thankfulness; gratitude
Editorial introduction
Thankfulness, in the Bahá’í writings, begins with a confession of defeat: were every atom of the universe to become a tongue, it could not render thanks for a single moment’s bounty. Yet that very inadequacy is where devotion starts, for existence, guidance and the ability to give thanks at all are gifts, and recognising them unsettles any pride in what we think we have earned. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá distinguishes a thanks of words from a thanks of the heart, and both from the thanks that shows in deeds: good work, generosity, kindness to every creature. Gratitude then moves outward into relationships, to teachers and parents, to a friend who sends bread, to a son who is a credit to his family, and it does not exclude honest advice. Its hardest ground is sorrow. Bahá’u’lláh gives thanks from within prison, and letters to the bereaved hold lament and thanksgiving together without pretending that grief is gone. Following this thread leads naturally into the nature of grace and bounty, into praise and encouragement between people, into contentment and the meaning of tests and trials, and finally into prayer, where even the capacity to be grateful is asked for as a gift.
"The bounty of God is manifest and evident from the effulgences of the lights of His words. His grace has encompassed all, His mercy has preceded, and His loving-kindness has surrounded all. Can anyone truly thank Him as He deserves to be thanked, or praise Him as He deserves to be praised? The very act of thanksgiving requires thanksgiving, for the enabling grace of gratitude is from Him, and likewise praise.
If you were to live for thousands of years and open thousands of tongues in thanksgiving for this supreme gift, you would certainly fall short of adequate gratitude, for gratitude has an end while this bounty is endless.
O thankful servant of the Forgiving Lord!
His bestowals are infinite and His favors endless. His compassion encompasses all and His mercy is spread throughout the earth. His light is radiant and His luminary is brilliant. Among His favors are faith, certitude and spiritual knowledge.
How then can one adequately render thanks for this boundless bestowal except according to human capacity and the measure of one's power of speech and utterance, like pearls and gems? Therefore, offer thanks to the extent of your ability.
Were the bounties of God and the signs that evidence His outward favor to reveal their true stations, man would observe with clear certainty that even if all the atoms of the universe were to become tongues and attempt to render thanks for His bounties bestowed in but a single moment, they would fail to do so.
O Ardeshir! Praise be to God that from all directions unlimited divine confirmations are evident and heavenly favors have encompassed the Persians. They must appreciate this and show gratitude.
… Therefore now they must show gratitude.
Say: Verily God hath created in every soul the love of Him Whom God shall make manifest [...] Is there anyone who loveth not God his Lord? Say: Glory be to God! All glory in the love of God. Say: Verily your remembrance of God your Lord is glory for your souls - will ye not then be grateful? And if ye remember not God, or if ye do remember Him, it is all one in God's sight. But at such time as ye make mention of this, ye are honored in the sight of God and in the sight of those endowed with knowledge.
In truth, one is bewildered as to how to render thanks and in what manner to fulfill this duty. Were all things, the particles of the world of creation, the drops of the seas, and the leaves of the trees to become tongues, they would fall short, and this servant, with utmost lowliness, hath offered and continueth to offer thanks before that Beloved One, and since permission hath been granted, it is surely adorned with acceptance and illumined with the light of grace.
Know thou the worth of these days and be thankful in all circumstances, because He hath confirmed thee and conferred upon thee a portion from the Chalice of His recognition.
All that is in the world does not equal this station.
Therefore appreciate the value of this Most Great Bestowal, ineffable Grace, manifest Favor and a Bounty unto all the inhabitants of the world;- so that through this appreciation and thankfulness the Mercy of the Peerless Lord be increased, the Ancient Grace revealed in the hearts and souls and the spiritual Outpouring be vouchsafed.
Loose your tongues, then, in gratitude for the bounties of the Creator and say: 'O Divine Providence! Praised be unto Thee for Thou hast led these abandoned ones unto the tabernacle of Thy bestowals and these indigent ones to the treasury of Thy bounties and these lowly ones unto Thine ancient grandeur. All praise and thanks be unto Thee, O Divine Providence.
Knowing this and fearing I may grow negligent and fail to appreciate thy bounty and love, I come here each night to pray God that I shall ever remain grateful to thee for thy goodness, bringing with me my old peasant clothes, which I put on, and then sleep in the humble bed in which I slept when thy love and mercy first lifted me up from my lowly state. Thus am I taught gratitude and appreciation of thy loving kindness.'
Give thanks, and again give thanks, in thy heart and in thine essence, at every morn and eventide. Take heed lest thou grieve over aught, but rather rejoice in the joy of God, the Mighty, the Powerful.
Therefore, with thy outward tongue and inner heart's emotions, open thy lips in thanksgiving for the divine favors, that thou hast been honored with such a robe of glory and become independent of all save Him through such a bounty.
At every breath offer a thousand thanks that without drinking at night or the sound of harp and music, you have found the intoxication of the wine of guidance and attained the utmost joy and delight.
Therefore, give thanks unto God that ye have received your portion and share from this cup of joy, and through the radiance of divine glad-tidings the darkness of gloom hath been wholly dispelled.
He replied emphatically, "Think not of yourselves, but think of the Bounty of God. This will always make you happy."
O My handmaidens! Give thanks unto God for having enabled you to recognize the Manifestation of His Self, when He appeared in truth from the presence of One mighty and powerful.
He hath sent the Messengers and revealed the Books as a token of His grace, yet most of the people render not thanks. They deny the favor of God even as the idolatrous servants denied it before.
Now ponder upon the grace and bounty and mercy of God - exalted be His glory - and with thy outward and inward tongue utter the blessed words "Thine is the praise, O Thou Who art the Beloved of the worlds" and be thou ever mindful thereof.
How can we render thanks that He brought us into being from nothingness, bestowed the spirit of existence upon us when we were utter void, granted us divine manifestation when we were sheer nothingness, guided us to the fountain of life when we were thirsting, clothed us in the garment of "Blessed be God, the Best of Creators" when we were naked, gave us direction when we were wandering, led us to His shelter when we were lost, granted seeing eyes when we were blind, bestowed hearing when we were deaf, gave us eternal life when we were dead, and granted spiritual freshness and grace when we were withered.
Give thanks to the Lord, the Glorious One, that in this ancient Age you have been gathered beneath the shade of the Noble Lord and have been immersed in the ocean of forgiveness.
But now, to the contrary, they have arisen in complaint and risen in opposition, thereby diminishing their own worth - except for those people who have opened their eyes and ears of understanding and adorned their gathering with worship of the Lord of creation.
Praise and render thanks, that thou mayest become the manifestation of "If ye give thanks, I will give you more" and the dawning-place of "O Lord, increase my knowledge!"
But thou, O thou whose eyes have been solaced by witnessing the lights, whose breast hath been dilated through perceiving the signs, whose spirit hath been gladdened by the sweet fragrances of the flowers, and whose heart hath been revived by the breezes of dawn - render thanks unto thy Lord for having strengthened thee on the day of effulgence and the day of separation, at the daybreak of lights and the eventide of concealment.
When that lamp is ignited, the globe becometh illumined and the physical niche also becomes full of light and brilliance. Therefore give thanks unto God that this luminous flame and this merciful ray hath been kindled within the niche of thy physical temple and the glass globe of thy spiritual heart.
O sapling of the garden of the love of God! Give thanks unto God that thou hast sprouted by the stream of divine favors, and grown in the rose-garden of the love of God, and drunk from the fountain of life, and like the free cypress tree hast flourished in this garden. Therefore, like unto the nightingale at dawn, raise thy voice in thanksgiving for this bounty in the garden of praise.
Give thanks to God that, mirror-like, thou didst turn toward the Luminary of the Supreme Concourse and didst receive a portion of the Most Great Guidance.
It is incumbent to offer praise and thanksgiving with grateful tongue at the Threshold of His Holiness the One God, for praise be to Him, guidance to the path of salvation and direction to the way of truth has been attained. This is a divine gift and an overwhelming, enduring grace and abundant blessing.
In response to this mercy, gratitude is necessary, recognition is necessary, acknowledgment is necessary, certitude and assurance are necessary.
In thanksgiving for this supreme guidance, begin a melody and strike up a tune.
O sons and daughters of the heavenly Kingdom! Be thankful to God that the heavenly Father bestows such extraordinary kindness upon you.
If we could appreciate more the bounties of this age, and the marvels of this century we would be more thankful to God than ever.
… God has opened the doors of many inconceivable bounties to the people of this age but many are thoughtless and never think to thank the Maker for them.
One day I saw him take bread from under his arm - first he would look at each piece of bread, then smile, then thank God, and put it in his mouth.
With all these favors, gifts and bounties, each of which requires a hundred thousand thanks, how can one tongue suffice and fulfill its gratitude? Thus it is proven by demonstration: the impotence of servants and the admission of inadequacy. Every fair-minded one bears witness to what has been mentioned.
We eat and give thanks unto our Lord, the Mighty, the All-Praised.
… And how many were the days when diverse bounties were present before Us, and We were grateful in both conditions, if ye but recognize.
Glory be to God! How can we helpless handmaidens arise to praise and glorify the Lord of verses and the Sovereign of all manifestations, or render thanks for His blessings? Perfect indeed is this utterance: "We cannot offer fitting praise to Thee." Even with all the cherubim of the celestial realm, which tongue is worthy to offer praise and glory, and which being is capable of defining and enumerating?
Give thanks to the Ancient Lord that thou hast turned to the Dawning-Place of His Cause and drunk the water of His love. Guard this station as thou wouldst guard thine eye, for it will accompany thee in all the worlds, while all else, even if it be all the treasures of the world, will perish and come to naught. Therefore give thanks unto thy Lord for this supreme bounty and say: "Praise be to Thee, O God of all worlds and Goal of the hearts of them that are near unto Thee!"
Thus hath the Pen spoken by command of the Ancient King, that thou mightest render thanks unto thy Lord at eventide and at dawn.
When thou hast quaffed the choice wine of utterance from the cup of the bounty of thy Lord, the Most Merciful, then render thanks and say: "Thine is the bounty, O Possessor of Names, and Thine is the grace, O Thou through Whom every mighty cause hath appeared!"
The glance of God's favors hath ever been and is directed towards each one of you. Therefore give thanks unto thy Lord, then praise Him and say: praise be to Thee, O Thou the Goal of the worlds!
Verbal thanksgiving is fruitless. Thanksgiving is rendered in two effective ways. First, through the realization of spiritual susceptibilities which illumine the courts of the hearts with the bright stars of happiness and rejoice the heart by the glad-tidings of the Merciful. Second, through deeds, i.e. living in accord with the good pleasure of the Lord; adorning our being with his heavenly attributes and trying to alleviate the suffering and misery of mankind.
Know thou the bounty of thy Lord, then thank Him at all times and say: Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.
To render thanks therefore for this supernal grace of the all-glorious Lord, the people of Iran must evince such characteristics and perfections amongst the peoples of the world as to adorn and embellish the body of humanity, and to wear befittingly the divine mantle that hath been placed upon their shoulders.
My heart is in a continual state of thanksgiving, and so often those accustomed to this form say the words with the lips merely, and their hearts are far from being in a state of thanksgiving.
In all conditions we must offer praise and thanksgiving to God, glorified be His majesty, for He hath, from the ocean of generosity and the heaven of bounty, adorned His loved ones amidst the peoples with the ornament of trustworthiness, truthfulness and sincerity, and guided them to the straight path - that is, the most upright path - that is, the most firm, clear and strong path.
O faithful servants of the Blessed Beauty! Give thanks to God that each of you is a partner and associate of 'Abdu'l-Baha in service and servitude at the Sacred Threshold.
All that has been created is for man who is at the apex of creation and who must be thankful for the divine bestowals, so that through his gratitude he may learn to understand life as a divine benefit.
Therefore, distinction, honor and benevolence toward humanity lie in educating orphaned children and the children of the poor and weak, for such children will always remain grateful and appreciative of their benefactors, and will be more content and thankful, unlike children who consider themselves entitled heirs and see their parents as obligated to educate them - they are not as appreciative nor as eager to learn and grateful to their teachers as other children without guardians become.
Now we must appreciate these bounties of the Blessed Beauty and arise in servitude in gratitude, for He has aided and protected us in the realm of earth and heaven, and guided and assisted us."
Give thanks at all times that separation has been changed to union, remoteness to nearness, and that you have attained the recognition of God in days when most are veiled.
If thou shouldst spend thy entire life offering thanks to the Ancient Lord in all the languages of the peoples of the world, thou wouldst not fulfill its due.
That which hath flowed from the Most Exalted Pen shall benefit such souls as act upon it and accept it. This is what God hath testified to in His gracious Book. With a hundred thousand tongues be thou grateful to the Beloved of all creation, for He hath guided thee and granted thee a portion from His ocean of love.
Praise thou the Best-Beloved of the worlds that thou hast been named by this name. However, for servitude there are certain conditions. The first is that thou shouldst manifest spiritual qualities among all people, that all may find and observe in thee the signs of servitude and servanthood. If thou takest pride in this name, be thou of them that render thanks.
Therefore, in thankfulness for this supreme blessing and gift, move in accordance with the qualities and attributes of the Ancient Beauty, so that the holy lights of the Cause of God may illumine all horizons.
O thou who gazeth upon the Abha Kingdom!
As in this new age and glorious century of the Lord thou hast been gathered beneath the banner of praise, and hast arrived at the eternal fountain of life, and hast entered the true paradise, and hast been nourished by the fruits of the tree of knowledge, and hast inhaled the breeze of favor from the source of bounty - in gratitude for this grace and bestowal and gift and forgiveness, be thou filled with joy and gladness, and with yearning and enthusiasm.
Therefore, in gratitude for these favors, gird up the lobes of effort and strive with firm resolve to serve the Cause of God.
Therefore, ye must open your tongues in constant thanksgiving, that the tree of being may yield fruit and the promise "If ye show gratitude, I shall surely increase you" may be fulfilled.
Be grateful, be content, be happy! This is mercy, this is compassion, this is a gift! In thanksgiving for this unique bounty, be joyous, seek success, show kindness, manifest goodwill.
Therefore strive to become truly proficient in medicine and surgery to the extent possible, and this is what is hoped for if the aforementioned praiseworthy Prince agrees to it in keeping with the kindness he has shown you. Forget not the grace between you, for whoever performs a good deed shall have tenfold the like thereof.
And in gratitude for this bounty, which is an effect of the grace of His Holiness the One, you must arise to obey the divine commands and ordinances.
Therefore, such a gift deserves thanksgiving.
To offer sufficient thanksgiving, it is necessary to live (according to) in accordance with the heavenly teachings.
Now the Fragrances of the Kingdom of Abha grant eternal life to the souls. These latter are divided into two kinds. The first are aware of these Divine blessings and thank Baha'u'llah for them; others are not aware.
Last night I couldn't sleep. I was sitting in the servant's quarters thinking. I saw what a gift God had bestowed upon us.
… And God has made this possible for us - what a mighty favor, what grace and what kindness He has shown.
A hundred thousand thanks and praise unto the Ancient Lord who has purified His loved ones from treachery and all that is unseemly.
This is the Day whereon the tongue of existence speaks: "O my Lord! Deny me not the rain-showers from the heaven of Thy bounty, and deprive me not of the effulgences of the Orb of Thy bestowal.
O Jalal! With a hundred thousand tongues must one render thanks to the Best-Beloved of the worlds, that He brought thee from nothingness into being and enabled thee to recognize the Manifestation of His Cause and the Dawning-Place of His Revelation, in a Day when most souls were observed to be deprived of the understanding of the Sun of inner meanings.
O thou who hast turned to God! Give thanks unto thy Lord for having turned unto thee when He was in the hands of the idolaters, and for having called thee through His grace and revealed unto thee clear verses that thou mayest be among the triumphant. When thou hast attained unto them, say: Praise be unto Thee, O Thou Who art the Beloved of the worlds!
Remember thou what We have counseled thee, then render thanks unto God Who created thee and sustained thee and aided thee to recognize His mighty Cause.
O divine maidservant! Your call was received and you too received the response. This is the station of thanksgiving and the time of praise.
Strive thou that in the days of God thou mayest act in a manner befitting and meet - that is, that ye may act according to that which hath been revealed in the Book of God and which causeth not the clamor of the people - so that the fragrance of holiness may be wafted from thee. This is what My Most Exalted Pen counseleth thee. Give thanks unto thy Lord, the Teacher, the All-Wise.
In such case, how can this evanescent one mention a blessing that appeared before him without any effort on his part and from which he partook? Even favorable mention would cause embarrassment, let alone anything else. I beseech God, exalted be His glory, to count these servants among the thankful ones.
These are natural properties hidden in it; but if these qualities were volitional there is no doubt everybody would have been made thankful.
This great sun which shines upon all phenomena and is the source of all life, no one is thankful to it, because it must shine, it is in its nature to shine. The rain falls upon the earth and causes vegetation, no one says Thank you; but if one person gives a cup of water to a thirsty soul he is thanked.
As I stood there I saw him putting his hand in his breast, taking out a piece of bread, looking at it with the utmost satisfaction and smile, raising his head toward the sky saying 'O God I thank Thee for this Thy Favor' and then eating it. He continued to do the same thing for every piece of bread he did put in his mouth with the utmost simplicity and trust.
Consider how dear is a father who, in this gathering, is intimately engaged in remembrance of thee and familiar with thy mention, and who begs from God that thou mayest be confirmed. At every moment thou shouldst offer a hundred thousand thanks that thou hast such a loving father and art confirmed in the grace and bounty of the Ancient Beauty.
You opened your tongues in thanksgiving for divine bounties and heavenly bestowals, and collectively offered praise and gratitude with utmost love.
Be thou grateful to Mrs True for having led thee to the Straight Path and guiding thee to the Kingdom of God. If thou shouldst thank her a thousand times an hour, thou wilt fail to thank her sufficiently for the attainment.
Thou seest us, O my God, gathered around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze set upon Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down upon us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. Thou art verily the Bestower, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Every mouthful that was taken in was followed by the short sentences "O God! I thank thee'! 'How delicious is this lunch!' till he finished.
You must thank God that He has opened the doors of the Kingdom to you and called you to the love of God and service to the unity of humanity. You have a father like Baha'u'llah whose bounty has encompassed all. Therefore you must thank God day and night that you have attained to such bounty.
You must bow down and prostrate day and night in thanksgiving for the bounties of the one God, that you have an accepted companion and beloved friend.
Be thou deeply thankful to thy teacher and show unto her heartfelt and spiritual gratitude, because it was she who caused thee to hear the divine call and it was through her that thou didst attain to eternal grace.
Therefore, in gratitude for this gift, continuously increase in love and devotion, and establish strong bonds and attachments with each other until you attain the station of one soul and do not draw a single breath without each other's good pleasure.
Every son who does not become a cause of glory for his parents is a manifest loss. How many children turn out to be fruitless and unfaithful! Therefore render thanksgiving unto the Lord for thou hast such a kind and skilful son.
Say: Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Praise be unto Thee for having remembered me and adorned what I sent through contact with Thy mighty and luminous Temple. I beseech Thee by the waves of the ocean of Thy bounty and the mysteries of Thy Books and Tablets to assist me to perform such deeds as shall diffuse the fragrance of Thy good-pleasure.
Despair not of God's Spirit and His mercy. He hath made mention of thee in this Tablet that thy remembrance might endure amongst creation. Preserve thou this mighty station. Give thanks unto God for having caused the plant of joy to spring forth from the soil of sorrow.
Therefore, open your tongues in thanksgiving and sing with various melodies in these gardens.
… You are cherished and accepted servants at the threshold of God. It is incumbent to be engaged in thanksgiving.
Therefore give thanks to the Lord of Command that He granted you true brotherhood and did not cast you like the brothers of Joseph of Canaan into the well of envy, did not make you venture upon great injustice, and you did not sell that divine Moon of Egypt for a paltry price, did not tear your collars, and did not come weeping before the father.
… In any case, the point is that you should offer a hundred thousand thanks at every moment that you are kind brothers and brothers equal to life itself.
Know thou the value of such a mother and love her more day by day so that thou mayest become a thankful servant and a manifestor of the bounties of the Forgiving Lord.
Thank the Lord that thou art born of a father who is pure and a mother who is chaste and that thou hast been raised in the cradle of belief and certitude beneath the loving guidance of the Blessed Beauty, may my life be a sacrifice to His friends.
… Value its worth, therefore and show true gratitude for these infinite bestowals.
Supplicate God with utmost humility and entreaty that He may enable thee to arise in thankfulness for this bounty of theirs.
Thou shouldst be eternally grateful and obliged to those souls who were the means for thy guidance inasmuch as they bestowed heavenly life upon thee and caused thee to attain unto this resplendent world.
In all conditions we must mention God's bounties, observe His bestowals, and speak forth His praise and thanksgiving.
Therefore engage in thanksgiving so that all Parsees may receive illumination and obtain their portion and share of this bounty.
O descendants of His Holiness the Martyr and the late Haji Ali Khan! Give thanks to God that you are the descendants of these two honored ones.
How can we give thanks for the gift of this one true Lord and open our tongues in praise and gratitude before friend and stranger, except to confess our powerlessness and conclude our words with "Few of My servants are truly thankful."
At every moment thou must raise the melody of thanksgiving to the threshold of the Peerless King and cry out with heart and soul: "Our Lord!
Man must, under all conditions, be thankful to God, the One, for it is said in the blessed text: "If ye be thankful I will increase thee."
Therefore at every moment you must be a companion in gratitude to God, that He has aroused such affection in hearts and united all together.
We, praise be to God, are healthy and well in the shadow of divine providence, and thankful to God. In the mighty Qur'an, the Book of God, He says "If ye are thankful, I will add more (favors) unto you." Therefore we constantly open our tongue in thanksgiving and seek assistance and bounty from the spirituality of His Holiness Muhammad Mustafa the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), and pray for you.
O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God!
Be thou thankful and grateful to the favored maid-servant ..., for she became the cause of thy utmost joy and bliss; she delivered thee from the narrow way of doubts and imaginations and ushered thee into the delectable meadow of happiness and beatitude.
Be thou thankful to God for this and say: "Praise be to Thee, O my Most Exalted Beloved, for this supreme bounty and most excellent gift!"
O faithful brothers! Praise ye the Lord Most High, that ye are all intoxicated with the wine of the primordial covenant of the Beloved, and all hold cups in your hands at the feast of the love of God. Render thanks for this great bounty, that ye may become the manifestation of "If ye give thanks, I will give you more."
Therefore be thou thankful to her and serve her with all thy soul and heart, for she has become the motive of thy attachment to guidance.
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.
Whatever hardships thou didst endure in service to Hadrat-i-Munshi - this service is for the sake of truth, and this forbearance is in the path of the Absolute Beauty. Be thankful that thou wert enabled to serve one who is accepted at the Threshold of the All-Glorious.
O handmaid of God! Give thanks to God that your companion is noble, pure and radiant, and through his turning to God has an illumined countenance. This station deserves gratitude, and this guidance is a gift from the One God. I beseech God to assist you and I implore His glance of favor. And upon you be the Most Glorious Glory.
...The believers of God must be kind toward each other; if one commits a mistake the other must forgive. It is not at all befitting to refer their names to a court, and complain against each other. Nay, rather, they must sacrifice their lives for each other. They must loose their tongues in thanksgiving, and not in complaining. This is worthy of the people of Baha.
O relatives of the honored pilgrim, give thanks to God that this kind father remembered you in this rose garden and bowed his head in prostration at the threshold of the All-Merciful, beseeching abundant grace.
If you were to render a hundred thousand services every minute, you would not fulfill the obligation of gratitude for even one of these bounties.
Ye must be grateful with heart and soul for this guidance, whereby that blessed soul hath intoxicated those thirsting ones with a cup whose mixture is of camphor, and given them to drink from the fountain of certitude with the water of life. Were ye to render service throughout all your days, ye could not repay thanks for this bounty.
Such is the consideration given to a mere cup of coffee, yet mankind, having partaken of all these bounties, still proves faithless to God.
When thou hast been honored with My remembrance, give thanks unto thy Lord for having remembered thee in the prison and revealed verses unto thee. Remember thy wife on My behalf and say: Give thanks unto thy Lord for having attained unto His days and heard His call which hath been raised from this Station.
Thou didst hearken unto His mention and attained unto His recognition. Know thou the value of this great bounty and recognize the station of thy teacher. Verily He hath made mention of thee in this Tablet that thou mayest render thanks unto Him at eventide and at dawn. Know thou the worth of God's favor and speak forth His praise.
O thou who hast kindled the love of the friends for Thy presence and whose remembrance is celebrated at all times in the gathering of them that are sincere! I render thanks unto God for having made thee turn toward Him and for having rendered thee acceptable in the sight of His believing servants.
What elixir is greater than the remembrance of God, and what antidote more healing than the thought of God?
O seeker of truth!
Your letter was received and your gratitude became known. Gratitude attracts divine confirmation and draws forth the favors of the Glorious Lord.
O son of my love! Thou hast chanted verses of gratitude to thy Lord, for He hath called thee, guided thee, made firm thy footsteps, tested thee, graciously aided thee, sheltered thee, and healed thee. How excellent is the grateful servant for the praiseworthy bounty, eagerly drawn to the niche of light in this glorious age and blessed century, who hath attained the promised support and arrived at the anticipated rose garden.
The Pen of the Most High declareth: O My handmaiden and daughter of My handmaiden! Praise the Desire of the world that thou hast drunk from the Most Great Ocean and attained unto the love of the Ancient Beauty, and that in these days when the rain of mercy is descending, and the breezes from the garment of the All-Merciful are wafting, and the fruits of the divine Lote-Tree are appearing, and all creation is adorned and illumined with the ornament of the spring of the All-Merciful, thou wast not deprived but wast crowned with His remembrance.
Therefore, as a token of gratitude for this favour, and as a sign of praise and adoration for the source of so abundant a grace, arise ye in service to the Cause.
O true friends! At every moment I open my tongue in thanksgiving at the threshold of the Ancient Beauty, so that we may all share and partake in servitude at the Holy Threshold.
And verily you, O friends and trustees of God, give thanks to God for gathering you beneath His banner and perfecting His favor and blessings upon you, and pouring forth upon you the outpouring of His knowledge, and bringing you out of darkness and surrounding you with lights.
Therefore, in thanksgiving for this supreme grace, occupy thyself day and night with diffusing the divine fragrances, so that the hosts of inspiration may confirm thee and the lights of divine manifestations may shine forth.
It is incumbent upon us to be thankful for this great loving-kindness and these perfect overflowings of His bounty and be steadfast in His Covenant and Testament.
Render thanks unto God that He protected thee by His power, notwithstanding that the chiefs of the idolaters in every land had given orders to seize thee and that which thou didst bear from thy Lord.
Then render thanks to Him at all times for having made thee to know thyself and for having sent down unto thee a Tablet mighty and impregnable.
Give thanks unto thy Lord and say: "Praise be unto Thee for having made me to speak of Thy remembrance, to soar in the atmosphere of Thy love, and to gaze toward the horizon of Thy justice.
This is the Tablet of Ridvan which We have sent unto thee that thou mayest give thanks unto thy Lord at eventide and at dawn.
Beware lest thou forget God's favor upon thee; rather remember Him in the evening and at dawn.
Thou shouldst render thanks unto God, thy Creator, for having guided thee to a straight and mighty path, and aided thee with the truth, and delivered thee from the hosts of Satan.
You should open your tongues in thanksgiving to the one God that you arose to keep the Covenant and held fast to the hem of the Lord and became manifestations of endless favors.
Therefore, in thanksgiving for this great bounty and supreme triumph, you must advance day by day in the stations of certitude so that divine gifts may become fully manifest in luminous gatherings and the outpourings of the praiseworthy station may spring forth and flow from the essence of the heart.
In gratitude for this success, consider each day of teaching blessed with perfect enthusiasm and warmth, like Naw-Ruz day, so that the light of truth may illumine the world.
If such assurance is achieved, however and such blessed certitude attained by the grace of divine assistance, then one should thank God at all times both night and day. Be thou grateful, therefore that a glance from the loving providence of the All Merciful hath been cast upon thee and thou hast imbibed from the cup of assurance and hast drunk thy fill of the chalice of certitude.
O thou who hast turned thy face unto God! Give thanks unto God that He hath bestowed upon thee the power of insight whereby thou didst behold His most great signs, and granted thee the faculty of hearing whereby thou didst hearken unto His call.
O ye who are firm in the Covenant of the Self-Subsistent, Eternal God!
Praise God with glad faces, for the favors ye have received and for the gifts which have come successively to ye, for the mercy which has preceded ye, for the blessings which have been fulfilled, and for the gifts which have been assigned unto ye.
These servants should offer thanks and praise to the Lord of all beings at all times, for through His all-encompassing grace and pre-existent mercy He has confirmed us and blessed us with recognition of His sacred Being.
Glorify thou thy Lord with praise, then give thanks unto Him for this Tablet which hath shone forth from a horizon illumined by the light of His countenance.
Yet today are they numbered among those who cry out, as set down in the Book of God, the Lord of the Day of Judgement. Render thanks unto God for His grace and His loving-kindness, and for that which He hath sent down for thee---things that shall never come to an end, nor be subject to change---through the enduringness of His Most Excellent Names and His Most Exalted Attributes.
Remember thy Lord and forget not God's favor unto thee when He brought thee forth from thy mother's womb and nurtured thee through the hands of grace until He caused thee to recognize the Manifestation of His Self and made thee among those who have attained success, inscribed in the Tablet.
Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having made mention of me in the Most Great Prison. I testify that Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Generous.
Give mention from the True One to 'Ali-Akbar and give him glad tidings of the Most Great Horizon, that he may engage in thanksgiving to God with both his outer and inner tongue.
O My handmaidens! Remember your Lord at all times, and glorify this Name through which the Promise hath been fulfilled and the Promised One hath appeared.
Give thanks unto God for having aided thee and enabled thee to attain recognition, and for having sent down unto thee that which hath diffused the fragrance of loving-kindness and favors throughout all regions.
At all times thou shouldst be thankful unto the Divine Truth that He hath aided thee to make mention of Him and to praise Him, and enabled thee to recognize the Dayspring of His Cause and the Dawning-Place of His verses.
Render thanks unto thy Lord for having aided thee to recognize His Most Great Command and to hold fast unto this Momentous Announcement. Say: Praise be unto Thee, O God of the worlds!
Put thy trust in God and say: All praise be to God Who hath guided us by His light and made us to be of the doers of good. Be thankful unto thy Lord at all times and say: Glorified be He Who created all things by His command and guided His servants unto a mighty and righteous path.
O My handmaiden! Hearken unto the call of thy Lord from the direction of the Throne, then give thanks and prostrate thyself before Me, then remember and be devoutly obedient and be thou among the thankful women.
At all times did she loose her tongue in thanksgiving; at every moment did she cry "Praise be to God that He hath enabled me to outrun all other maidens in the arena of suffering!"
Yet he ceases not to thank You while drowning in trials and pain, and praises You whenever the footsteps of days press heavily upon him.
Verily, be thou engaged in all patience and tranquillity of spirit in giving praise and gratitude to the Living God, the Self-Subsisting.
Yet it behooves us to arise day and night in thanksgiving, for "If ye give thanks, I will surely increase you" is explicitly promised in God's Book. And thanksgiving consists in completely forgetting ourselves, remaining silent about our own mention, becoming utterly effaced and absolutely forgotten.
I am very, very grateful to your excellency; our gratitude is more than can be rendered by either speech or utterance.
However, such trials have befallen this servant that none hath the power to bear them - neither the heavens nor the earth, neither the Manifestations of the Divine Unity nor the Dawning-Places of Divine Singleness. O My handmaiden! Give thanks unto God that He hath concealed this from thee, for wert thou to become aware of it, thou wouldst surely lose all patience and composure. Yet despite all this, We remain patient and thankful, and are among the grateful ones.
He was always voicing his thanks, always saying, "Praise be to God that I have attained such favor and grace; that I have been separated from friend and stranger alike, and have taken refuge in this cave.
In short, as much as thou art able, give thanks unto God, for thankfulness in times of adversity is one of the characteristics of the near ones and an attribute of the sincere.
We give thanks unto God at all times - no decree hath prevented Us from the remembrance of God and His sovereignty.
O servant of Baha! Until now, the letters written to you personally would surely make a book, and those written through you would constitute volumes and scriptures. Despite this, do not complain - gratitude causes increase of bounties, and through thankfulness bounties increase.
O true friends of 'Abdu'l-Baha! Although the suffering, tribulation, injury, cruelty, persecution, and injustice inflicted by the enemies is relentless, nevertheless, praise be unto God, the friends there have shown forth steadfastness, fortitude, and long-suffering, nay even thankfulness.
Now you should thank God that He has granted you three such sons - one who, like 'Ali-Asghar (peace be upon him), while still a small child drank the cup of supreme martyrdom, and until now the hearts of those near the divine threshold burn in anguish at this oppression; and one who is a servant at the divine threshold and near to God's court; and another who is attracted to the divine fragrances. Especially since you are the mother of a martyr and the spouse of a martyr, know the value of this bounty and offer a thousand thanks in every moment.
'Yes, my Master,' the slave replied, 'it was bitter and unpleasant, but I have tasted so much sweetness from thy hand that one bitter melon was not worth mentioning.
Therefore you must be grateful and content that the storms and tempests of events have not scattered this sand to the wind; rather, in truth, it has gone in the path of God.
To be grateful for the blessings of God in time of want and trouble is necessary. In the abundance of blessings everyone can be grateful.
God willing, you must be grateful and content in all conditions. All people have claimed to love God, yet each was barred from the path of the All-Merciful by some test, for the Ancient Beauty hath never accepted any but the sincere, and trials and tests are like a sieve - that which is unacceptable passeth through it.
The purpose of this letter is to show gratitude to your excellency for having shown the greatest kindness and having delivered the petition.
Rather, she unloosed her tongue in thanksgiving to the one true God, saying, "Praised by God that I have been aided in bearing this calamity and confirmed in withstanding this affliction. This cup of poison, though full to the brim, is yet, through the love of the Friend, sweet and refreshing."
O My companion in prison! For We have been imprisoned in this prison even as thou hast been imprisoned in that prison; and this is from the decree of God, the Exalted, the Most Great. Do thou, then, give thanks unto God for what hath come upon thee, even as We give thanks unto God for what hath come upon Us; for verily We are in a state of manifest gratitude.
We are more grateful to you than can be estimated. The one God is witness that the tongues of these prisoners and confined ones are occupied night and day in praying for your excellency's life, felicity, and prosperity.
Behold then the loving-kindness of God and His sovereignty: He came for the salvation of the world, yet the people seized Him and imprisoned Him in this mighty fortress.
We give thanks to God in all conditions and call the people with supreme steadfastness to this mighty Cause.
Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for what hath befallen us in Thy path at the hands of the oppressors among Thy creatures. I thank Thee in all circumstances, for verily Thou art the Most High, the Most Exalted.
I thank Thee, O my God, for all of this with every truthful and mighty tongue. Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having made us the targets of Thy decree.
Be thou patient and grieve not over what hath befallen thee in My path. God hath ordained for thee and His handmaidens the reward of those who have attained His presence and beheld His beauty. He, verily, is the Protector of those who do good, the Lord of the beneficent.
Be thou thankful unto thy Lord in hardship and ease.
Praise be to God that the Truth exists, and verily He was and ever shall be nearer and more merciful. He is assuredly the Protector of patient women and patient men, of thankful women and thankful men.
Would that Baha had tongues to the number of all created things, that He might thank Thee, O my God, for what hath befallen Him in Thy path of the supreme affliction and the most great calamity. … I praise Thee in all conditions, O God of the worlds!
You must receive it with gratitude and arise in praise and supplication saying: "O pure Lord! You have deemed such a bounty worthy and bestowed such mercy freely, for this overflowing cup is so delicious that You reserved it for Your dear friends and not for those lacking wisdom and discernment, and You made this abundant portion specific to every noble master and not to every heedless and proud one.
… Be not sorrowful, be grateful.
If in every breath you offer a hundred thousand thanks, you still cannot fulfill the thanks for a single bounty. But according to your capacity you must guard this blessing and raise high the banner of "But as for thy Lord's blessing, declare it abroad," and show joy and gladness and manifest delight and pleasure.
Jenab-i-Aqa Muhammad-i-Nuqi must offer a hundred thousand thanksgivings in every breath that, like Christ, with a radiant and beautiful face, they mounted him on that animal and paraded him through the streets and bazaar for the sake of the Beloved. … Therefore Jenab-i-Aqa Muhammad must also sacrifice his life in gratitude for this bounty, be joyous, host the loved ones of God, and read this letter with the sweetest melody.
Therefore, do not be saddened by those hardships that have passed, but rather arise in thanksgiving that they led to the attainment of this supreme gift and arrival at this greatest bestowal of the Lord of Glory.
We hope that your trials and sufferings will henceforth be greatly lightened, for you have received more than your share and now it is our turn. It is not fair that you should take all the bounties for yourself - fairness is good too: when you drink wine, sprinkle a drop upon the earth.
O thou who art cheerful in heart, by the Fragrances of the Merciful!
Verily, I read the verses of thy thanksgiving unto God, for depositing in thy heart an eternal joy reviving thee by the breath of the Holy Spirit to everlasting life, [for having] cast upon thee the light of guidance and awakened thee by the breezes of His great mercy. Therefore, thank God for this. Verily, His bounty to thee is great, great!
O servant of God! At a time when trials and tribulations like ocean waves are surging from every direction, yet still engaged in thanksgiving to God, your letter arrived and your cry and lamentation was heard.
… We had hoped that someone like you, if afflicted with grinding poverty, would increase in joy and thanksgiving and give others the thread of patience and gratitude. Yet again it is as stated: "And few of My servants are grateful."
Therefore, O loving friend, be glad of the hardship and tribulation you have endured and render thanks, for enduring these tribulations is like sowing seeds, and the blessing of the harvest is certain and assured.
One who is grateful in trials is like the rarest of substances, and none except the sincere servants of the Blessed Beauty can achieve this bounty.
Be not troubled because of hardships and ordeals; turn unto God, bowing in humbleness and praying to Him, while bearing every ordeal, contented under all conditions and thankful in every difficulty. Verily thy Lord loveth His maidservants who are patient, believing and firm.
After a few minutes of silence he burst forth in glorious thanksgiving by saying:- O God! Who is richer than I? Hast thou not given me the heavenly Gift, the Gift of the guidance of God? That celestial Bestowal which thou didst not confer upon the Kings, Ministers, nobles, princes, philosophers and rich men, Thou hast bestowed it upon the son of man. Verily who is richer than me?
Praise be to God that the friends are more content than all others. Now all people are in hardship while the friends are at ease, yet they are not satisfied. Unlike before when people were all at ease while the friends were in tribulation and hardship, yet were thankful and grateful.
Every morning when I awoke I praised God there was another day to serve Him in His prison. Every night I thanked Him that He had permitted me to serve His Kingdom one more day in His prison. I was in a Turkish prison forty years but every day was a day of perfect joy.
O Lord! Thou art the Creator Who brought me into being before I was anything. O Lord! Thou art the Sustainer Who protected me before I entered any fortress. O Lord! Thou art the Omnipotent Who inspired me before I chose any glory. How can I thank Thee for the excellence of my trials while Thou art ever my Witness? And how can I praise Thee for the beauty of Thy decree concerning me?
They have expelled Us from that land even as they expelled Us the first time, and We are now in great thankfulness. By this We rejoice within Our souls and thank God, Our Creator, with a truthful, clear tongue.
Give thanks unto God for having attained unto His recognition at a time when all the world turned away from Him, though the people followed Him.
Yet in all this, and for all that hath come to pass or will come to pass, We render thanks unto God.
Praise be to God, the blessing of health remains, and still no relief has appeared, except that a royal decree has arrived expressing countless favors.
In these days this Wronged One is occupied with praise and thanksgiving to God, for He hath adorned the martyrs of the land of Ya with the crown of patience and the ornament of steadfastness, and aided them to hold fast unto that which was revealed and sent down in the Book from the Supreme Pen.
Say: We have offered up our spirits for God, the Lord of the worlds, and We beseech Him at every moment to accept from Us this lowly offering, and We thank Him for this and for all that He hath decreed for Us. Verily He is the Bestower, the Ordainer, the Gracious.
Give thanks unto thy Lord for this supreme gift and most exalted rank, then beseech Him to aid thee in preserving what thou hast been given from the presence of the Strong, the Ancient.
In all conditions We give thanks unto God, exalted be His glory, and We have been and are content with whatsoever hath befallen Us.
Beware lest thou forget the favour of thy Lord, then thank Him at all times, and this is better for thee than the dominion of the ancients.
Say: O people! Would ye banish a man for saying 'My Lord is God,' when he hath come to you with a clear proof that all who are in the heavens and earth are powerless to produce? Yet ye answered him not concerning his Cause and remained heedless of him until he departed from your lands with profound sorrow. By this were consumed the hearts of the pure maidens in their lofty chambers, and the eyes of the denizens of Paradise wept morn and eve. Yet do We thank God, Our Beloved, for all that hath befallen Us of wondrous and impregnable tribulations.
For this We give thanks unto God and make mention of Him in such wise that neither the hosts of the world nor the clamor of nations can prevent Us.
Give thanks unto God for having befallen thee that which befell His own Self. This is of His bounty unto thee, that thou mayest be of them that swim in the depths of glorification and thanksgiving.
Though tribulation hath weakened Me and affliction hath exhausted Me, My tongue beareth witness to God's grace and My limbs to His praise, yet most of the people remain heedless.
Render thanks unto thy Lord in all conditions and say: Praise be unto Thee, O Thou Who hast remembered me whilst I was in the clutches of the wicked ones.
Yet We do not complain of anything, rather We thank God for this and for all that He hath destined for Us from His presence.
O emigrant in the path of God! Give thanks that thou art included in the supreme affliction that hath befallen the Ancient Beauty and His loved ones, and art counted among the souls who have been touched by tribulation and adversity in the love of God.
Health takes precedence for the manifestation of bounty, and after bounty, thanksgiving becomes obligatory and praise becomes necessary. This is the station of servitude, and in the station of Truth, even if these thanks and praises were to appear from the beginning that has no beginning to the end that has no end, they would not be worthy of His threshold.
You have chosen a good title for the family. This indicates that you are arising in thanksgiving for divine favors, for gratitude is the cause of the increase of bounty.
Praise be to God that thou hast attained unto this most exalted Word, which the world and all that is therein cannot equal.
Praise the Wronged One of the world and say: My God, my God! Thou didst call me while I was sleeping, and didst awaken me while I was slumbering, and didst raise me up while I was sitting, and didst cause me to speak while I was silent, and didst move me while I was still, and didst teach me while I was ignorant.
God's bounties are innumerable, encompassing from every direction, and His grace is evident at all times. We beseech God to assist His loved ones, friends and servants to praise and thank Him. Who is able to thank Him as He deserveth to be thanked? Therefore He thanketh Himself with His own tongue, saying "Be thankful unto Me and I shall be thankful unto you."
Give thanks to the Sovereign of existence that He has accepted your deed and transformed your intention into the deed itself, accounting it as such.
O friends! We must be fair - in what cycle and in what age we are submerged in the sea of divine favors, why should we not be full of glad tidings? And we are reposing in the shade of the Divine Tree, why should we not be filled with joy? We have discovered the hidden treasure, why should we leave our purse empty?
Blessed is the soul that hath attained unto the Word of God - verily it is among the most exalted of creation in the Preserved Tablet. Beware lest the affairs of creation prevent thee from the Truth. Leave the dead and hold fast unto His Name, the Ever-Living, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting. Thus hath the tongue of the Wronged One spoken in prison that thou mayest thank Him at all times, at eventide and at dawn. When thou findest the fragrance of My utterance and attainest unto My Tablet, say: Praise be unto Thee, O Lord of eternity, and glory be unto Thee, O Sovereign of existence.
Know this - if you had presented all that is on earth with its precious gifts, it surely would not have been so acceptable. This servant is unable to reciprocate this gift, therefore I have entrusted compensation for this bounty to the Lord of creation.
This Wronged One offereth thanks on thy behalf, for thou hast attained unto that which hath no peer or likeness.
Wisdom lies in being grateful in all conditions, in delegating to Him and relying upon Him.
Render thanks unto the Desired One of all worlds that, through My Pen Most Exalted, thou hast been associated with one of His Names. Rejoice, then give thanks unto thy Lord, the Generous.
Preserve what hath been revealed unto thee at this time, then give thanks unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of the mighty Throne.
We have sent down unto thee this Tablet that thou mayest thank thy Lord with manifest humility.
Know the value of this most mighty, most exalted, most glorious station, and be in the utmost joy and delight in gratitude for this bounty. "Work, O family of David, in thanksgiving! But few of My servants are truly thankful."
O supplicating leaf! Give thanks to God that you have traversed thousands of leagues of distance until you reached the destination of your purpose and were blessed with the favors of the Mystery of Being.
O thou who art attracted to God! Give thanks to God that the true Reed-player breathed such a breath into that reed and produced such a melody.
Now, with a heart overflowing with the love of God, supplicate to God with all joy, and thank thou God for this guidance and this high gift.
O thou who hast visited the Holy Shrine! Praise be to God that thou hast adorned the temple of existence with the robe of the most great bounty, and hast placed upon thy head the crown of supreme guidance, and hast illumined thy brow with the light of the love of the Manifest Light, and hast made fragrant thy nostrils with the sweet savours of the Abha Paradise, and hast been blessed with pilgrimage to the spot round which circle the Cherubim. Now that thou art returning, thou must journey back with the utmost joy and gladness, and praise the Pure Lord, and open thy tongue in thanksgiving that thou hast been favored with such a bounty. And convey to all the friends the Most Glorious, Most Wondrous greetings from 'Abdu'l-Baha.
O thou who art esteemed and guarded!
Thank God for that by reason of which thy picture hath come into the court of holiness of perfumed breaths.
This utterance was in thy letter which the servant in attendance laid before Him - thy words: "Since the time I was dismissed from the honor of attaining Thy presence, no token of bounty hath been shown to this evanescent one." To speak thus in the face of the ocean of God's bounty was not and is not permissible. Even if thou wert to praise the Beloved of all creation with a hundred thousand tongues, it would still be little and insignificant compared to this supreme bounty and magnificent gift. The whole world was brought from the concealment of nothingness into being for this Day.
Thou hast ever been and art remembered before the Wronged One. Give thanks to the Peerless Beloved Who guided thee and taught thee the blessed Word of Unity. This is a great bounty and a mighty favor from God. Know thou its worth and recognize its station. Praise be to God Who caused thee to associate with one who possesses true unity and spiritual knowledge. Be thankful unto thy Lord for this supreme blessing and this greatest gift.
Praise be to God Who hath sent down from the heaven of bounty the table of utterance, and through it hath adorned the world and quickened the nations.
It behooveth every soul to be content with the decree of his Lord and to be of those who are thankful.
God willing, you must in all conditions speak in remembrance and praise of God, and hold fast to the cord of this mighty Cause. Verily He is with His servants who remember Him.
Hold fast to the cord of thy Lord's loving-kindness and say: "Praise be to Thee for having turned toward Thy handmaiden and remembered her in Thy prison with words, each letter of which hath effects in the kingdoms of the seen and unseen."
Most people remain veiled from the Beloved of the worlds and occupied with their own idle fancies and vain imaginings, but thou didst turn toward the Friend and didst enter the most holy court which is sanctified above the mention of what was and what will be, and with thine own ears didst hear the call of the divine Tree, and with thine own eyes didst witness the Dawning-Place of the voice. Know thou the value of this bounty and at all times occupy thyself with thanksgiving to the Lord of all beings.
No tongue is capable of rendering thanks for this station. Therefore thou must arise to that which is befitting and worthy.
Praise be to God, thou hast attained through His grace unto this eternal bounty, inasmuch as the Beloved of the world in the Most Great Prison is occupied with thy remembrance. This is of His grace which hath encompassed all the worlds. With the tongue of the soul, be thou grateful to the Beloved of all creation and render praise, for thou hast attained unto this bounty and art mentioned before the Throne.
It behooveth thee to render thanks unto God for this great bounty, with which all the treasures of the earth and all the repositories of knowledge cannot compare.
When thou attainest unto thy Lord's Book, render thanks unto Him with such thanksgiving as to attract thereby the denizens of Paradise.
Convey My greetings to thy wife and gladden her with the mention of her Lord, the Mighty, the Inaccessible. The favor of God sufficeth her. It behooveth her to thank her Lord morning and evening.
O handmaidens of God! When ye inhale the fragrance of My utterance, render thanks unto God Who hath come with the truth for the life of the world and hath sent down whatsoever He desired for His male and female servants at eventide and at dawn.
Give thanks to your Lord for this bounty, with which nothing that has been created on earth can compare, and say: Praise be unto Thee, O God of the worlds, Beloved of the mystics, and Goal of them that seek Thee!
Glorified be He Who hath sent forth the Messengers as a testimony that there is none other God but Him, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting!
Be thou thankful in all circumstances, then praise Him and say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having strengthened me and honored me and brought me into Thy noble presence.
Glory be unto Thee, O Lord of existence and Ruler of the seen and unseen! How can I thank Thee for the wonders of Thy favors, and with what tongue can I praise and glorify Thee for that which Thou hast bestowed upon Thy servants in the days of the manifestation of Thy beauty and the dawning of the sun of Thy majesty? By Thy glory, O Lord of mankind and Manifestation of the mysteries of divine decree! I see my tongue powerless to render thanks for even the least of Thy favors, how much less to offer praise and gratitude before the revelation of Thy grandeur and greatness.
Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having illumined my heart with the light of Thy knowledge, and shown me Thy path, and revealed unto me the Dawning-Place of Thy bounty, at a time when vain imaginings have blinded the eyes of Thy creation and Thy creatures.
How many splendors hast Thou bestowed upon me, yet I have not praised Thee as Thou deservest! How many majesties hast Thou conferred upon me, yet I have not thanked Thee as is Thy due! How many beauties hast Thou granted me, yet I have not extolled Thee as befitteth Thy praise!
I testify from the beginning that hath no beginning unto the end that hath no end that from Thee Thy blessings have been perfected and Thy bestowals completed, and Thou hast encompassed me with every good Thou hast ordained and every bounty Thou hast sent down upon me.
Say: O my God! Praise be unto Thee for having shown me Thy Beauty, honored me with Thy presence, caused me to hear Thy call, enabled me to soar in the atmosphere of nearness to Thee, and raised me to a station wherein I perceived the fragrant breezes of Thy most exalted Paradise and the sweet-scented perfumes of Thy supreme Heaven.
When thou art made victorious through the verses of thy Lord and findest the fragrance of His loving-kindness, say:
"My God, my God! Praise be unto Thee for having created me and provided for me and guided me to Thy most exalted horizon--the station wherein the Dawning-Place of Thy verses, the Manifestation of Thy clear tokens, and the Source of Thy commandments and ordinances doth speak.
Praise be unto Thee for having guided me to the horizon of Thy Cause after Thy servants were barred therefrom, and for having admitted me into the pavilion of Thy nearness and honored me with Thy presence after the forces of the heedless had seized the prison gate.
O Lord! Thanks be unto Thee, that Thou hast made these destitute ones to prosper, and guided these straying ones to the path of guidance. Thou hast delivered them from the darkness of error and granted them a portion and share of the outpourings of the light of Thy oneness. We were strangers -- Thou didst make us friends. We were without means -- Thou didst bestow upon us the greatest wealth. We were sick -- Thou didst heal us. We were captive -- Thou didst set us free. We were withered -- Thou didst make us fresh and verdant. We were frozen -- Thou didst make us into a world-consuming flame.
Therefore, confine thy thoughts to turning toward God and submission unto Him, and chant the verses of gratitude and praise for that by which He hath strengthened thee to attain this great gift.
...O Thou Who art free from every need! Praise be unto Thee, for Thou hast guided these wanderers to the highway of guidance, led these thirsty ones to the spring of bounty, and granted these helpless ones shelter beneath the shade of Thy Divine Word. Verily, Thou art the All-Bountiful.
I called upon my Lord again and again, saying: I render thanks unto Thee for having created me when I was nothing, and for having fashioned me to seek what Thou lovest and art well-pleased with. Deprive me not, by Thy right, from the manifestations of Thy Most Great, Most Exalted Revelation. For Thou art the Doer of what Thou willest, and the Ordainer of what Thou desirest for what Thou desirest. Know thou that God hath accepted thy gratitude, and by thy thanksgiving do the dwellers of the pavilions of eternity give thanks.
Praise be unto Thee, O my God, and thanks be unto Thee, O my God, for having awakened me when I was asleep, and guided me when I had turned away, and mentioned me when I was silent, and turned toward me from the direction of the Prison when I was hesitant, and taught me when I was ignorant, and made me aware when I was heedless.
O my God! All existence is bewildered in counting Thy bestowals, and the entire world wandereth in the wilderness of powerlessness and abasement in enumerating Thy gifts and blessings. Whensoever I turn to the right, I hear the confession of those who are bewildered, and whensoever I turn to the left, I witness powerlessness and poverty, perplexity and abasement.
When thou attainest unto it, say: Praise be unto Thee, O God of all men and Lord of the Kingdom of Names, for having remembered me and revealed unto me that which speaketh of Thy grace, Thy bounty, Thy generosity and Thy loving-kindness.
Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having strengthened me in a Cause at which the limbs of all names have trembled, and thanksgiving be unto Thee for having guided me to the Straight Path.
O child of tender years! Thy Lord invoketh, on thy behalf, His own Self, saying:
They maintain a state of gratitude and, amid the tempest of tribulation, raise the song of joy, and with bird-like melodies astound minds and consciousness.
Pour down the rain of mercy, set in motion the ocean of bounty, waft the breeze of providence and shed the light of favor, that each one may remain firm and steadfast as a mighty mountain upon this weighty and impregnable Covenant, may open their tongues in thanksgiving for Thy favors, and may each become a sign of Thy divine unity and a clear proof from the perspicuous Book.
O sacred leaf! Give thanks to God for having caused you to grow from this blessed Tree which is planted in the holy Mount, firm in its roots, lofty in its branches, verdant in its leaves, radiant in its flowers, ripe in its fruits, ablaze with the fire that is ignited, from whose crackling and roaring you hear the Call of God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. By God the True One, if you were to praise your Lord for all eternity, you would not have fulfilled the right of gratitude for this supreme gift and greatest mercy.
O Lord, remove from the horizon of my hopes the clouds of my troubles and sorrows, and light within the niche of my heart and the glass of my spirit the lamp of my hope and the light of my desires, that I may give thanks to Thee in my dawn and dusk hours and praise Thee in my night and day.
O my companions! How much must we give thanks that we have found the way to His sacred Threshold, that we have played the game of love, raised high the banner of divine passion, and built our nest and dwelling place at the Court of His Oneness.
I am he who, O my God, hath acknowledged and doth acknowledge the wonders of Thy bounty and the manifestations of Thy generosity and the expressions of Thy grace which have encompassed me from all directions in Thy days.
O my Lord! Praise be unto Thee for having manifested unto me Thy mighty Cause and Thy great announcement and for having given me to drink from the Kawthar of knowledge from the hands of Thy grace and bounty on a day wherein most of Thy servants and creatures were deprived therefrom.
Praise be to Thee, O Lord of Names, and unto Thee be glory and bestowal, O Creator of the heavens, for having caused me to hear and to see and for having honored me and drawn me nigh unto Thee on a day whereon the servants turned away from Thy Cause and disputed Thy signs and violated Thy covenant and Thy testament.
When thine eyes are consoled by beholding My traces and thou findest the fragrances of revelation from My Pen, say:
My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having turned toward Thy servant and for having accepted him who hath turned toward Thee. Thanks be to Thee for having caused me to hear Thy most sweet call from the shrill voice of Thy Most Exalted Pen, and for having acquainted me with the Dawning-Place of Thy verses, the Dayspring of Thy mysteries, the Treasury of Thy knowledge, and the Source of Thy commandments and ordinances.
Say: Praise be to Thee, O my God, for having guided me and given me to drink and taught me and shown me what was recorded in Thy Books and Scriptures and Tablets and Scrolls. I thank Thee, O my God, and praise Thee, O my Desire, for having sent down to me from the heaven of Thy bounty the table of knowledge and remembered me with that which will preserve my remembrance throughout the duration of Thy Kingdom.
Give thanks unto God, exalted be His glory, that through the love of one of His friends He guided thee and led thee to His straight path. Thank thy Lord for this great bounty and say:
"My God, my God! All praise be unto Thee for having strengthened me and enabled me while mankind was in manifest rejection.
Say:
Praise be unto Thee, O God of Names and Creator of heaven, for having strengthened me, and caused me to know Thee and to behold Thee, and made me hear Thy most sweet call which was raised from the prison of 'Akka.
Render thanks unto God for having mentioned thee and caused thee to know and hear, and made thee among those endowed with knowledge.
Say: My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having given me to drink, from the cup of Thy bounty, the living waters of Thy utterance, and for having made me to know the Dawning-Place of Thy verses and the Source of Thy clear tokens - He from Whose Pen has flowed the water of life throughout all creation.
Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having made known unto me and taught me and revealed unto me that which hath gladdened my heart and cheered my eyes and dilated my breast.
Say: Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having given me to drink from the Kawthar of utterance through the hands of Thy bounty and for having caused me to hear Thy most sweet call when most of Thy servants were prevented from hearkening unto it.
Glorify thy Lord and say: Praise be unto Thee for having given me to drink, from the hand of Thy bounty, the Kawthar of Thy knowledge.
Say: O my God, I praise Thee for having caused me to turn towards the horizon of Thy bounty, the heaven of Thy grace, and the ocean of Thy bestowals.
Art thou able to thank Him as befitteth? Say: No, by Thy sovereignty, except through Thy pure, holy, mighty and wondrous tongue.
Glorified art Thou, O my God and my Beloved! Thou seest my poverty and neediness amidst both the loved ones and the wayward. Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for Thy decree and ordainment, and thanks be unto Thee, O my Lord, for Thy direction and execution thereof. And we bear witness that Thou art the All-Bountiful in Thy deeds and the Sovereign in Thy dominion, and Thou art powerful over all things.
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
Give thanks unto thy Lord for this supreme bounty. Say: Praise be to Thee for having unveiled for me and rent asunder my veils and strengthened me to acknowledge Thy unity and taught me Thy Cause and guided me to Thy straight path.
Praise be to Thee, O Goal of the mystics!
He, verily, shall increase the reward of them that endure with patience. The virtues and attributes pertaining unto God are all evident and manifest, and have been mentioned and described in all the heavenly Books. Among them are trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity of heart while communing with God, forbearance, resignation to whatever the Almighty hath decreed, contentment with the things His Will hath provided, patience, nay, thankfulness in the midst of tribulation, and complete reliance, in all circumstances, upon Him. These rank, according to the estimate of God, among the highest and most laudable of all acts.
Thank God with all your hearts that such a privilege has been given unto you. For a life devoted to praise is not too long in which to thank God for such a favour.
For thought and discussion