when I witnessed your forbearance and bounties toward me, I must mention something of your generosity to me, that my heart may be illumined by your remembrance and my inner being adorned by gratitude to you.

Thou beholdest, O my Lord, how I have set myself towards the ocean of Thy grace and the adored sanctuary of Thy favors. Deny me not, I pray Thee, the drops which are sprinkled from the ocean of Thy gifts; neither do Thou withhold from me the outpourings of the clouds of Thy tender mercies. I am he, O my God, that hath clung to the resplendent hem of Thy robe, and taken hold on Thy strong cord that none can sever.

The glory of Thy might beareth me witness! Were they, every moment of their lives, to offer up themselves as a sacrifice in Thy path, they would still have done but little in comparison with the manifold bestowals vouchsafed unto them by Thee.

The whole universe testifieth to Thy generosity. Have mercy, then, upon me by Thy graciousness, and deal bountifully with me through the power of Thy sovereignty, and suffer me to enjoy near access to Thee by Thy manifold favors. Thou, truly, art the Great Giver, the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful.

Know that justice consists in rendering to each his due. For example, when a workman labours from morning till evening, justice requires that he be paid his wage, but bounty consists in rewarding him even when he has done no work and expended no effort. So when you give alms to a poor man who has made no effort and done nothing for your benefit to deserve it, this is bounty. Thus, Christ besought forgiveness for those responsible for His death: This is called bounty.

O sign of bounty! The favors of the Sovereign of existence which are given according to merit - which means giving each rightful one their due - fall under the requirements of justice. However, the Most Great Guidance is a supreme gift and pertains to grace and bounty.

O Manifestation of Grace!

Justice is to give to each one his due, while grace is bestowal without regard to capacity or worthiness. Faith, certitude, knowledge and assurance are among the attributes of grace, and the mysteries of "This is the grace of God; He bestoweth it upon whomsoever He willeth, and God is the Lord of great bounty."

What capacity or worthiness did these servants possess that the Ancient Beauty (may my spirit be a sacrifice for His loved ones) purely through His grace accepted us at His divine threshold and enabled us to attain to servitude at His court.

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For the veiled soul who is endowed with good character and conduct merits the forgiveness of God, while the veiled sinner possessed of bad character and conduct will be deprived of the bounties and bestowals of God.

Since this manifestation is a manifestation of grace, therefore righteous people of good conduct who are not believers will not be deprived of divine grace and bounty.

It is evident that souls receive grace from the outpourings of the Holy Spirit which are apparent in the Manifestations of God, and not from the individual personality of the Manifestation. It follows that if a soul fails to partake of the outpourings of the Holy Spirit, it remains deprived of God's grace, and this deprivation itself is equivalent to the denial of divine forgiveness.

Guidance is the Gift of GOD, and if a person is deprived of it, he will be misled, but he is not misled by GOD, it is only the lack of the Gift of Guidance.

All are created in the same station by the Justice of God, but if some of these have become prophets and some teachers, this is from the favours and bounty of God."

The perfections and characteristics of God toward man are not conditional upon any fact. God is merciful to man, and His mercy does not depend on Jesus Christis having done anything, but He is always sacrificed and this is the great question of the Mystery of Self-sacrifice.

The essence of the nature of God is love. His favor cannot be won by hatred or strife. He is never angry. He curses nothing.

Therefore, God has never and will never be anything else but Clement, Merciful and Kind. From whatever standpoint we may approach the Creator and the Sustainer we find Him the Mainspring of Mercy. In short you must know that God is the source of heavenly goodness, and the Giver of life and light.

Even when someone addressed Christ and called Him good, He responded, "Why callest thou me good? For there is none good but One, that is God." Therefore, no matter how sanctified a soul may be, he is still in need of forgiveness. One must seek pardon for his sins and forgiveness for his errors....

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Regarding one's lack of capacity and one's undeserving on the Day of Resurrection, this does not cause one to be shut out from gifts and bounties; for this is not the Day of Justice but the Day of Grace, while justice is allotting to each whatever is his due. Then look thou not at the degree of thy capacity, look thou at the boundless favour of Baha'u'llah; all-encompassing is His bounty, and consummate His grace.

Praise be unto the Best-Beloved, the cloud of whose mercy hath ever rained upon all beings, and the sun of whose bounty hath ever shed its radiance upon all created things.

Verily, Thy grace hath preceded Thy justice, and Thy mercy hath preceded Thy wrath. Thou art, in truth, the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

O my God, my God! Thy grace hath emboldened me, and Thy justice hath made me fearful. Blessed is the servant with whom Thou dealest with grace, and woe unto him with whom Thou dealest with justice. O my Lord! I am he who hath fled from Thy justice unto Thy grace, and from Thy wrath unto Thy forgiveness.

By Thy glory, O my God! If Thou shouldst regard Thy servants according to their deserts in Thy days, they would merit naught except Thy chastisement and torment. But Thou art the Generous One, possessed of great bounty.

I ask Thee by Thy Name which Thou hast made the King of all names to protect me by Thy power and Thine omnipotence from all calamity and all that is repugnant to Thee and all that is contrary to Thy Will.

Whomsoever Thou willest Thou makest a confidant, and whosoever is not the object of Thy choice is accounted a transgressor. Shouldst Thou deal with us with Thy justice, we are all naught but sinners and deserving to be shut out from Thee, but shouldst Thou uphold mercy, every sinner would be made pure and every stranger a friend.

Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who hath observed it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity had been keeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath observed the fast hath broken it, that person would be numbered with such as have caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters of this living Fountain.

But when I behold that Thy grace encompasseth all things and Thy mercy embraceth the entire creation, my soul and my inmost being become well assured.

Hold Thou Thy creatures, O my God, with the hands of Thy grace, and make Thou known unto them what is best for them of all the things that have been created in the kingdom of Thine invention.

Praise be to God Who, should He decree "nay" for anyone, it would be sweeter than possessing the kingdom of earth and heaven, and should He decree "yea," one would choose it over the dominion of the first and the last.

All things praise Him, all things remember Him, all things sanctify Him, and all things call upon Him, and verily He encompasses all things. He sendeth down mercy upon whomsoever He willeth and withholdeth mercy from whomsoever He willeth, and He sendeth upon whomsoever He willeth the holy and sublime fragrances. His mercy hath preceded all things and His grace hath encompassed all things, and He hath established His Cause with justice throughout all the worlds.

He is the peerless Creator Who hath created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever lieth between them, and all do His bidding. He is the One Whose grace hath encompassed all that are in the heavens, on earth or elsewhere, and everyone abideth by His behest.

And God forgives not that partners be associated with Him, though He forgives whom He will for anything else, and He is God, the All-Knowing of all things.

Should He raise up a Manifestation of mercy, this is through His grace unto those who believe in Him, and should He cause to appear a Manifestation of power, this is through His mercy that He might cause to enter therein those who were not in His good-pleasure. Both of these are grace and mercy, existence and bounty.

For if Thou shouldst will by the decree of justice, all who dwell in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth would perish in an instant from Thy sovereignty. But since Thy custom is grace and beneficence, and Thy way is pardon and favor, Thou judgest each according to what their hands have earned, that they might be delivered from the darkness of turning away and might willingly be content with Thy countenance and standing before Thee.

Indeed shouldst Thou desire to confer blessing upon a servant Thou wouldst blot out from the realm of his heart every mention or disposition except Thine Own mention; and shouldst Thou ordain evil for a servant by reason of that which his hands have unjustly wrought before Thy face, Thou wouldst test him with the benefits of this world and of the next that he might become preoccupied therewith and forget Thy remembrance.

Far be it from any to think that Thou wouldst punish me with any of Thy wrath, nor do I witness in Thy mighty inspirations, even in the station of fear, aught but the rising of the sun of Thy mercy and bounty, that my heart might be at peace, my inner being might find rest, and my outward self might gain Thy good-pleasure.

It is as though I behold Thy grace unto the disobedient as being like unto Thy grace unto the obedient, for disobedience harmeth Thee not, nor doth faith profit Thee, and verily Thou art independent of all things.

All glorify Thee, all sanctify Thee, all magnify Thee, all extol Thee, all proclaim Thy greatness, all prostrate before Thee, all are detached unto Thee, all are guided to Thee, all are victorious through Thee, all bow down before Thee, all turn their faces toward Thee. Thou hast ever been forgiving through bounty and grace, and compelling through might and justice. Thy giving is grace from Thy bounty, and Thy withholding is justice.

In His Name, the Most High, the Most Great!

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! There is none other God but Thee. Through Thee have I known Thee, and by Thy call have I ascended unto Thee, and through what Thou hast inspired me of Thy remembrance have I recognized Thy oneness. Were it not for Thee, I would have been as nothing, and were it not for Thee, I would not have drawn near to remembrance, and were it not for Thee, I would not have performed any good deed, and were it not for Thee, I would not have acquired any matter.

Through Thee, O my God, do I exalt Thee above all others, and through Thee, O my Lord, do I sanctify Thee from all else, and through Thee, O my Beloved, do I remember Thee with the beauty of Thy bounty, and through Thee do I contemplate Thee in the majesty of Thy signs. Thou hast ever been what Thou art. Thou canst not be described by any other than Thyself, nor be praised except by Thine own Being, nor be glorified by Thy creation, nor be extolled by Thy dominion, for the existence of others negates Thy Self.

Glorified art Thou, O Beloved, above what is concealed in existence and what is hidden in non-existence. Thou hast ever been the One Who indicateth Thine eternity and Who speaketh forth the praise of Thy grandeur. Through Thy remembrance of Thyself do I exalt Thee above my remembrance of Thee, and through Thy praise of Thine Essence do I sanctify Thee from my praise of Thee. Thou art the One praised in all deeds, and Thou art the Most Exalted through bounty and grace.

The cause of Thy creation hath ever been Thy generosity, and the reason for Thy invention, Thy grace, around which revolve the mill of all contingent beings and move the spheres in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. To Thee belongeth all praise, and through Thee is proof made impossible, for Thine Essence, as it is in itself, is pure and separate in its substantiality from the bounds of knowledge, and Thy Reality, as it is in itself, is simple and detached, cutting off all substantiality from the bounds of utterance.

How can I mention any but Thee, O my Beloved, after Thou hast given me to drink of the water of life in Thy knowledge? And how can I mention myself and its conditions after my awareness of Thy Being and Thy manifestations? By Thy might! It beseemeth not the non-existent to mention non-existence before Thy Ancient Self, O Everlasting One!

Through Thee, O my God, do I turn to Thee, and from Thee do I seek the most glorious spirit before Thee. If I have sinned against Thee, I am but Thy servant, and if I have obeyed Thee, I am still but Thy servant. I feel no sorrow for my disobedience nor joy for my deeds, for with Thee the decree of light and darkness is the same, and the judgment of good and evil is at the level of creation. Verily, the servant, as he is, is that he remember himself with his conditions, and he hath no sin like this and no error similar to this.

How could it not be so? He who saith "Thou art Thou," how can he dare say "I am I"? By Thy might! I shall ever say "Thou art Thou" and shall not return to myself, nor remember my being, nor cling to the conditions of my heart, for all this is evil before Thee and error in Thy presence. If all seek Thy forgiveness for their sins, I, by Thy might, praise Thee for my sin and have no [regret] for it, for how else would Thy forgiveness be manifested? And if I had not sinned against Thee, from where would Thy protection appear?

Glorified art Thou, O my Beloved! I desire sin that through it the sovereignty of Thy tenderness might be revealed, and I long for error that through it the dominion of Thy mercy might be made manifest, for Thy most exalted attributes and Thy most beautiful names have preceded all creation with fulfillment, and have decreed it with destiny, and have ordained in its regard origination, and have executed in its essence glory. These names are manifest and cannot be concealed, and these attributes are evident and cannot differ. It behooveth the servant, according to his station, to perform in Thy dominion a deed that would manifest Thy wondrous names and reveal Thy hidden attributes.

O Lord! Thou proceedest to reveal Thy subtle attributes, and this is established only through the disobedience of Thy servants and the forgetfulness of the lands. Therefore dost Thou love the places of testimony and the scenes of the servants, that the scrolls of their disobedience may be spread before Thee and the sins of their souls be read upon the carpet of Thy sovereignty. Through this Thou dost manifest Thy wondrous mercy and inscribe upon them Thy subtle favors.

O my God! Thou knowest that this is an exalted night and the final evening, as the nights of this month of Thine and these days of Thy fasting draw to a close. We have witnessed naught against ourselves save what Thou hast witnessed against us. These hours have passed in heedlessness and its moments elapsed in forgetfulness. Thou, O my God, art the King of beneficence and the Ancient of favors. Therefore, bestow upon us as Thou didst bestow upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad and the servants of Muhammad. For our hands are empty of goodly deeds and our scrolls are void of righteous acts and what Thou lovest from disobedience.

Unto Thee have hands been stretched forth for bounty, and unto Thee have feet been directed for favor. Thou art the Ever-Living Who slumbereth not, the King Who cannot be approached, and the Sovereign Who cannot be wronged. Bestow upon us then, O Lord of Majesty and Bounty, and have mercy upon us, O Lord of Grace and Favor! Enable us to attain every goal and whatever good Thy knowledge encompasseth in the days to come, by the right of Muhammad, Thy beloved, the best of mankind, and by Thy Sacred House, and Fatima the Sacred Month, and Hassan the Corner and Station, and Hussein the Lawful and Forbidden, and the Imams from the seed of Hussein, peace be upon him - the manifestations of Thy signs in the kingdom of creation and the places of Thy revelations in the depths of the heaven of invention.

Verily, Thou art God, the Munificent, possessed of grace, possessed of generosity and glory, possessed of gifts and favors, possessed of bounties and beneficence, possessed of blessings and benevolence. Thy gift, O my God, is the best of gifts, Thy bestowal the best of bestowals, and Thy decree the best of afflictions, for Thou decreest only what befitteth the sovereignty of Thy generosity and ordaineth only what is worthy of the dominion of Thy grace.

Unto Thee be the most glorious splendor in this dark night, and unto Thee be the greatest praise in this deafening trial. Thine is the creation and from Thee is the command, and unto Thee doth everything return in poverty and every thing confesseth its impotence. I beseech Thee in this hour by what Thou lovest from all the people of creation and invention, and what Thou wilt create hereafter through origination and bring into being through innovation.

Thou knowest, O my Beloved, that Thy joy hath ever descended upon the chosen ones among Thy servants, and the gladness of Thy honor hath ever been ordained for those near ones among Thy loved ones. Indeed, Thy month is about to pass from us and Thy days to bid us farewell. I beseech Thee by Thy generosity to seal for us this month of Thine with Thy greatest remembrance and Thy most luminous presence, and to ordain for me and for whom Thou lovest all that Thou hast decreed for Muhammad and the family of Muhammad in the greatest dwelling and the hidden horizon.

For Thou art the Lord of generosity and bounty, the King of grace and pre-existence, and the Sovereign of justice and non-existence. Should Thou grant us what we have asked, it would be from Thy all-encompassing grace and Thy perfect generosity. And shouldst Thou deny us what we have mentioned before Thee, Thy decree would be justice wherein there is no tyranny, and Thy ruling would be truth that cannot be reversed.

This would be naught but a favor from Thee regarding my right and a bounty from Thy presence regarding my station, for Thou knowest best the interests of one who turns to Thee in his days. I have no choice save what Thou hast chosen, nor can I ask save what Thou hast graciously bestowed.

O Lord! Thy generosity hath emboldened me to beseech Thee, and Thy bounty hath encouraged me to cherish hope. Thy grace hath moved me to implore Thee persistently and to humble myself before Thee, O Thou Who art the Bestower of gifts and favors!

O Lord! It behooveth One like Thee to be my Lord, while I stand in fear before Thee. O Lord! It behooveth One like Thee to be my Sovereign, while I am imprisoned before the court of Thy glory. O Lord! It behooveth One like Thee to be my King, while I am overcome before Thy servants. O Lord! It behooveth One like Thee to be my Master, while I am abased in the hands of Thy slaves. O Lord! It behooveth One like Thee to be my Lord, while I stand alone before Thee on this mountain. O Lord! It behooveth One like Thee to be my Almighty One, yet I see my rights in the hands of others among Thy servants, whom Thou knowest better than I do and over whom Thou hast more power than I.

By Thy glory! Though this may befit the sovereignty of Thy grandeur, it befitteth not my inherent poverty nor my essential helplessness. How is it that Thou hast named Thyself the All-Compelling, yet dost not hasten to judge Thy servants, though Thou art the Almighty, the All-Powerful? By Thy truth! This befitteth not the sovereignty of Thine eternity, nor is it worthy of the dominion of Thy self-subsistence, nor doth it befit the court of Thy sanctified glory.

For Thou art self-sufficient above all things, while I am worthy of nothing. Yet Thy mercy hath encompassed all things, Thy loving-kindness hath surrounded all things, Thy bounty sufficeth all things, and Thy might subdueth all things. Far be it from One like Thee, O Beloved, though these words of mine may resemble the utterances of the transgressors. By Thy glory! I desire naught but to mention those who are detached, for this is Thy test which Thou hast willed to try me with, and Thy tribulation through which Thou hast ordained to observe me.

By Thy might! I have no path, no refuge, no guide, and no escape. To whom shall I complain when Thou art my God? To whom shall I turn when Thou art my hope? From whom shall I seek severance when Thou art my Sovereign? Whom shall I implore when Thou art my King? To whom shall I cry when Thou art my Master?

By Thy glory! Even shouldst Thou drive me from Thy door, I would return to Thee, and if Thou shouldst turn me away from Thy presence, I would take refuge in Thy court. For whither can the servant turn save to his Lord? And where can the slave flee save to his Master? No, by Thy glory! I see the paths of all seekers leading to Thee, the ways of detachment ascending toward Thee, the gates of suppliants descending before Thee, the prayers of the hopeful descending before Thee, and the scrolls of all Thy creation spread before Thee.

Thou art He Who hath stretched forth His hands in giving, Who hath favored creation with bounties, Who hath exalted Thyself above all created things through praise, and Who hath transcended all things through glory. Therefore, unto Thee do I pour forth my soul, O my God, and before Thee do I cry out.

This is the month wherein Thou didst free Thy servants from the fire and didst pardon those deserving of punishment. Am I not one of Thy servants? Am I not one of those who belong to Thy kingdom? To whom then shall I turn, when Thou art my Lord? To whom shall I cry, when Thou art my God?

My very traces Thou dost witness, my supplications weigh upon me and Thou hearest them, my tribulations constrict my breast and Thou dost enumerate them, my affairs have become burdensome and Thou art their Creator. I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou dost create whatsoever Thou willest as Thou willest, and bestowest upon whomsoever Thou willest as Thou willest, and favorest whomsoever Thou willest as Thou willest, and gracest whomsoever Thou willest with whatsoever Thou willest, to gaze upon me with a near gaze, grant me a mighty gift, favor me with bountiful bestowals, and ordain for me sincerity through Thy decree which prevaileth in whatsoever Thou willest.

Did any but Thee create all things through the word "Be"? Is any but Thee aware of the secrets within? Nay, by Thy glory! Glory be to Thee and exalted art Thou! It is Thy way to show kindness to them that are nigh unto Thee, and Thy custom to shower favors upon the wayward.

By Thy might! If Thou wishest me to be among the remorseful, I am the first of the penitent; or if among the patient, I am the first of them that seek forgiveness. For by the testimony of creation and its people, and the decree of invention, my very existence is pure sin and my traces mere falsehood.

How then can one whose very being is thus, and whose deeds of selfhood reach such extent, dare mention before Thee his grievous calamities and his great transgressions? Woe, utter woe, if sin be made the means of sin, and the cause of pardon be made transgression!

O my God! Thou art witness that were it not for the necessity of accepting Thy decree and following Thy command, I would declare Thee far above my unity with Thee and my mention of Thy Self. For what am I and what is my measure that I should make mention of Thee? For my mention which riseth from me is according to my measure, not Thine. It is a sin derived from the sin of my existence, and a transgression confirmed by the transgression of my being.

How then can one whose mention before Thee and whose description of Thee is such, how can his seeking Thy forgiveness be the cause of Thy pardon, and his repentance before Thee the cause of Thy grace? Nay, by Thy might! Nothing can save me from Thy wrath save Thy pardon, and naught can bring down Thy gift save Thy grace.

From time immemorial the cause of Thy bounty hath been Thy bounty, and the cause of Thy grace Thy grace, for I was nothing and Thou didst create me. I have no doubt that Thou wilt grant me what is best for me, for Thy bounty preceded my existence and Thy grace was the cause of my manifestation. How then can He Whose custom before my existence was bounty withhold His grace from me after my existence? Nay, by Thy truth! I have thought naught of Thee save the best thoughts, and witnessed from Thee naught save the best intentions.

I have no fear after knowing Thy grace, no abasement after knowing Thy might. My solitude on this mountain doth not dismay me after my intimacy with Thy presence. The calamities of the world do not repel me after knowing Thy mercy, nor do the decrees of the transgressors against my rights grieve me after my certitude in Thy decree and the sovereignty of Thy might.

My Lord! Have mercy on him who is just in Thy dominion, who feareth in Thy kingdom, who fleeth unto the sovereignty of Thy might. Make up for what hath passed from Thy believing servants, and cause them to attain the summit of Thy bounty with Thy detached servants, and bring them to the sacred precinct in Paradise among Thy chosen servants. O my Lord! When I gaze upon the garments of Thy bestowing nature, my heart is cooled as though it were pieces of ice in a frozen sea, but when I look upon myself, my heart is consumed as though by a fire that no water can quench.

By Thy glory! Even if Thou shouldst punish me with the punishment of Thy power, and enlarge my body to the size of Thy heaven and earth, and burn me in the fire such that no one else is tormented but me - by Thy glory, Thou art the Just One in the sovereignty of Thy grandeur, the One Who is obeyed in the kingdom of Thy oneness, the One Who is praised in all Thy deeds and handiwork, and the One Who is thanked in Thy decrees and ordinations. And I, by this, deserve the recompense of denying the pure essence of Thy unity, for the lot of the contingent is torment and the state of the needy is punishment.

Therefore, unto Thee do I flee, O Bestower, and in Thee do I seek refuge, O Oft-Returning! If Thou forgivest none but the believers, whither shall the sinners flee? And if Thou pardonest none but the obedient ones, where shall the rebellious run? From Thee unto Thee do I flee, and from Thee unto Thy presence do I hasten. Thou art the King, the All-Powerful, and the Sovereign, the Administrator.

Be Thou my supporter behind all things and my shelter with all things. Direct through the sovereignty of Thy direction my affairs, and dispose through the dominion of Thy decree my condition, for besides Thee none hath power over anything, and all else besides Thee is needy and cannot accomplish anything. Thine is all creation and command, and in Thy hands are destiny and administration. Every hardship is made easy through Thee.

Therefore, O God, open the gates of joy through Thy grace, and send down, O Lord, the best outcome through Thy might, for none hath power to withhold or bestow in the kingdom of Thy heaven and earth except by Thy leave. All good and all gladness are through Thy will. Nothing can be attributed to Thee, nor raised before Thee, nor dost Thou love it or art pleased with it, that Thou wouldst not obtain, nor can any fugitive flee from Thy dominion. All are within Thy grasp and the sovereignty of Thy decree, and all are under the shadow of Thy will and the dominion of Thy direction.

None attaineth unto any good except through Thy grace, and no soul acquireth evil except through Thy justice, for the signs of Thy sovereignty are manifest and cannot be concealed, and the evidences of Thy mercy are exalted and cannot be withheld. Beloved is he who turneth toward Thee, for the one who turneth shall never be rejected or enslaved, and deprived is he who turneth away from Thee, for the one who turneth away shall forever be banished and prohibited.

Grant me, O my God, in this hour, the best of what Thou hast ordained in Thy kingdom and sent down upon Thy creation. Enable us to attain unto that which Thou lovest and with which Thou art pleased, quench our thirst from the cup of Thy bounty and Thy glory, and grant us complete detachment unto the depths of lights, and ascension unto Thee with the chosen ones among Thy righteous servants, and descent upon Thee with the near ones among Thy virtuous servants, until I am illumined by the light of Thy countenance, O Almighty, and take my portion from the meeting of Thy face, O Concealer, and bear witness before Thee to that which Thou lovest and with which Thou art pleased, O Chosen King, and delight in Thy remembrance in every condition, O Sovereign, the Gracious, the All-Forgiving, and forget everything besides Thee through the sovereignty of Thy might, O Subduer!

Thou art the Knower of secrets and the Witness of what is hidden in hearts. Thou knowest the concealed things in the inmost parts and art aware of what is hidden. Therefore forgive me and all whom Thou lovest as Thou lovest, by Thy hidden Name, and bestow upon me and those whom Thou lovest, through Thy Protected Remembrance - by which when Thou art called upon at the gates of heaven they are opened, and when Thou art called upon in the narrow places of earth they burst forth, and by which the earth was spread out, and the seas flowed, and the sky was raised up, and the trees put forth leaves, and the mountains were lifted up - I beseech Thee by the right of this Most Glorious, Most Mighty, Most Exalted, Most Great, Most Noble, Most Ancient Name, that Thou send blessings upon Muhammad, the Lord of all peoples, and upon the Manifestations of His Self, the Sources of bounty and generosity, in this hour of this dark night, and that Thou send down upon us the sovereign of relief through Thy grace, and aid us with the hosts of the heavens and earth through Thy bounty. For we have cast ourselves before Thee and committed our affairs into Thy hands. Deal with us as befitteth Thee and do with us as beseemeth Thee and ordain for us what Thou deservest, for Thou hast said - and Thy word is the truth - and taught us Thy prayer and Thy just decree: "Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the fire."

There is no power nor strength save in God. Our Lord! Cause us to depart with truth and make us among Thy triumphant servants and join us with those of Thy righteous servants who are nigh unto Thee. Verily Thou art God, the Munificent, the All-Forgiving. Glorified be thy Lord, the Lord of Might, above what they describe. And peace be upon the Messengers. And praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.

One day he entered a mosque where a reciter was chanting this verse: "O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls! Despair not of the mercy of God."

O Lord of pardon and forgiveness, Concealer of faults and Swift to bestow favors! Thou hast praised Thyself in the clear verses of the Qur'an as "Accepter of repentance, Forgiver of sins," and "Verily God forgives all sins."

… Verily, Thou art kind to Thy servants and generous to every penitent soul.

Then We sent down upon him the rains of mercy, cleansed him with the tears of his eyes, purified him from all defilement, and made him of those who soar in the holy atmosphere. Thereafter We chose him in truth, made him a Prophet, and sent him to those who dwelt on earth to command them to justice and forbid them from oppression.

O misery, misery! As mine iniquities waxed greater and greater, Thy forbearance towards me augmented, and as the fire of my rebelliousness grew fiercer, the more did Thy forgiveness and Thy grace seek to smother up its flame.

… One gleam from the splendors of Thy Name, the All-Merciful, sufficeth to banish and blot out every trace of sinfulness from the world, and a single breath from the breezes of the Day of Thy Revelation is enough to adorn all mankind with a fresh attire.

If she be so, it will be very good, because God always loves those who repent and are sorry for what they have done.

… Christ said of these two: 'The Pharisee is not acceptable in the Kingdom of God, but the other is acceptable, because the Pharisee is trusting in his own action, but the other is depending upon the forgiveness of God.'

Until the sun rises in the West, the door of repentance will remain open.

No matter how low a man has descended, how sinful he has been, how perverse has become his character, yet through the Power of Repentance and the Love of God, is he capable of complete regeneration. The sea of the forgiveness of God is ever in motion; the showers of His Pardon are always pouring down; the gale of His Generosity is incessantly blowing. He does not deprive His servants, no matter how disobedient and rebellious. Let them in the hour of prayer turn their face to God and He will cleanse them from all the impurities; He will make them as pure and innocent as the suckling babes.

Thou hast likewise declared that if from the beginning that hath no beginning someone had been deprived of all good deeds, today it would be possible to make up for them, inasmuch as the ocean of forgiveness hath appeared in the contingent world and the heaven of bounty is upraised.

O Lord! They are Thy servants and Thy creation. Aid them to make good what they have missed in Thy days and to return to the court of Thy holy might and to turn in repentance to the door of Thy bounty. Verily, Thou art the Powerful over what Thou willest.

My God, my God! Aid Thy heedless servants to return unto Thee, and the wrongdoers to turn toward the gate of Thy bounty. Verily Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful, the All-Giving, the All-Pardoning, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Forgiveness is a glorious attribute, and pardon and overlooking are among the greatest characteristics of that glorious Lord. Therefore forgive the sins of these helpless ones, and pass over the shortcomings of these wrongdoers.

O God of great generosity, cover our faults, make the sea of mercy surge forth and give us to drink from the cup of forgiveness. Though the darkness of sins is intense, yet the moonlight of Your forgiveness is most brilliant.

Thou art He, O my Lord, Whose bounty hath surpassed all things, and Whose power hath transcended all things, and Whose mercy hath encompassed all things. Look, then, upon Thy people with the eyes of Thy tender mercies, and leave them not to themselves and to their corrupt desires in Thy days. How farsoever they may have strayed from Thee, and however grievously they have turned back from Thy face, yet Thou, in Thine essence, art the All-Bountiful, and, in Thine inmost spirit, art the Most Merciful. Deal with them according to the unrevealed tokens of Thy bounty and Thy gifts.

Yet after this Thou hast favored me with concealment and pardon, as if Thou hadst never become aware in any condition of a sin from myself or a transgression from my outward being.

O thou who art firm in the Covenant! Faith is the cause of forgiveness, for it is the fountain of Job: "This is a cool washing-place and drink." Whosoever plungeth therein shall be healed of all spiritual diseases and ailments. Therefore be thou assured that thou shalt be cleansed of past misdeeds and become pure and sanctified.

Today the ocean of mercy is surging and the breezes of forgiveness are wafting from the direction of the favor of the Desire of all worlds. As they pass over receptive souls, all are adorned with the ornament of divine pardon.

Know thou further that God hath forgiven thee through His grace and purified thee from sins at the time when thou didst make mention in thy letter of this remembrance whereby the skin of every base heedless one doth creep, and the breezes of eternity wafted upon thee from the direction of thy Lord, the Most Exalted, and turned thee toward the Ultimate Shore at a time when thou wert heedless of Him.

Fear God, then return unto Him. He is verily the All-Bountiful, the Almighty, the Glorious, the Loving. We summoned thee unto God, but thou didst turn away after having accepted. Repent unto God Who created thee and fashioned thee, and be not of those women who witnessed, then denied and broke God's covenant, the Lord of what was and what shall be.

And if at times hesitation seized thee, God hath forgiven what is past, for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Be thou assured in thyself that God hath ordained for thee in His presence a holy and noble station and hath accepted from thee thy obedience and whatsoever hath proceeded from thee, for He is the Kind, the Merciful.

I testify that Thy forgiveness hath preceded sin, and Thy generosity hath encompassed all who dwell within the realm of possibility.

Concerning what thou didst mention regarding the commission of deeds that are not pleasing, blessed art thou for having confessed before the Throne, and He hath, through His grace, absolved thee of thy misdeeds. He is verily the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

God hath forgiven those who did what they were forbidden in the Book, through a command from God, the Lord of what was and what shall be. Say: Fear ye God, O people, and be not like unto them who hear God's command and judgment yet act not accordingly. Give thanks unto your Lord that He hath forgiven you ere mention was made of your deeds. He is verily the Forgiving, the Kind.

The True One, exalted be His mention, hath called Himself the Forgiving, the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Generous. How then could He turn away from His loved ones for minor matters or withhold the glance of mercy?

Therefore, O my God, forgive their misdeeds and their transgressions if they return unto thee and turn in repentance unto thee, for they know not and perceive not. Although their transgression, O my God, is greater than the creation of the heavens and the earth, yet thy forgiveness is greater than all things.

I beseech Thee, by Thy Name through which the heavens were cleft asunder, and the earth was rent, and the mountains were crushed to dust, to withhold me not from the blowing of the winds of Thy mercy in Thy days, and to debar me not from the shore of Thy nearness and Thy bounties.

Through His grace and mercy, God hath pardoned and overlooked grievous sins and great transgressions, on condition that one's return be firm and one's repentance steadfast and enduring.

Although thou didst turn without permission, yet God hath pardoned thee, as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the Forgiving, the Bountiful.

O Merciful One! Be merciful unto thyself in these days wherein the traces of mercy have been effaced from the hearts of most of the servants, who have arisen in manifest tyranny, to such extent that they have severed the head of faithfulness with the sword of hatred, and have thereby debarred themselves from the shore of ancient glory.

They violated God's Covenant and rent asunder the sanctity of the Cause, yet since it occurred through the heedlessness of ignorance, God hath pardoned them and adorned them with the robe of His gracious forgiveness. None should speak against them. Verily He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

Yet We concealed it, for thy Lord is the Concealer, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

… Though We found him in hypocrisy, We concealed his affair as a grace from Us. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.

The Blessed Beauty said nothing. The friends would come and report that Aqa Muhammad Karim had done such and such today, but the Blessed Beauty would say nothing. Until finally he grew weary and came into the blessed presence and repented, saying, "Truly I have been most unfair, but Your forbearance has humbled me."

I gave him some money and on that night I supplica[ted] at the Threshold of God to assist him. The next day he was offered a government position with a good salary.

The envoy returned and reported the situation to the Blessed Beauty, who then became very sad. He said, 'We will take it from him the same way We gave it to him.'

Before long he lost all his wealth and repented on His threshold.

The Blessed Beauty forgave him on the condition that he go to Bakú and transcribe the revealed Tablets. He went there and spent his time in transcribing. At the end, he died in poverty.

But Abdul-Baha, despite these cruelties, says "Lord, guide my people for they do not know" and prays "Guide them to Your straight path" and utters "Remove evil from them, verily You are the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate."

Say: As to those who deny the mention of the name of the Lord, God will never forgive them, and those who believed and then denied aforetime, God curseth them, then His angels, then all people who are God's assured servants.

How often have We seen some in error and grievous sin, and concealed it as a grace from Us. Verily thy Lord is the Concealer, the All-Forgiving, the Most Generous. Ask thou God to grant them success in returning, or to make known to them the way of departure.

The first part of the letter was adorned with these words: "This lowly servant with oceans of transgression and mountains of errors..." and so forth. O thou who art mentioned before the Wronged One! If you have confessed to oceans of transgression, this Wronged One likewise acknowledges that God, exalted be His glory, possesses oceans of forgiveness and pardon. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to change sins into good deeds and to purify you from whatsoever is displeasing to His good-pleasure.

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If thou shouldst hold thyself back from all that thou art forbidden in the Book, God hath forgiven what is past. He is verily the Forgiving, the Merciful.

We beseech God, blessed and exalted be He, to aid the heedless to return, the slanderers to speak truth, the treacherous to be trustworthy, and the opposers to turn towards Him. Verily He is the Self-Sufficient, the Most High, the Ever-Forgiving, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.

Turn unto God in repentance for what thou didst intend in thy soul, then return unto Him and say: "O my God! I beseech Thee by the Most Great Word to ordain for me the word of forgiveness, for I intended in my soul what Thou didst not desire and what Thou forbade in Thy Book. … Thou art verily the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful."

O my God, my God! Take not Thy servants to task for their grievous transgressions and their great sins. Adorn their heads with the crowns of justice and equity, and illumine their hearts with the light of Thy knowledge, O Thou Who art the Lord of the Kingdom of immortality and Who hast manifested Thyself through Thy Most Great Name, the All-Glorious.

Let all your striving be for this, to become the source of life and immortality, and peace and comfort and joy, to every human soul, whether one known to you or a stranger, one opposed to you or on your side. Look ye not upon the purity or impurity of his nature: look ye upon the all-embracing mercy of the Lord, the light of Whose grace hath embosomed the whole earth and all who dwell thereon, and in the plenitude of Whose bounty are immersed both the wise and the ignorant. Stranger and friend alike are seated at the table of His favor.

O kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock that they may be members of one family and Thy servants. Thou hast settled them beneath the shelter of Thy pavilion of grace and gathered them at Thy bountiful table and illumined them with the radiance of Thy loving providence.

Do good as God hath done good unto thee.

The Glorious Lord in the Holy Qur'an declareth: "All do We aid - these as well as those - from the bounty of thy Lord." That is to say, the bounty of the Lord is an aid and the cause of guidance and direction.

In this Most Great Cycle, the suckling child has the station of a noble person, and newborn children are wise, seeing and praiseworthy. For the Lord God has manifested Himself through His attribute of the All-Merciful and educates humanity with utmost love.

The favors of the Most Holy One are endless and the forgiveness and pardon of the Reality of the All-Merciful are boundless.

… He sees fault yet bestows gifts, finds sin yet grants shelter, witnesses disobedience yet shows favor.

It is known that all created things are prone to error and ever shall be, but today, as the Sun of generosity is shining and the ocean of mercy is surging, God's gaze is fixed upon the goodly deeds of souls who have turned to Him. This is naught but His grace and generosity toward His servants, and His mercy and bounty toward His loved ones.

But even, as he did so, God's revelation descended upon him:- "O Abraham! For a hundred years this man has been an idol worshipper and I have been patient with him. I have nurtured him. I have protected him. I have taken good care of him. I have trained him. I have encircled him with many bounties and I have been kind and loving to him; but thou wert not able to endure his society for one night! And I, a hundred years!"

For example, if a king shows favor and bestows a gift upon someone, and we harm that person, we have surely opposed that king. Similarly, when God grants someone wealth, glory, fortune and children, if I were to harm that person, it would be as though I were instructing God that this person is not worthy or deserving of His favor.

Prevent no one from the ocean of My loving-kindness, and turn not away anyone who has turned to thy luminous countenance.

Whatever happened in the past is past. "Hadst thou been harsh and stern of heart they would indeed have broken away from around thee." We are commanded to deal with the utmost love and kindness even with our enemies, how much more so with friends.

As the glance of mercy hath concealed this, therefore is the distinction hidden. Verily thy Lord is the Concealer, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Thou dost ponder My forbearance despite My power, and My concealment despite My knowledge, and that which every ignorant oppressor doth utter.

This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things.

This Day a door is open wider than both heaven and earth. The eye of the mercy of Him Who is the Desire of the worlds is turned towards all men.

I ask Thee, by the glory of Thy Cause and the power of Thy Word, graciously to assist them that have arisen to discharge what hath been enjoined upon them in Thy Book, and to perform that whereby the fragrance of Thine acceptance may be shed abroad. Thou, verily, art the Powerful, the Gracious, the Forgiving, the Bountiful.

Yet if someone were to arise openly and speak what would cause people to withdraw and servants to turn away and object, they would have departed from wisdom. For when someone who has clung to certain beliefs for years suddenly hears their opposite without understanding the reason, it will surely cause them to withdraw and object. People must be educated with kindness and forbearance and drawn to the eternal realm. Reflect on the mercy and compassion of this Revelation. By thy life! Mercy itself is ashamed to be attributed to Him, and all discerning souls prostrate before His mercy which they are powerless to comprehend.

As for the matter of Huquq, they have been blessed with true forgiveness. God hath forgiven him as a favor from His presence. Verily our Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Generous.

And if ye believe not, deny Him not, nor wage war against His person. Fear God, O concourse of believers!

Nevertheless, God, in His name the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful, doth observe, and therefore hath not desired and doth not desire that anyone should oppose another.

His mercy hath preceded His wrath; therefore have We borne hardships from every base one, though within Our grasp lieth the kingdom of the heavens and earth.

Thy Lord desires not the harm of anyone - verily He is the Forgiving, the Merciful - and He desires that all on earth should enter His holy and mighty and resplendent kingdom.

Concealment and forgiveness are among the characteristics of mercy, and mercy has encompassed and preceded all things visible and invisible.

For forty years We protected him whom they had seized, setting God aside, and those who were with him. Not the slightest harm befell any one of those souls. Doth this incident not bear witness to the grace of God?

However, since His mercy is all pervading and since these days are the springtide of His heavenly favor, it is incumbent upon all, with hearts free of malice and rancor, to beseech God to guide all people. Perchance He will cause the ocean of bounty to surge, and will attire all in the blessed vesture of forgiveness.

Grieve not at what hath befallen Thee, neither do Thou lay hold on them for the things they have committed in Thy days. Do Thou be forbearing toward them. Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate."

He says to grant a respite, do not hasten - punishment is ultimately decreed, unless they become humble and suppliant, repent and show remorse, pray and seek forgiveness for their sins. Verily my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

Lord! Forgive their sins, remove their sorrows, ease their affairs, shower them with Thy mercy, and deprive them not of Thy gifts, for they acted in ignorance and heedlessness; had they known, they would not have done thus. It behooveth Thy mercy to cover their faults and forgive their sins. Verily, Thou art the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

Lord! Hold not the killers to account and punish not the murderers. They are ignorant fools. Had they known me they would not have killed me, and had the veil been lifted from them they would not have dared commit such evil among men. But as they were plunged in the depths of heedlessness and blindness, they thought they did good and earned a reward. Verily Thou art the Pardoning, the Forgiving, the All-Merciful."

And "O my Forgiving Master! Forgive the sins of Thy servants through the blood that is shed in Thy love."

O Lord! Deal not with us according to our evil deeds, and take us not to task for our sins and transgressions, for imperfection is characteristic of all contingent beings in the realm of existence, while pardon and forgiveness are what Thou hast accustomed those in existence to. O Lord! Nothing beseemeth the Divine Presence save grace and mercy toward every sinner fallen into the abyss of degradation and wretchedness, and the perfection of Lordship is not manifested except through the imperfections of servitude.

At the end he saith: "O God, since the blood of a company of Muslims is in danger of being shed in vain, and the Shah hath sought me as an intercessor that he may pardon them, for the sake of that good deed I intercede for him, while confessing mine own sin. I hope that God will forgive him for this good act."

These matters were presented to the Blessed Beauty who said it would be better for him to return to Iran where he would be successful. He obeyed the command and when he reached Iran they gave him a high position and he became Minister of Foreign Affairs. Such was Baha'u'llah's kindness to enemies.

Furthermore, regarding those souls who have been disturbed in this greatest upheaval, they must be treated with conciliation that perchance they may return to the ocean of certitude. It is known that most souls are weak, but God's pre-existing mercy looks to ensure that no soul remains deprived, especially those who have endured hardships.

Therefore, this Wronged One summoned him and counseled him with wise exhortations and loving advice, sending him from the Most Great Prison to the Great City. By the life of God! We had no purpose except to protect him.

For among the Teachings of His Holiness Baha'u'llah (may my life be offered as a sacrifice unto Him) it is written: all mankind is but one fold and God, the Kindly Shepherd, loving unto all of them, for if He loved them not, He would have created them not, neither provided them, nor protected them nor even nurtured them.

If they hold fast to goodly deeds and praiseworthy conduct, divine favor will encompass them, for every tongue hath testified to His generosity and every ear hath witnessed His bounty. Verily He is the Forgiver of sins, and He is the Almighty, the Glorious, the All-Loving.

Had not My mercy preceded all things, I would have returned existence unto non-existence by reason of what hath befallen My loved ones - how much more by what hath befallen My Own Self!

O Fadl! We have witnessed thy devotion and heard thy call, yet We have withheld the Pen until this time, in accordance with the wisdom of God, the Lord of all worlds.

Today no consideration is given to mere kinship. We have mentioned thee for the love of God. Strive thou to attain unto a station worthy of these days.

He said:

We beseech God to aid him in nurturing, reforming, and uniting. We ask God to assist him in all that he hath purposed for the betterment of His loved ones' affairs. Verily, He is the Mighty, the Powerful. … Verily, He is the Compassionate, the Generous, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

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Repeatedly has this exalted word flowed from the tongue of the Lord of all beings: "O servant in attendance! We counsel the friends to show kindness and forbearance, and should you observe anyone heedless, you must remind them through loving counsels and wise exhortations, that perchance they may become mindful or fear God and hold fast in the Day of God to that which befitteth them.

If you act according to what was mentioned, the mercy and blessing will descend from the heaven of the favor of the Lord of Lords. He is the Generous, He is the Merciful, and He is the Bestower, the Kind.

Praise be to God, the unexpected divine bounty encompassed him. Though he is now unaware of it, the time will come when he shall become conscious thereof. Verily, He is the All-Wise Teacher and the All-Knowing Expositor.

The services ye are rendering in support of the Ta'yid School merit the highest praise. It is certain that God in His bounty will send down His manifold, heavenly blessings upon you.

O Lord! Compensate everyone who has spent and transform the hardship of everyone who has made things easy in matters of goodness, and remove from him harm, and make Your blessing encompass him and his family. Verily You are the Giver, the Beneficent, the Bestower.

Do not seek from them any reward whatever, but seek all grace and beneficence from thy Lord, and even deal with the people of great oppression in faithfulness, for as much as this is becoming of the people of Baha'.

Remember what Christ said; you have taken the gifts of God without money and without price; so also you must freely give. This command shows too that all these gifts are sent to you by the free generosity of your God and not on account of any merit on your part, and you must rejoice greatly in the loving mercy of your God upon you and all.

Physically and spiritually we are submerged in the sea of God's favor. He has provided our foods, drink and other requirements; His favors encompass us from all directions. The sustenances provided for man are blessings. Sight, hearing and all his faculties are wonderful gifts. These blessings are innumerable; no matter how many are mentioned, they are still endless. Spiritual blessings are likewise endless -- spirit, consciousness, thought, memory, perception, ideation and other endowments.

Praise be to God, the gate of boundless grace is opened wide, the heavenly table is set, the servants of the Merciful and His handmaids are present at the feast. Strive ye to receive your share of this eternal food, so that ye shall be loved and cherished in this world and the next.

First we must make ourselves receptive, then the bounties of God descend upon us. The mirror must become clear from rust first then the sun with all its glory will be reflected therein. Prepare your apartment first before you invite the guest. Therefore, first we must become severed and detached, then we will obtain the divine Bounties.

But God did not give us good gifts that we should reject them. He created all these blessings that His servants may bless Him.

Have pity upon me by Thy grace and bountiful favor, and graciously aid me to serve Thee and them that are dear to Thee.

God be praised, thou hast a kind Lord Who healeth every sick one and dispelleth the sorrow of every afflicted soul. He is a shelter to the orphan and a helper of the destitute, and His kindness knoweth no bounds.

O Thou kind God! To me Thou art kinder than myself, and Thy love is more abundant and more ancient. Whenever I am reminded of Thy bestowals I am made happy and hopeful.

That father will become angry for the slightest disobedience, but this Father forgives the sins, overlooks the faults and deals with Bounty and Favour.

With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief.

The Almighty will no doubt grant you the help of His grace, will invest you with the tokens of His might, and will endue your souls with the sustaining power of His holy Spirit.

His bounty hath encompassed the world and His mercy hath preceded all. The heaven testifieth to His greatness and the seas are signs of His generosity. Ask thou of Him whatsoever is befitting and expedient, for man knoweth not that which is to his benefit or harm.

His generosity and grace are the cause and reason for the appearance of hope. I swear by the Sun of Truth which hath shone forth from the horizon of Muhammad's brow - peace be upon Him - that He hath never disappointed any supplicant, nor will He ever do so, and He hath never prevented any seeker from the ocean of His gifts. If there appeareth to be delay in the fulfillment of some hopes, this is due to His consummate wisdom, which none knoweth save Him.

Praise be to God, the inner matters are confirmed and known, while the outward affairs are contingent upon the requirements of consummate wisdom. Every time hath its effect and every moment its fruit. Knowledge is with the Eternal God. We beseech Him, exalted be He, to open before thy face, through the key of His Name, the All-Giving, the gates of His grace, mercy and bounty, and to rain down upon thee from the clouds of His generosity the showers of His blessings and riches. He is verily the Compassionate, the Generous, the Munificent, the Merciful.

We hope that outward means will also be made available, for the divine favors have ever encompassed and continue to encompass all from every direction.

O thou my companion! It appeareth that thou hast become a prisoner in the city of Haifa, for when travel is postponed, a place becometh like unto a prison for the traveller; but this, verily, is a token of the grace of thy Lord, the Merciful, the Compassionate. This delay in Haifa, too, hath been a divine gift, for it hath led thee to breathe the sweet savours of God and inhale the musk-laden fragrances.

Men are trained and developed through these; that is, through poverty, vicissitudes and want. Otherwise, God would have ordered that His friends and Saints become endowed with great wealth and every material means.

Great God! Although His signs have encompassed the world and His proofs and testimonies are shining forth and manifest as the light, yet the ignorant appear heedless, nay rather, rebellious. Would that they had been content with opposition.

Every companion fleeth from his companion at the hour of death, except thy Lord, the Forgiving, the Merciful. He is with whosoever hath desired Him. Verily thy Lord is the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.

We beseech God, blessed and exalted is He, to change your hardship to ease, your sorrow to joy, and your difficulty to comfort. Verily He loves His friends and desires for them a joy that neither sorrows nor the contingencies of the world can alter.

He sent down the Book as a grace from His presence and ordained therein what befits man.

… He will assist you and teach you what He desires and will deliver you as a grace from His presence. He is the Powerful, the All-Bountiful.

He hath sent the Messengers with truth and revealed the Books with justice, as a grace from Him to all created things.

O Lord! Have mercy on whoever holds fast to Thee and to Thy verses, and leave him not in the hands of the oppressors among Thy creatures.

Reflect upon the grace of God: though the servants deserved punishment, He bestowed favor and sent mercy. Justice stands bewildered at the greatness of this grace.

O thou who hast been sore afflicted on the pathway of the Covenant! Anguish and torment, when suffered on the pathway of the Lord, Him of manifest signs, is only favor and grace; affliction is but mercy, and grief a gift from God.

… Then praise thou Him, the loving Provider, for having ordained this dire affliction, which is but bounty unalloyed.

I know not for what transgression the breezes of Thy mercy and loving-kindness have been withheld from Thy loved ones, and for what rebellion Thou hast left them in the hands of Thine enemies. Is there any Forgiver besides Thee Who might absolve them of their misdeeds, and is there any Gracious One other than Thee Who might clothe them in the garment of pardon?

Though my sin be greater than can be forgiven, yet Thy forgiveness surpasseth all reckoning. Though my transgression be more manifest than can be concealed, yet Thy loving-kindness is greater than can be extinguished.

O Greatest Branch! By the life of God, thy afflictions have grieved Me, but God will heal thee and protect thee, for He is the Best, the Gracious, and the Most Excellent Helper.

Bestow continually upon her the favour of Thy sustaining grace and, with every fleeting breath, grant her the blessing of Thy bounty. Her hopes and expectations are centred in Thee; open Thou to her face the portals of Thy tender mercies and lead her into the ways of Thy wondrous benevolence.

Thou seest, O my Lord, Thy suppliant waiting at the door of Thy bounty, and him who hath set his hopes on Thee clinging to the cord of Thy generosity. Deny him not, I beseech Thee, the things he seeketh from the ocean of Thy grace and the Day-Star of Thy loving-kindness.

I am the one, O my Lord, that hath held fast the cord of Thy mercy which hath surpassed the entire creation. I am the one that hath clung to the hem of Thy loving-kindness, O Thou in Whose hand is the empire of all names!

Do Thou have mercy upon the bearer of this Tablet, through Thy most great mercy and Thine abundant grace, O Thou the Gracious, Thou the Bounteous.

He is the Healer, Sufficer, the Help in need

Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by Thy Name, through which Thou didst lift up the ensigns of Thy guidance, and didst shed the radiance of Thy loving-kindness, and didst reveal the sovereignty of Thy Lordship; through which the lamp of Thy names hath appeared within the niche of Thine attributes, and He Who is the Tabernacle of Thy unity and the Manifestation of detachment hath shone forth; through which the ways of Thy guidance were made known, and the paths of Thy good pleasure were marked out; through which the foundations of error have been made to tremble, and the signs of wickedness have been abolished; through which the fountains of wisdom have burst forth, and the heavenly table hath been sent down; through which Thou didst preserve Thy servants and didst vouchsafe Thy healing; through which Thou didst show forth Thy tender mercies unto Thy servants and revealedst Thy forgiveness amidst Thy creatures -- I implore Thee to keep safe him who hath held fast and returned unto Thee, and clung to Thy mercy, and seized the hem of Thy loving providence. Send down, then, upon him Thy healing, and make him whole, and endue him with a constancy vouchsafed by Thee, and a tranquillity bestowed by Thy highness.

Thou art, verily, the Healer, the Preserver, the Helper, the Almighty, the Powerful, the All-Glorious, the All-Knowing.

These are the ones, O my Lord, who have set their faces towards Thee, and turned unto Thy habitation. Do with them, therefore, as becometh Thy mercy, which hath surpassed the worlds.

I beseech Thee by this Name, which hath been encompassed by tribulations from all directions and upon which calamities have descended from every quarter, to such extent that it findeth no helper in Thy earth nor any succorer in Thy dominion, that Thou mayest ease for this people the pangs of travail, preserve them therefrom, deliver them from this hardship, and transform it into comfort and tranquility. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest and supreme over whatsoever Thou desirest. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Beauteous, and verily, Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Thou art, in truth, He Who, at no time, hath turned away those who have set their hopes in Thee from the door of Thy mercy, nor prevented such as have sought Thee from attaining the court of Thy grace.

O my Lord! Thou seest the wronged one knocking at the door of Thy justice, and him who is deprived clinging to the cord of Thy bounty.

Thou art truly the Lord of this life and of the next. Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Turn our recompense, O Lord, into that which well beseemeth Thee of the good of this world and of the next, and of the manifold bounties which extend from on high down to the earth below.

O Lord my God! O Thou All-Praised, Most Holy, Most Merciful and Beneficent One! Remove our difficulties through Thy favor and bestowal. Thou, verily, art the merciful and beneficent Lord.

O Lord! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the Dispeller of every affliction. Thou art He Who banisheth every sorrow and setteth free every slave, the Redeemer of every soul. O Lord! Grant deliverance through Thy mercy and reckon me among such servants of Thine as have gained salvation.

Should a wealthy man choose to bequeath upon his death a portion of his wealth to the poor and needy, perchance this action will bring about divine pardon and forgiveness and result in his progress in the Kingdom of the All-Merciful.

But the Mercy of God surpasses His Condemnation.

There is a great different between the Mercy of God and Eternal disappointment--for when His Mercy exceeds His Condemnation, how can then anyone be in torment eternal.

It is proved that existence belongs to mercy, while annihilation is punishment.

The grace of effective intercession is one of the perfections belonging to perfect and advanced souls, as well as to the Manifestations of God. Jesus Christ had the power of interceding for the forgiveness of His enemies when on earth, and He certainly has this power now.

But mercy is by far the greatest of the divine attributes and owing to this great mercy of God those who die in their sins are not left without the possibilities of attaining to life.

Q. Is a soul ever annihilated?

A. No. It will be placed in different conditions by God's Mercy, and will eventually progress.

Abdul Baha looked at the speaker--His whole face lit as though for a moment He saw beyond the mists of earth into that future as He answered:

"It might be so if we were not in the Hands of the great Father who is perfect love and endless mercy. The best among us will need that grace and mercy, and will find it joyfully awaiting him.

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Q. What becomes of an undeveloped infant's soul?

A. It rests with the mercy of God and through the eternal bounty it will not be deprived of that mercy.

Children of unbelievers and infidels who die before the age of responsibility are not punished, because they are under the favor of God.

"God treats these people with His mercy, not with His justice, since God is against war. But as many did not will the war, but were obliged to go to the battle field by force of circumstances, therefore God has mercy for they suffered much and they lost their lives. These deserve the forgiveness of God. As they suffered in the world and were treated unjustly and thus died unwillingly, therefore God will have mercy and forgive their shortcomings and will reward them. He will compensate them for loss.

Among the matters specific to this Most Great Revelation is that whosoever in this Revelation has turned to God and has drunk of the choice sealed wine in the name of the Self-Subsisting, meaning from the cup of divine love - even if his relatives are not outwardly believers, after their passing they shall attain divine forgiveness and shall be sustained from the ocean of mercy. This bounty is assured for those souls from whom no harm has reached the Truth or His loved ones.

In the Book of God it is recorded that should a person embrace this Faith, his father and mother shall also receive forgiveness.

Rest assured that through the grace of the Blessed Beauty he shall be forgiven and pardoned, for his devoted son is in utmost supplication and entreaty.

Verily he is captive to Thy most great bounties, pure of heart, and a suppliant at the court of Thy luminous sanctity. Accept, then, his prayer, and forgive his father, who hath ascended unto the precincts of Thy most great mercy. Thou, verily, dost pardon and forgive the fathers through the devotion and supplication of their children.

Pray for her and say:

O thou forgiving Lord: Forgive my kind motheris sins. Pardon her shortcomings, cast a glance of Providence and usher her unto Thy Kingdom. O God: she educated me from the beginning of (my) life, reared me.

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Today the ocean of mercy is surging and the sun of grace is shining bright and manifest. At the beginning of the Revelation this blessed word shone forth from the Mouth of the Divine Will: The relatives of those assured souls who accepted the Cause and who, in the early days, quaffed the water of immortality from the hand of bounty, are adorned with the blessed robes of forgiveness.

I testify that on the night wherein thou didst ascend to the Most Glorious Horizon and the Supreme Companion, and on its day, God forgave every male and female servant who had ascended, as a token of His grace and favor toward thee, save those who denied the right of God and that which was manifested from His presence openly. Thus did God distinguish thee, O My leaf, with this most great bounty and this most ancient and foremost station.

Verily incalculable is the bounty of thy Lord. Seize thy chance and be of them that endure with patience.

O Lord! Hold him not to account for having drunk the cup of doom, and treat him only with Thy grace and bounty toward all humanity. Lord! We are all sinners; forgive us our sins. We are all naked; clothe us in the garments of forgiveness and lift from us our troubles.

As to what thou hast mentioned concerning him who was named Nasrullah, make mention of him before the Truth. Say: God hath forgiven thy brother. He is verily the Generous, the Merciful. Grieve not for him. He loved his Lord and answered His call and pursued My straight and manifest path. We found from him the fragrance of sincerity in certain years and We pardoned him as a bounty from Our presence.

We have forgiven him after We purified him with the waters of mercy, for verily I am the One Who hath power over whatsoever He willeth through My word "Be," and it is.

His magnanimity is greater than the sinfulness of His servants, and the radiance of His bestowal dispels the darkness of rebellion. He clothes the reality of oppression in the garment of justice and places the crown of bounty upon the head of sheer rebellion. "He doeth what He willeth in His dominion. None can question His doings."

O Shafi, O thou who hath been interceded for by others! By God, The True One, Thy Lord's bounty hath been overflowing. The river of His bounty hath swelled. The ocean of His bounty hath raged in this Most Great Epoch, in this Most Glorious Age, in this New Century. By thy life, multitudes have interceded in The Day of The Manifestation of Thy Most Glorious Lord on behalf of sinful servants and their ancestors. This intercession hath been accepted.

O my Lord! Lowly am I; ennoble me through admittance into the Kingdom. Poor am I; enrich me from an imperishable treasure in the Divine Realm. Sick am I; heal me of my grievous malady. Cause me to enter Thy Most Exalted Paradise, O my All-Glorious Lord, and leave me not forlorn and lonely. Shelter me within the shelter of Thy Most Great Mercy, and deliver me from these besetting darknesses. Destine for me all good in the world to come, and supply me with Thy gifts and bestowals. Forgive me my sins, and pardon me my trespasses.

O my God, O Forgiver of sins and Dispeller of afflictions! O Thou Who art the Pardoner, the Merciful! I raise my suppliant hands to Thee, tearfully beseeching the court of Thy divine Essence to forgive, through Thy grace and clemency, Thy handmaiden who hath ascended unto the seat of truth.

O God, Whose mercy pervadeth all things! O Bestower of favors and Forgiver of sins! Thou pardonest those who have gone astray and exchangest their wrongdoings for that which is good.

Glory be to Thee, O my God! I lower my wings and humble myself in the dust of servitude before the might of Thy Divinity and the greatness of Thy Lordship, acknowledging my errors and my great sins and my abundant shortcomings and transgressions and misdeeds.

I intercede for another and beseech Thee to forgive Thy servant who turned to the Dawning-Place of Thy mercy and the Dayspring of Thy oneness, whose eyes were gladdened by witnessing the signs of Thy unity, who gathered beneath the banner of Thy uniqueness, who was attracted by the sweet fragrances of Thy holiness, who was set ablaze with the fire of Thy love, who remembered Thee in the depths of darkest nights, who served Thee and prostrated himself upon the dusty earth in thanksgiving for Thy bounties and blessings, until he returned unto Thee and sought the gate of Thy mercy and came before Thee.

O Lord! Forgive him and accept his repentance and pardon him and cause him to enter the gardens of Thy mercy and grant him the gift of meeting Thee. Verily Thou art the Pardoner, the Forgiving, the Merciful, the Generous, the All-Merciful.

Though sins be countless, yet Thou art the Forgiver, and though ignorance be endless, yet Thou art the Teacher. Therefore, teach Thy servants that which leads to forgiveness, and forgive them. Thou art the Bestower, the Kind One.

O my God! O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of gifts, dispeller of afflictions!

Verily, I beseech Thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned the physical garment and have ascended to the spiritual world.

O my Lord! Purify them from trespasses, dispel their sorrows, and change their darkness into light. Cause them to enter the garden of happiness, cleanse them with the most pure water, and grant them to behold Thy splendors on the loftiest mount.

O Lord, O Thou Whose mercy hath encompassed all, Whose forgiveness is transcendent, Whose bounty is sublime, Whose pardon and generosity are all-embracing, and the lights of Whose forgiveness are diffused throughout the world!

Bestow upon them Thine infinite mercy and grant them Thy boundless pardon. Make them the signs of Thy forgiveness and the manifestations of Thy forbearance and bounty. Verily Thou art the Bestower, the Loving, the One Who forgiveth the sins of men.

O Forgiving One! Grant them Thy forgiveness. O All-Loving One! Bestow upon them Thy tender care. O All-Sufficing One! Give them Thy bounty and be their comforter and companion. Thou art the Pardoner, the Resplendent, the Bestower, the Lord of Strength.

Forgive their errors, bestow Thy gifts, make them manifestations of forgiveness and include them in Thy pardon and favor. Thou art the Forgiver, the Bestower, the Kind One.

Though we are base and sinful, Thou art noble and forgiving. Look not upon our capacity and worthiness, and consider not our qualities and capabilities. Rather, gaze with Thy grace and generosity upon stranger and kin alike.

Suffer me to turn my face toward the countenance of Thy generosity and to be entirely devoted to Thee, O Thou Who art merciful and compassionate!

To those that stand fast and firm in Thy Covenant Thou, verily, art gracious and generous.

Thou hast favoured this feeble servant with Thine infinite blessings, and led this hapless and lowly one unto the Threshold of Thy oneness. Thou hast lifted to these parched lips the living waters of Thy loving-kindness and revived this weary and withered soul with the breezes of divine mercy.

The blessings of Baha'u'llah are a shoreless sea, and even life everlasting is only a dewdrop therefrom. The waves of that sea are continually lapping against the hearts of the friends, and from those waves there come intimations of the spirit and ardent pulsings of the soul, until the heart giveth way, and willing or not, turneth humbly in prayer unto the Kingdom of the Lord.

As Thou didst bestow former mercy, grant subsequent forgiveness. As Thou didst provide assistance and favor at the beginning of life, freely give nurture and forgiveness and pardon at the end.

However, O my Beloved and my Goal, Thy generosity has made me bold and Thy forgiveness has increased my audacity. Now with the fingers of hope I cling to the hem of the robe of Thy bounty and with a hundred thousand tongues I entreat Thee: Do not deprive me from Thy door and forbid me not from the Kawthar of Thy grace. Forgive my sins through Thy favor and conceal my faults through Thy protection.

Verily thy Lord is the All-Merciful unto the peoples of all worlds, the Compassionate unto all creation, the Forgiving unto the concourse of names, and the Kind unto all who dwell on earth and in heaven.

O My Name "The All-Forgiving" [al-Ghaffar]! Give thanks to thy Lord, the All-Forgiving, for by His name "The All-Forgiving" He hath forgiven the sins of all the worlds, and verily He is the One Who chooseth, in the beginning and in the end.

O My Name! By My glory and grandeur and majesty: at the moment when I gaze upon thee, I see no one possessed of sin upon the face of the earth. Know this and conceal it.

O Yari! Hearken unto the eternal Call of God. Say: O my God, my God! I beseech Thee by the Pen which hath attained unto Thy finger, and by the Leaf which hath been honored through Thy Word, and by the ink which Thou hast made to be the Kawthar of life for all who are in the realm of being, and by the efficacy of Thy command and the potency of Thy will, that Thou wilt make me content with Thy good pleasure, patient in the days of affliction, and thankful for Thy bounty. O Creator of all things! Thou art He Whose ocean of generosity hath not been stayed by the rebellion of Thy servants, nor hath Thy mercy been withheld by the heedlessness of Thy creatures. There is no God but Thee, the All-Mighty, the All-Bountiful.

Thou art He Who from everlasting hath succored whosoever hath sought Thee, and bountifully favored him who hath asked Thee.

No God is there beside Thee, the Mighty, the Ever-Abiding, the All-Bounteous, the Most Generous.

I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast the cord of Thy loving-kindness, and clung to the hem of Thy mercy and favors.

Cast not out, I entreat Thee, O my Lord, them that have sought Thee, and turn not away such as have directed their steps towards Thee, and deprive not of Thy grace all that love Thee. Thou art He, O my Lord, Who hath called Himself the God of Mercy, the Most Compassionate. Have mercy, then, upon Thy handmaiden who hath sought Thy shelter, and set her face towards Thee. Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Cast me not as one disappointed out of Thy door, O my God, and withhold not from me Thy grace, for Thee alone do I seek. No God is there beside Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Bountiful.

If Thou ceasest to be merciful unto Thy servants, who, then, will show mercy unto them; and if Thou refusest to succor Thy loved ones, who is there that can succor them?

Lauded be Thy name, O my God and the God of all things, my Glory and the Glory of all things, my Desire and the Desire of all things, my Strength and the Strength of all things, my King and the King of all things, my Possessor and the Possessor of all things, my Aim and the Aim of all things, my Mover and the Mover of all things! Suffer me not, I implore Thee, to be kept back from the ocean of Thy tender mercies, nor to be far removed from the shores of nearness to Thee.

Waft over him the sweet savours of Thy transcendent bounty and the fragrances of Thy holy bestowals. Enable him then to seek shelter beneath the shadow of Thy most exalted Name, O Thou Who holdest in Thy grasp the kingdom of names and attributes. Verily Thou art potent to do what Thou willest, and Thou art indeed the Mighty, the Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Gracious, the Generous, the Merciful.

I beseech Thee, by Thine own Self and by Him Whom Thou has appointed as the Manifestation of Thine own Being and Thy discriminating Word unto all that are in heaven and on earth, to gather together Thy servants beneath the shade of the Tree of Thy gracious providence. Help them, then, to partake of its fruits, to incline their ears to the rustling of its leaves, and to the sweetness of the voice of the Bird that chanteth upon its branches. Thou art, verily, the Help in Peril, the Inaccessible, the Almighty, the Most Bountiful.

O Thou in Whose grasp are all who are in Thy heavens and on Thine earth! Wouldst Thou turn them away, O my God, while Thou art the One Who calleth them? Wouldst Thou deny them while Thou art the Giver? Far be it from Thy great bounty, O Lord of the Day of Judgment! Thou, verily, art the Most Merciful of the merciful ones.

Have mercy, then, upon Thy servants by Thy grace and bounty, and suffer them not to be kept back from the shores of the ocean of Thy nearness. If Thou abandonest them, who is there to befriend them; and if Thou puttest them far from Thee, who is he that can favor them? They have none other Lord beside Thee, none to adore except Thyself. Deal Thou generously with them by Thy bountiful grace.

Thou, in truth, art the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.

I have laid hold on the handle of Thy grace, and clung to the cord of Thy tender mercy. Ordain for me the good things that are with Thee, and nourish me from the Table Thou didst send down out of the clouds of Thy bounty and the heaven of Thy favor.

Verily, thou art the Most Generous, the Lord of grace abounding. There is no other God but Thee, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Every bestowal emanates from Thee; every benediction is Thine.

Thou art mighty. Thou art powerful. Thou art the Giver, and Thou art the Ever-Bounteous.

Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Merciful. Thou art the Possessor of great bounty, and, verily, Thou art the Clement and the Gracious.

O Thou Who art the Lord of grace abounding! Let Thy celestial aid surround those who love Thee and bestow upon us the gifts and the bounties Thou dost possess. Be Thou sufficient unto us of all things, forgive our sins and have mercy upon us.

Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! I beg Thee to forgive me and those who support Thy Faith. Verily Thou art the sovereign Lord, the Forgiver, the Most Generous. O my God! Enable such servants of Thine as are deprived of knowledge to be admitted into Thy Cause; for once they learn of Thee, they bear witness to the truth of the Day of Judgment and do not dispute the revelations of Thy bounty. Send down upon them the tokens of Thy grace and grant them, wherever they reside, a liberal share of that which Thou hast ordained for the pious among Thy servants. Thou art in truth the Supreme Ruler, the All-Bounteous, the Most Benevolent.

O my God! Let the outpourings of Thy bounty and blessings descend upon homes whose inmates have embraced Thy Faith, as a token of Thy grace and as a mark of loving-kindness from Thy presence. Verily unsurpassed art Thou in granting forgiveness. Should Thy bounty be withheld from anyone, how could he be reckoned among the followers of the Faith in Thy Day?

Bless me, O my God, and those who will believe in Thy signs on the appointed Day, and such as cherish my love in their hearts-a love which Thou dost instill into them. Verily Thou art the Lord of righteousness, the Most Exalted.

Thy loving providence hath encompassed all created things in the heavens and on the earth, and Thy forgiveness hath surpassed the whole creation. Thine is sovereignty; in Thy hand are the Kingdoms of Creation and Revelation; in Thy right hand Thou holdest all created things and within Thy grasp are the assigned measures of forgiveness. Thou forgivest whomsoever among Thy servants Thou pleasest. Verily Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Loving.

I beseech Thee by such souls as are eagerly waiting at Thy gate and by those holy beings who have attained the court of Thy presence, to cast upon us the glances of Thy tender compassion and to regard us with the eye of Thy loving providence. Cause our souls to be enkindled with the fire of Thy tender affection and give us to drink of the living waters of Thy bounty.

O Thou Who art arrayed in majesty and grandeur, before Whose might all others tremble in fear! O my God! Through Thy Will the realities of all created things have been established, and by the sovereignty of Thy Purpose have all things been brought into being. Thou art He Who can neither be known nor confined, Who can neither be described nor perceived. Thy originating Will is the most powerful testimony to detachment, and Thy creative Purpose the most exalted proof of the impossible.

Thou hast ever been forgiving to those who turn to Thee, generous to those who glorify Thee, bountiful to those who sanctify Thee, bestowing to those who exalt Thee, gracious to those who magnify Thee, and beneficent to those who extol Thee. Forgiveness diminisheth Thee not, nor doth disobedience harm Thee.

Verily Thou wilt not deal with me except with what is best for me in Thy knowledge of all things. There is no might nor power except through Thee, and no mercy save from Thee. Therefore, O God, send Thy blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and inscribe the letter Ba in the third cycle of my life, for I shall surely testify to Thy unity after my certitude in Thy glorification.

Oh, trust in God! for His Bounty is everlasting, and in His Blessings, for they are superb. Oh! put your faith in the Almighty, for He faileth not and His goodness endureth for ever! His Sun giveth Light continually, and the Clouds of His Mercy are full of the Waters of Compassion with which He waters the hearts of all who trust in Him.

Catalogue reference: ABU0276 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

O Lord! We are sinners, but Thou art the Forgiver. We are submerged in the ocean of shortcomings, but Thou art the Pardoner, the Kind. Forgive our sins and bless us with Thine abundant grace. Grant us the privilege of beholding Thy Countenance, and give us the chalice of joy and bliss. We are captives of our own transgressions, and Thou art the King of bountiful favours. We are drowned in a sea of iniquities, and Thou art the Lord of infinite mercy.

Catalogue reference: AB00728 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.