Prayers for children: tenderness, growth, and the capacity to serve

Let him recite this prayer:

"O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful."

I am a child of tender years. Nourish me from the breast of Thy mercy, train me in the bosom of Thy love, educate me in the school of Thy guidance and develop me under the shadow of Thy bounty. Deliver me from darkness, make me a brilliant light; free me from unhappiness, make me a flower of the rose-garden; suffer me to become a servant of Thy threshold and confer upon me the disposition and nature of the righteous; make me a cause of bounty to the human world and crown my head with the diadem of eternal life.

O God! I am an innocent child. Guard me within shelter of Thy protection. Bestow Thine aid; vouchsafe Thy mercy; educate and train me; nourish me with Thy bounty; confer capacity, that I may become heavenly, divine, spiritual, and illumined. Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful, and the Gracious.

O handmaiden of God, Musette Jones, thou must pray at the Divine Threshold and say:

O Lord! I am a child; enable me to grow beneath the shadow of Thy loving-kindness. I am a tender plant; cause me to be nurtured through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy bounty. I am a sapling of the garden of love; make me into a fruitful tree.

O thou fresh sapling in the garden of divinity! Offer this prayer at the Threshold of divine unity: O God! Bestow Thy bounty upon me and vouchsafe Thy guidance. Nurture me and enable me to grow. Make me a daughter of the Kingdom and give me Thy grace from the realms on high. Make me spiritual, radiant and merciful. Make me a heavenly being, and free me from the world of nature that I may acquire knowledge of the world beyond, may attain new life, develop a merciful nature and disposition, spread the divine teachings, yearn for Thine eternal grace and seek divine bestowals.

O God, my God! We are children who have sucked the milk of divine knowledge from the breast of Thy love and have been admitted into Thy Kingdom while of tender age. We implore Thee in the daytime and in the night season saying: O Lord! Make firm our steps in Thy Faith, guard us within the stronghold of Thy protection, nourish us from Thy heavenly table, enable us to become signs of divine guidance and lamps aglow with upright conduct and aid us through the potency of the angels of Thy kingdom, O Thou Who art the Lord of glory and majesty! Verily Thou art the Bestower, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

O Kind Lord! We are destitute children and infants in utmost poverty and evanescence, yet we are the verdure beside Thy stream and the blossoming saplings of Thy springtime. Through the droplets of the cloud of mercy, bestow freshness, and through the warmth of the sun of bounty, grant growth and development. From the breeze of the gardens of realities confer delicacy, and in the rose-garden of knowledge make us trees laden with leaves and fruit. Make us brilliant stars in the horizon of eternal felicity and radiant lamps in the assemblage of the human world. O Lord! If Thou dost cherish us, each one shall become as a star of knowledge, but if Thou dost leave us to ourselves, we shall melt away and be overtaken by loss and damage. All that we are is from Thee and to Thy threshold do we turn for refuge. Thou art the Giver, the Bestower, the Powerful.

O Kind God! Though we are helpless children and weak infants, distressed and without direction, yet we are saplings of Thy garden and Thou art the Gardener.

O Peerless Lord! Be Thou a shelter for this poor child and a kind and forgiving Master unto this erring and unhappy soul. O Lord! Though we are but worthless plants, yet we belong to Thy garden of roses. Though saplings without leaves and blossoms, yet we are a part of Thine orchard. Nurture this plant then through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy tender mercy and quicken and refresh this sapling through the reviving breath of Thy spiritual springtime. Suffer him to become heedful, discerning and noble and grant that he may attain eternal life and abide in Thy Kingdom for evermore.

"O loving God! I am a young child, a suppliant, a captive. Be Thou my refuge, my support, my protector. I am in distress: give me the means of tranquillity. I am needy: bestow upon me the treasure of the Kingdom. I am dead: give me the Spirit of Life. I am weak: favor me with power and strength, so that I may be a maid-servant in Thy Threshold, with perfect purity and sanctity; sacrifice myself unto Thee, be quit of myself and seek Thee, walk in the path of Thy good pleasure, speak Thy secret and witness the signs of Thy Oneness wherever I look. O God! Make me ablaze, like unto the fire of Thy love, and make me free from attachment to this mortal world, until I find the peace of soul and the rest of conscience.

O my Lord! I dedicate that which is in my womb to Thee. Grant that this child may be praised in Thy Kingdom, may be blessed by Thy grace and bounty, and may grow and develop within the stronghold of Thine education.

Graciously grant that this infant be fed from the breast of Thy tender mercy and loving providence and be nourished with the fruit of Thy celestial trees. Suffer him not to be committed to the care of anyone save Thee, inasmuch as Thou, Thyself, through the potency of Thy sovereign will and power, didst create and call him into being.

O Thou peerless Lord! Let this suckling babe be nursed from the breast of Thy loving-kindness, guard it within the cradle of Thy safety and protection and grant that it be reared in the arms of Thy tender affection.

I beseech Thee, O Thou Who precedeth all bounties and Who showeth mercy unto all peoples, by Thy Most Great Name, to make the footsteps of this newborn blessed and a blessing from Thee.

O Lord! Make the newborn of Thy servant blessed and fortunate, and make him successful, prosperous, triumphant and the object of the glances of Thy merciful eyes and the recipient of Thy divine favors.

O believer in God! Your letter was received and read. May the new-born be blessed. Pray and supplicate and say: "O God! Make this child successful in faith and certitude, make him firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament, confirm him through Thine infinite bounty, make him a fruitful tree in the Abha Paradise, make him intelligent and wise, make him Thy needy one, and make him honored among strangers and kin."

O my Lord and my God! This is a child whom Thou hast brought forth from the loins of one of Thy servants, for whom Thou hast ordained a station among the stations in the tablets of Thy decree and the pages of Thy destiny. I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which every soul hath attained unto that which it desired, that Thou make him perfect among Thy servants, manifest through Thy Name, speaking forth Thy praise, turned toward Thy direction, and drawing nigh unto Thyself.

O Lord! This is a branch which hath grown from the tree of Thy mercy. Through Thy mercy and bounty, cause it to grow with a goodly growth, and make of it a fresh and tender shoot, verdant and flourishing, blossoming and bearing fruit through the outpouring of the clouds of Thy gifts. Gladden through him the eyes of his parents, O Thou Who givest to whomsoever Thou willest whatsoever Thou willest, and name him from Thy Kingdom "Shoghi," that he may yearn for Thy Kingdom and long for the realms of Thy mystery.

O Kind God! Make this new flower of the rose-garden of Thy love fresh and verdant through the dewdrops of Thy grace, and nurture this tender sapling of the garden of guidance through the education of the Divine Gardener.

O my Lord, assist this child to be developed in the garden of Thy love. Verily thou art the Merciful, the Clement, the Compassionate.

O Thou pure God! Let these saplings which have sprouted by the stream of Thy guidance become fresh and verdant through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy tender mercy; cause them to be stirred by the gentle winds wafting from the meads of Thy oneness and suffer them to be revived through the rays of the Sun of Reality, that they may continually grow and flourish, and burst into blossoms and fruit.

O Lord! Make these children excellent plants. Let them grow and develop in the Garden of Thy Covenant, and bestow freshness and beauty through the outpourings of the clouds of the Abha Kingdom.

O God, my God! Thou seest these children, branches of the tree of life and birds of the garden of salvation, pearls of the shell of Thy mercy, and roses of the bower of Thy guidance.

O Thou kind Lord! These lovely children are the handiwork of the fingers of Thy might and the wondrous signs of Thy greatness. O God! Protect these children, graciously assist them to be educated and enable them to render service to the world of humanity. O God! These children are pearls, cause them to be nurtured within the shell of Thy loving-kindness.

O Lord! Guard Thou the children that are born in Thy day, are nurtured at the breast of Thy love, and fostered in the bosom of Thy grace.

O Lord, they are verily young branches growing in the gardens of Thy knowledge, they are boughs budding in Thy groves of grace. Grant them a share of Thy generous gifts, make them to thrive and flourish in the rain that raineth from the clouds of Thy bestowal.

Therefore give thanks unto God saying: "O kind Lord! O Lord of Hosts! Thanks be unto Thee that Thou hast preferred these small children to the adults and elders and bestowed upon them Thy special favors. Thou hast guided them, conferred upon them illumination and granted them spirituality. Grant that when we reach maturity we may serve Thy Kingdom, become the cause of educating others, shine forth like unto candles and gleam like stars.

O my God, my God! Aid Thy trusted servants to establish schools and educational centers like mighty fortresses in every region and clime, so that children may be raised from their earliest days beneath Thy sheltering shade and be adorned with excellence of character, breadth of morals, and the effusion of illumination from Thy manifest light. O Lord, make these little ones great ones in Thy Kingdom, and these children lions roaring in the meadows of Thy guidance, and birds singing and cooing in the garden of Thy bestowals. Verily Thou art the Generous, Thou art the Mighty, Thou art the Merciful, the Compassionate.

O Lord! Through the vernal showers of Thy mercy, bestow freshness and beauty upon these saplings, and make them blossoms of knowledge and learning and verdant leaves of wisdom and sciences. Make this school of ours the envy of Paradise and a musk-diffusing rose-garden.

O Thou Kind Lord! These beloved children are created by Thy Mighty Hand. They are the signs of Thy Omnipotence. Confirm them in their lessons. Make them successful in their studies; - so that when they reach the age of maturity they may arise in the service of the world of humanity.

O Lord! Open before the faces of these children the doors of prosperity through Your kindness and favor, raise them to the heights of success through Your gift and blessing, expand their breasts with the light of knowledge, and make them firm in Your Covenant and Testament, O my All-Merciful Lord!

O God! Make this company of Baha'i children eternal and everlasting; bestow blessing and profit and make the members successful in excellent administration, in capacity, faithfulness and integrity; in order to preserve the right of the children and to act according to Thy instructions and to form an Assembly of the blessed people so that affairs be conducted by consultation and not like other companies to be short-lived.

O dear child! I hope that thou mayest become a son of the Kingdom and be the cause of giving life to hearts, and in the garden of faith and wisdom become a sapling of utmost delicacy and freshness.

I supplicate the Almighty that thou mayest be reared in the bosom of the love of God and attain maturity with utmost love and ecstasy.

We beseech God, exalted be His glory, to assist thee in the days of thy youth in that which causeth the elevation of being and the advancement of souls.

O Lord! This is a youth who has grown up in obedience to Thee and has nursed from the breast of Thy love from his tender years, and has developed in the embrace of Thy most special servants and been raised in the lap of Thy most dear bondsmen, and has reached maturity among those devoted to Thee. O Lord! Protect him in the shelter of Thy protection and assist him with Thy help and care, and expand his breast through the verses of Thy oneness, and make his affairs easy through the outpourings of Thy confirmation.

This is Thy young servant; nourish him from the breast of Thy loving-kindness, rear him in the cradle of Thy bounty and the embrace of Thy training, and guard him in the cave of Thy protection and the shelter of Thy preservation.

O my God, my Refuge, and Haven of those who turn to the Kingdom of Thy supreme sanctification! Thou seest me imploring at Thy exalted threshold and beseeching Thy holy Presence to guard and protect this small servant, the apple of the eye of Thy servant 'Andalib and a piece of his heart, within the shelter of Thy protection, and to rear him in the fortress of Thy providence and the bosom of Thy bounty. O Lord! Nourish him from the breast of Thy favors, and cause him to grow into a goodly plant through Thy grace, Thy generosity and Thy benevolence.

My God, my God! I take refuge at the gate of Thy mercy and favors, that Thou mayest guard these two noble children, who have been nursed at the breast of Thy love since their tender years, within the protection of Thy shelter from the accidents of night and the predators of day.

O my Lord! You have granted him daughters and bestowed upon him leaves. Therefore, preserve them in the cave of Your protection, O Lord of the earth and the heavens, and provide them with a garment that will protect them from the arrows of pain and shield them from the spearheads of tyranny.

O thou Glorious Lord!

Make thou this little maid-servant a brilliant-starred daughter of the Kingdom; endear her in the Threshold of Oneness and overflow her with the cup of Thy love, in order that she may raise the cries of joy and ecstasy and mix ambergris with musk.

This is a handmaiden among Thy handmaidens and a leaf from among the leaves of Thy tree of divine mercy, who hath grown from the Sadrih of Thy divine oneness.

I beseech Thee by Thy Most Exalted Word, which Thou hast made a sign of Thy oneness, to cause her to grow with a goodly growth, enable her to be nourished from the breast of Thy lordship, rear her in the cradle of the mercy of Thy oneness, nurture her in the fortress of Thy divine mercy, and name her from Thy Kingdom "Ruhiyyih," that she may be gladdened by the spirit of divine knowledge.

Then assist my son and daughter to remember and praise You and turn to You in all conditions. O Lord, aid them in Your love, make them know Your path, and make clear to them Your proof and evidence.

O my Lord! Grant to each one of Thy servants pure offspring and holy daughters with the signs of Thy oneness, that they may remember Thee and celebrate Thy praise with glorification, sanctification and exaltation, in exaltation of Thy Cause, in honor of Thy Word, in radiance of Thy light, and in proclamation of Thy manifestation.

I entreat Thee, moreover, O Lord of all being and Possessor of all things visible and invisible, to bestow upon me a righteous child who may make mention of Thee on Thine earth and sing Thy praise throughout Thy realms; this, notwithstanding that Thou hast, with this Tablet, made me rich enough to dispense with every fruit, trace, or mention.

Furthermore I beseech Thee, O Lord of the worlds and Educator of the nations, to ordain for me goodly offspring who will remember Thee among Thy creatures and aid Thee in Thy realm through wisdom and utterance.

Say: Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by the inheritors of Thy Kingdom and the guardians of the House of Thy Cause to ordain for me an heir who shall inherit from me through Thy bounty and favors.

Say: Glory be to Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which the ocean of Thy grace surged and the sun of loving-kindness and favors shone forth in Thy days, to make me among the women who have remained faithful to Thy Covenant and have held fast to the handle of Thy bounty. Then grant me, from Thy presence, goodly offspring who will remember Thee amongst Thy creatures and arise to serve Thy Cause.

Praise be unto thee, O Lord my God, I beseech Thee by Thy decisive Holy Utterance whereby the root of doubt and misgivings hath been eradicated and the glory of Thy name, the Almighty, the Bountiful, hath shone forth, to protect every child that hath been admitted beneath the shade of Thy loving-kindness, and to have mercy, O my God, on those babes whom the people have banished from their homes while [sic] were still at their mothers' breasts, for no other reason than the love they have cherished for Thee.

I beseech Thee by Thy Name, the Manifest, the Promised One, which Thou hast mentioned in Thy Scriptures, Thy Books and Thy Tablets, and through which Thou hast given glad-tidings unto Thy servants and Thy creatures, that Thou ordain for me from the wonders of Thy bounty one who will inherit from me and make mention of me after my passing.

Then ordain, O my God, for my son that which will exalt him through Thy Name and cause him to hold fast unto Thee and unto Thy verses. Then assist him to remain steadfast in Thy Cause and in Thy love with great constancy.

I beseech Thee, by that wherewith Thou hast described Thyself through Thy most excellent names and most exalted attributes, to grant unto him whom Thou hast related to the branches of the Tree of Thy Cause, and brought forth from the loins of one whom Thou didst single out for Thy service, Thy love, Thy grace and Thy tender mercy, every good thing which Thou hast ordained in Thy Book.

O my God! This is another Branch which hath branched from the Tree that hath yielded the fruit of the knowledge of the Manifestation of Thy most exalted Self, and whom Thou hast purified from the dross of self and passion. I beseech Thee, therefore, O my Best-Beloved, by Thy most beautiful names and Thy most exalted Word and the Supreme Pen, that Thou withhold him not from the outpourings of the glory of Thy merciful nature, nor keep him far from the precinct of Thy mercy and favors.

This is Thy servant and the son of Thy servant who was moved toward the depths of the oceans of Thy grace, and who in his youth traveled from his homeland seeking to attain Thy presence, and traversed the path until he entered beneath the throne of proof and attained the light of nearness in the court of mighty glory and the radiance of the Beautiful One. Therefore I ask Thee, O my God, to give him to drink of the milk of Thy bounty so that he may raise the standards of Thy victory [in his youth] and arise in his maturity to serve Thy Cause, just as he arose in his youth at Thy command, that Thy proof concerning him may be fulfilled and that the breezes of nearness may take hold of him through Thy grace.

And assist these children whom he left behind to follow his footsteps and emulate his character and form until they become signs of his devotion and traces of his humility and the lamps of his hopes and the flowers of his gardens and the fruits of the tree of his existence and the lights of the gathering of his witnessing.

O Lord, assist his righteous, distinguished and radiant successor that he may follow in his father's footsteps and remain firm in Your mighty Cause.

O Thou incomparable Lord! Bless Thou the members of this household and endear these souls in Thy Kingdom and confirm them in the service of Thy Cause!

Each of the children is remembered in the Prison. Make mention of them all from the Wronged One. We beseech God to protect them all beneath the tabernacles of His grace and to give them to drink, at every moment, from the milk of His knowledge, that they may attain, beneath the shadow of His loving-kindness, unto the station of "Blessed be God, the best of Creators."

I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst open the gates of meeting unto all who are in Thy earth and heaven, and through which Thou didst give Thy chosen ones to drink from the chalice of Thy Command and Thy Glory, that Thou mayest make this youth to gaze upon Thee and to be detached from all else but Thee. As Thou hast named him Beauty, make him beautiful in all conditions.

O Thou pure God! I am but a little child; make Thine Arm a dear resting-place of comfort; suffer me to be nurtured with the milk and honey of Thy love and train me under the tree of Thy knowledge. Bestow Thou freedom while yet in a state of childhood and grant Thou me excellence. O Thou Incomparable One! Make me the confidant of the Kingdom of the Unseen. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful!

Catalogue reference: AB10053 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.