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Prayer at the beginning of the day

prayer for morning

8 selections · 8 reading entries · Current subject view ↗

Editorial introduction

Before the day has made its claims, there is an hour that belongs to God. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes that one who remembers the All-Merciful at daybreak, with melodious voice, will find a new spirit and fresh confirmations, and He asks His friends to set their faces consciously toward the Kingdom at every dawn. The Báb gives a prayer of glorification to be said each morning, and another prayer remembers God at evening with those near Him and calls upon Him at dawn with the melodies of the sincere. To two daughters of a martyr, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá offers words for their morning praise; to others He sends a hope that the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh might surge like the sea. The psalmist, too, lifts his voice in the morning and waits in expectation [1]. Dawn prayer is a beginning that sets the course, and it opens into the wide world of prayer, in all its forms, that can sustain a whole life.

Selected passages

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01

Therefore, when thou art engaged at daybreak in the remembrance of the All-Merciful with the most melodious of tunes, thou wilt find a new spirit and witness fresh confirmations.

How beloved is awareness at dawn! How desirable is wakefulness at daybreak!

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1895 ca., to Ali son of Aqa Bayk (Urumiyyih) -- AB10088)
02

O servant of God! At the break of every morn, set thy face consciously toward the Kingdom of God, and humbly offer this supplication:

Thou beareth witness, O my God, that I desire to behold Thy lights and long to apprehend Thy mysteries.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Servant of Navvab Vala -- AB09214)

The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.

03

In the evening, O my God, I remember Thee with the hosts of those near unto Thee, and at dawn I call upon Thee, O my Hope, with the melodies of the sincere ones.

(Bahá’u’lláh, 1297-11-12 [1880-Oct-16], to Abdu'l-Ali -- BH10336)
04

Strive with all thy power in prayers and communions at the hour of dawn to increase thine alertness day by day, to strip away the misgivings that veil the people of doubt and lead them towards the Most Great Guide with the potent knowledge of God so that like unto a candle thou mayest illuminate every meeting with the light of recognition.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Aqa Abbas Kazurani -- AB09240)
05

This is the prayer of glorification which you should recite in the morning, that you may believe in what God hath revealed.

(The Báb -- BB00422)
06

And Thou hast commanded all to recite it at dawn, that none among those endowed with vision might be debarred therefrom.

(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Munajat, 1290 [1873] or earlier -- BH07650)
07

O two daughters of that martyr in the path of God! When at dawn you raise your voices in praise of the All-Merciful Lord, say:

O Lord! O Forgiver! Through Your grace and 'He singles out for His mercy whomsoever He pleases', You made these two handmaidens related to that dear one of the Egypt of martyrdom and placed the crown of glory upon their heads. Therefore, O Kind God, keep us firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament that we may become the cause of his joy and delight.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Daughters of Mulla Ali -- AB09359)
08

At every instant, I beg for you assistance, bounty, and a fresh favor and blessing, so that the confirmations of Baha'u'llah may, like unto the sea, be constantly surging, the lights of the Sun of Truth may shine upon you all and that ye may be confirmed in service, may become the manifestations of bounty and that each one of you may, at dawn, turn unto the Holy Land and may experience spiritual emotions with all intensity.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Nov-12, to Spiritual Assembly of Santa Paula, CA -- AB06162)

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For thought and discussion

Questions to carry forward

  1. What might change when the beginning of a day is understood as an opportunity for renewal?
  2. How do the different prayers and personal counsels enlarge our understanding of a shared devotional practice?
  3. How could an intention formed at dawn become visible in the way we respond to someone later in the day?
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