Presence and reunion: the distance the heart can cross

Those far have drawn near while those near remain remote. The Jacobs, though a thousand leagues distant, have their nostrils perfumed by the fragrance of Joseph's garment, while the bearers of the garment remain deprived and remote from the manifest light."

O Amata'l-Baha! Think not that because thou art away from the Blessed Shrine, thou art distant and in a forlorn state. Thou art present and visible.

By God! Whenever thou rememberest thy merciful Lord, verily He is present before thy face, and though thou seest Him not, He verily seeth thee.

If thou seest Him, then blessed art thou, and if thou seest Him not, verily He seeth thee. If thou knowest Him, thine eyes are gladdened, and if thou knowest Him not, yet He knoweth thee in thy turning and thy resting-place, and He is never heedless of thee nor will He forget thee. He heareth thy cry and thy whispered prayer.

Therefore, O thou who gazest toward God and speaketh in praise of God, if thou seekest true union at the divine threshold, bring thy heart near, and if thou seekest spiritual nearness at the merciful court, gladden thy spirit, so that thou mayest attain true divine union and be confirmed and assisted in achieving such nearness that thou wilt forever abide under the shade of the Tree of Oneness.

O thou who art assured in God! The foundation of meeting God is belief in the divine verses...for physical nearness hath no significance. Rather, nearness is identical with faith and certitude, and purity of intention and assurance are identical with nearness.

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The knowledge of Him, Who is the Origin of all things, and attainment unto Him, are impossible save through knowledge of, and attainment unto, these luminous Beings who proceed from the Sun of Truth. By attaining, therefore, to the presence of these holy Luminaries, the "Presence of God" Himself is attained.

There hath been and there is no doubt that the Ancient Essence, with Its attribute of absolute invisibility, hath been and ever shall be sanctified from manifestation and appearance, and none shall attain unto It save during the days of the appearance of the Divine Manifestations and the Fountainhead of heavenly knowledge. Whosoever hath attained unto Him hath attained unto the meeting with God.

Can anyone comprehend or behold the Eternal Essence? Say: Glory be to God! None can comprehend or behold Him, but whoso beholdeth the manifestation of His Self Who speaketh from His presence, verily beholdeth the meeting with his Lord.

Thus doth God expound the verses, both before and after, that haply ye may be assured of meeting Him Whom He shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection.

Say: Verily, no one shall ever see Me, nor find any path unto Me, except by finding a path unto Him upon Whom We reveal the verses. If ye see Him, then ye have attained unto My presence, even as I have attributed this to Myself, just as I attributed the clay to Myself and made it a House for all the worlds.

I bear witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God.

Whoso hath attained unto Him hath attained unto My presence and drunk the wine of reunion with Me and discovered the fragrance of My beauty, through which the heavens and earth were illumined.

Whoso turneth unto Him hath turned unto My Face and been illumined by the lights of My Beauty and acknowledged My unity and confessed My singleness.

Consequently God revealed Himself to Moses through the burning bush, to Christ through the Holy Spirit and to Mohamad through Gabriel. These different names mean one thing.

Bear thou witness to that which God Himself hath testified - that there is none other God but Him, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Whoso in this luminous Day hath quaffed from the Kawthar of divine knowledge hath attained unto the presence of God and is accounted among the people of certitude in the Perspicuous Book, and shall be adorned with the ornament of acceptance throughout all the divine worlds.

That life, however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God is the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant's recognition of the sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause. This is that blessed and everlasting life that perisheth not: whosoever is quickened thereby shall never die, but will endure as long as His Lord and Creator will endure.

The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence. To this most excellent aim, this supreme objective, all the heavenly Books and the divinely revealed and weighty Scriptures unequivocally bear witness.

Therefore, all servants have been created for the meeting and knowledge of God, and have come into being through the Word "Be."

You were all created to attain His presence and to stand in that most mighty and most great station. He shall send down from the heaven of His generosity that which is best for you, and that which He hath sent down from His presence shall make you independent of all the worlds.

We have created all beings that We might make known unto them Our path and draw them nigh unto Our kingdom and dominion, and honor them with Our presence in Our glorious and mighty Day.

And whosoever attaineth unto this station hath attained unto the presence of God within his own self, by his own self.

Finally, the command will reach the stage of the inmost heart, which is the gulf of immortality and pure life, in the presence of the Lord of creation. There, for evermore, the servant will gaze towards God.

"Neither My earth nor My heaven can contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant can contain Me" - meaning "thy heart is My dwelling place: sanctify it for My descent."

O beloved one! When the grace and favours of the Divine Essence encompass the faithful servant and the radiance of His guidance reacheth the seeker after truth, the veil of "Thou shalt in no wise see Me" is rent asunder and the lights of "Behold, then shalt thou see Me" shed their effulgent rays.

Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men.

Magnified be Thy name, O my God, for that Thou hast manifested the Day which is the King of Days, the Day which Thou didst announce unto Thy chosen Ones and Thy Prophets in Thy most excellent Tablets, the Day whereon Thou didst shed the splendor of the glory of all Thy names upon all created things. Great is his blessedness whosoever hath set himself towards Thee, and entered Thy presence, and caught the accents of Thy voice.

This is the day whereon all eyes can gaze upon the beauty of the All-Glorious, a day which hath neither peer nor equal whether in the past or in the future.

That mystery which was hidden in all the divine Books and mentioned in the hearts of the Prophets and holy ones hath become manifest and evident and witnessed. Where are the eyes worthy of this Day, or the ears capable of this call?

Today is the day of meeting, for the Beloved has appeared. Soar on the wings of the love of the All-Merciful, that perchance ye may attain spiritual nearness.

This is the Day whereon the Spirit calleth aloud and giveth glad tidings unto all of the presence of God, the Lord of existence.

This is the Day of witnessing and meeting, yet most of the people are fast asleep.

These are the verses of immortality wherein are contained the mysteries of God, the Protector, the Mighty, the All-Knowing. Therein is mentioned that which gives glad tidings unto men of the meeting with their Lord on the Day when all who are in the realm of being shall be gathered together.

Thou art He the meeting with Whom was the hope of the chosen ones,

then of the pure ones, and of those who circled round Thy mighty Throne.

All creation has hoped and yearned to attain the presence of the Manifestation of Revelation, which is identical with attaining the presence of God.

Blessed is he who hath attained unto these days and recognized the Manifestation of God's Self in this wondrous garment, and whom nothing between the heavens and earth hath withheld from God. Blessed is the eye that hath beheld His beauty, and blessed is the ear that hath heard His melodies, and blessed are the tongues that have voiced His praise, and blessed are the hearts which God hath made receptacles of His love and mirrors of His radiant and luminous countenance.

Today the Speaker of the Mount is speaking. Blessed is the ear that hath been honored by His call and the eye that hath beheld His signs.

Blessed is he who hath inclined his ear unto the Divine Lote-Tree which calleth betwixt the worlds, and blessed the eye that hath beheld this noble scene.

Blessed is every seeing one who hath seen, and every hearing one who hath heard, and every soul that hath attained unto this mighty station.

Blessed is the hearer who hath on this day won victory through the call of the Self-Subsisting, and blessed is the seer who hath turned unto the Dayspring of lights.

The signs of the favors of God, exalted be His glory, are manifest and evident from every direction, and the effulgences of the lights of His Revelation are sanctified and holy beyond all else.

Deprive not thyself of the grace which hath preceded all created things and for whose appearance the Temples of the Cause waited in centuries past. Say: He hath appeared in human form.

All earthly ties are severed this day, for it is the Day of revelation and meeting, and all relationships return to the Truth Himself.

O Rida! Hold thou fast to the Sure Handle and cling to the hem of the grace of the Lord of all humanity. Today the Great News hath appeared and the Truth, exalted be His glory, hath rent asunder the veils of majesty.

By Thy glory, O my Beloved! Even shouldst Thou give me all that Thou hast created and shalt create, and make me sovereign over all who dwell in the kingdom of Thy Cause and creation, and seat me upon the throne of grandeur and power and the seat of loftiness and independence, yet deny me the sweet fragrances of Thy mercy and the breezes of Thy bounty for less than a moment - by Thy glory, my soul would not be content, my heart would not find peace, and my spirit would find no rest.

By Thy might, O my Beloved! He who hath drunk the wine of Thy beauty will hope for naught save meeting Thee, and he who hath attained unto the remembrance of Thy love will find no rest save in reunion with Thee, and he who hath tasted the sweetness of Thy nearness, how can he be patient in Thy remoteness and separation? Nay, by Thy might! The hearts of the lovers will find no peace save in the precincts of Thy mercy, and the souls of the yearning ones will find no rest save beneath the shade of Thy providence.

My God, my God! Thy separation hath caused me to perish. Where is the light of Thy presence, O Illuminator of the world? The venom of remoteness from Thee hath destroyed me. Where is the fountain of Thy reunion, O Quickener of nations?

I beseech Thee by the wondrous dawning rays of the light of Thy Beauty, and the manifestations of the glory of Thy sovereignty and majesty, and by the lamentation of them that yearn for Thee in their separation and remoteness from Thee, and by the cry of them that love Thee at the appearance of the Sun of Thy reunion and presence.

Thou knowest that the fire of separation cannot be quenched save by the waters of Thy reunion and presence, and their agitation cannot be stilled except by beholding Thy beauty.

By God! Nothing shall profit you this Day though ye should cling to all things, and naught shall quench your thirst of separation save the water of reunion that floweth from the spring of your Lord's bounty, the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

Verily the thirsty one seeks the Kawthar of Thy presence, and the dead one the river of life through Thy bounty and favor.

O God, my God! My tears are flowing, my sighs are protracted, and my distress hath intensified by reason of my yearning to meet Thee and my attraction to Thy kingdom.

O Thou my Desired One! How I long to attain to Thy radiant meeting! O Thou my Hope! How I yearn to look into Thy luminous Countenance! How I crave to be submerged in the sea of Thy refulgent Lights! How I strain my ears to listen to the invisible, soft music of the angels of Thy supreme concourse!

I am the one, O my God, who hath left his abode, turning toward Thy abode. Thou hearest the lamentation of my heart in my separation from Thee and my yearning to meet Thee.

Were the fragrance of the verses to possess thee, it would attract thee in such wise that thou wouldst detach thyself from all things and leave thy home, turning towards the wilderness, crying out therein morn and eve: "Where art Thou, O Thou the Desire of the worlds and the Beloved of them that have recognized Thee!"

O thou apple of Mine eye! Come thou and draw nigh, that thine eyes may be solaced by My beauty. … O thou apple of Mine eye! Come thou and hasten, that thou mayest attain unto the pavilion of My reunion and enter the garden of paradise, My dwelling-place and habitation, that I may kiss thy mouth and thou mayest kiss Mine, and that I may find solace in thee and thou mayest find solace in My splendor.

The fire of thy separation from Me was fast consuming thee, when the ocean of My presence surged before thy face, cheering thine eyes and those of all creation, and filling with delight all things visible and invisible.

There is and hath been no doubt that all were created for attainment unto His presence, and the One True Beloved hath ever loved and loveth the nearness of His friends.

We have heard the call of those who have turned toward God and have answered them with that which causeth eyes to be consoled.

And after being presented in the court of His presence, a word was revealed that transformed every remoteness into nearness and every separation into union.

Appreciate, enjoy this blessing from God, and from the soul's solitude will come the "soul's companionship with God": - the companionship of Him, the All-Highest and yourself -; then say with Jacob, the Patriarch, "I will not let You go, unless You bless me!"

When you wish to pray you must first know that you are standing in the presence of the Almighty!

Be thou steadfast in the love of God, then remember Him at morn and eventide. Beware lest anything prevent thee from turning toward the Dawning-Place of Revelation.

Then hearken, O My handmaiden, unto My sweetest melodies once again, that they may purify thee from all else besides Me and draw thee nigh unto My presence and bring thee to My dawning-place wherein the lights of My beauty have shone forth from the direction of My throne.

O thou who hast turned toward the Most Exalted Horizon! Hearken unto the rustling of the Divine Lote Tree. Verily it draweth thee nigh unto God, the Lord of the worlds.

O servant! Hearken unto the call of the Lord of Names, then immerse thyself in the ocean of inner meanings and divine knowledge, that thou mayest behold what thou hast never beheld before and discover therein the pearls of thy Lord's remembrance, the Mighty, the Bestower.

May you become hungry for the bread of the kingdom; for as His Holiness the Christ said, "He that drinketh the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." This means the apprehension of the ideals of the human world and of the heavenly realm. Day by day may you receive these concepts; day by day may you inherit this new state of consciousness till you become immersed in the sea of divine light.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy mighty Sign, and by the revelation of Thy grace amongst men, to cast me not away from the gate of the city of Thy presence, and to disappoint not the hopes I have set on the manifestations of Thy grace amidst Thy creatures.

Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy seat me, O my Desire!

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate.

Praise be to God Who created me by His behest, then nourished me through His bounty, then gave me to eat after I hungered. There is no God but He, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

O my God! How shall I call upon Thee, when the utmost end of my supplication returns unto my own soul, plaintive over the vile deeds I have wrought? And how shall I not call upon Thee, when my heart hath been ever enraptured with Thy love, unable to endure Thy separation, to be silent from communion with Thee, or to remain far from the seats of Thy nearness?

O my God! Thou art the Beloved, there is none besides Thee, and Thou art the Intended One, there is none other than Thee. I have known Thee through Thee and called upon Thee through Thy love for me. Were it not for Thee, I would be nothing, neither could I remember Thee, nor drink from the pure wine of Thy love, nor dwell in the precincts of Thy bounty, nor be established upon the throne of Thy sovereignty, nor mention Thy favors before Thy favored servants.

All good is from Thee and in Thy grasp. From the first day Thou didst honor me with every favor, with the sweetness of Thy remembrance and the beauty of Thy beneficence. Thou art God, there is none other God save Thee. Thy handiwork hath ever been perfect, Thy generosity forever all-embracing. If I say, "I praise Thee," in that same moment it is Thy remembrance that enables me to praise Thee, and Thy mercy that encompasses me, and Thy bounties that surround me; for hadst Thou not remembered me, I had not remembered Thee; and hadst Thou not shown me gratitude, I had not shown Thee thanks; and hadst Thou not unveiled Thyself to me according to Thy Will, the core of my heart had not found rest in the presence of Thy Self-Sufficiency. Thy justice hath, from everlasting, encompassed me; Thy trials abide within my inmost being; the chastisement of Thy equity hath, before now and at every moment, stood before mine eyes.

Alas! Alas! Shouldst Thou will my punishment, or desire my chastisement, or resolve to call me to account, or determine to seize me -- glorified art Thou, glorified art Thou! -- then, when I behold Thy dealings with Thy sincere and unified servants, my heart is set at rest, my breast is emptied of disquiet, my secret is stilled, and my soul entreateth Thee: "O my God, admit me to Thy neighborhood among the near ones; cheer me with the meeting with Thee among the triumphant; give me to drink the water of Thy mercy from the goblet of Thy care among the pure in heart; and honor me with Thy favors among the faithful." Verily, Thou art God, my Lord and the Lord of all the worlds.

But when I behold Thy vengeance upon the idolaters, the pillars of my heart are shaken; the very flesh within my breast is confounded; my skin shuddereth; my eyes and bowels weep; and my inmost being crieth out: "How could I enter the fire? And if I were to endure therein, how could I endure to be parted from the meeting with my Lord?" Nay, by His might! I have no endurance, nor can I bear it. And if Thou dost cast me therein, I shall cry out among its folk such cries as shall cause them all to gasp; I shall burn therein in such wise that the people of torment shall be struck down; and I shall cry: "O my Lord, my Master, my God! Thou art independent of my punishment; I am poor for Thy good-pleasure and Thy forgiveness. If Thou forgivest me and deliverest me from the fire, naught of Thy dominion is diminished; and if Thou feedest me with the fruits of Thy Paradise, naught in the heavens and the earth addeth aught to Thee." I am he who is afflicted by his sin, O my God; I am he who confesseth his trespasses, O my Master; I am the negligent, the derelict, who felt no shame before Thee in solitude, nor watched for Thee in the assembly.

I am he who disobeyed Thee after Thou hadst made me to know Thy vengeance; who sinned in Thy presence, though aware that Thou seest me and beholdest my station. I am he who waxed heedless of the stations of them who draw nigh, though not even for a fleeting moment didst Thou withhold from me Thy promptings, Thy attracting breath, Thy sweet savors, and the tokens of Thy intimacy.

With what tongue, then, shall I confess my sin? With what eye shall I read my offences inscribed in the scrolls of the angels, before Thy face? With what pen shall I record my deeds? With what heart shall I survey my trespasses while life yet remaineth in me? Hallowed be Thy Name, hallowed be Thy Name!

Thou knowest, O my God, my condition; Thou lookest upon my misdeeds; Thou countest my works. I am he who banished his own self from Thy neighborhood; I am he who debarred himself from the meeting with Thee; I am he who, through ignorance, turned away from Thy promises. I bartered the life of the hereafter for this first life that perisheth; I busied myself with its trappings and adornments after I had read in Thy Book the bounties of Thy Paradise and heard from Thy near ones that "they who purchase the life of this world with the hereafter -- their chastisement shall not be lightened, nor shall they be helped."

Alas! Alas! I am he who offended the Lord of heaven and earth; I am he who transgressed against the King of Paradise and the Throne; I am he who denied the signs of the All-Compelling, Lord of the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. I am he who repented unto my Lord, then sinned again; who sought Thy forgiveness, then relapsed; who lamented his crimes, then returned unto them. I yearned for Thy unity, yet by that very yearning I recalled my own self in the presence of Thy wrath; I desired to worship Thee, and thereby I set my soul before Thy might; I sought to remember Thee, and my remembrance proved but a remembrance of myself, veiling me from Thy Countenance; I would exalt Thy holiness, and thus I likened Thee to an attribute of Thy creatures; I would proclaim Thy transcendence, and thus I described Thee with what ill befitteth Thy sanctity in the realm of Thy might. I would glorify Thee, yet by my glorification I ascribed a partner to Thee -- after Thou hadst taught me that none describeth Thee but Thyself, none knoweth Thee save Thee, none can conjoin with Thy Essence, none comprehend the core of Thy Being; that Thou canst not be worshipped by a selfhood like mine, nor pointed to by an identity such as mine; that naught can match the majesty of Thy Will, nor any thing depart from the beauty of Thy Self-Sufficiency.

Glorified art Thou! I would intend Thy praise, yet by so doing I rehearsed for Thee the qualities of Thy creation, after Thou hadst taught me that Thou hast eternally been without the mention of aught, and wilt forever be without the description of aught; that Thou hast, from everlasting, been such that naught ascendeth unto Thee; and wilt, unto everlasting, remain such that naught is lifted up unto Thee; that the ultimate goal of such as seek Thee leadeth back to the station of Thy origination; that the end of the journey of the unitarians halteth before the beauty of Thy splendor; that the highest essences of being, in the days of their ascent, are returned unto the court of Thy invention; and that the loftiest summits of possibles revolve, like unto the letter Kaf about itself, when they intend Thy gate, and descend into the abyss of the ocean of Thy signs.

Glorified art Thou! I would assert Thy oneness, yet by that claim I regarded my own self in the presence of the majesty of Thy singleness -- after Thou hadst inspired me that unity cannot be established by the twofold realm of mention; that the word of justice cannot be contained within the two names; that the mystery of meeting cannot be mirrored in two mirrors; that Thou art too exalted to be known by Thy creation, or described by Thy servants, or indicated by Thy signs, or affirmed in Thine indivisible unity by aught that is of Thy Names. Thou art He Who, in the pre-eternal eternity, is unknowable; in the flux of time, indescribable; unto Whom no sign may be lifted; upon Whom no token may bear testimony; Whose essential mirror no thing can confront; from Whose essential justice no thing can depart -- inasmuch as Thou hast manifested Thyself unto them in the realm of indication, descended upon them from the heaven of signs, looked upon them in the kingdom of the Cloud, of the Names and the Attributes, with a gaze no one among the denizens of endless realms and hallowed veils can compass.

Glorified art Thou! I would magnify Thy Self, yet thereby I made small Thy greatness, reducing it to a thing my feeble soul can behold -- weak is the seeker and the Sought! Woe is me for that which I have accounted of Thy majesty: my soul is lowly, my vision paltry. How, then, can I extol the grandeur of Thy glory with the weakness of my soul and the littleness of my deeds? Thou alone canst know the greatness of Thine own Self; for all besides Thee -- what is the utmost of their portion save the point of denial? what is the farthest reach of their favor save the point of severance? -- are, and all they conceive of magnifying Thy majesty is, small before Thy glory and naught before Thy beauty.

I know not, O my God, how it is that I stand a stranger before Thee, addressing Thee with such words that, were any other to comprehend them, he would say of me what 'Ali, son of al-Husayn -- Thy Proof, son of Thy Proof -- said regarding one in his day; or, should I attain the court of Thy nearness and drink of the cup of Thy sweetness, I find myself unable to ascribe aught to Thee: if I would glorify Thee, the bounds of my being rebuke me; if I would sanctify Thee, the limits of my station strike fear into me; if I would affirm Thy unity, my estate chastiseth me; if I would magnify the majesty of Thy Being, those in heaven and earth make me small until I am as though I were not, as a mote, and they upbraid me, saying: "With this littleness thou magnifiest thy Lord and feelest no shame before His court!" Alas, alas! The right was with them, the sin with me. How shall I say, "I am he who sinned, and Thou art He Who forgave"? How shall I say, "I erred, and Thou didst conceal"? How shall I say, "I forgot Thy remembrance," when Thou hast ever remembered Thy fearful servants? How shall I say, "I grew distant," when Thou art nearer unto me than all things? Nay, by Thy might! I will not say "I," nor blush at the avowal thereof; rather will I say: Thou art my God and my Beloved; Thou art my Master and my Desire; Thou art my Lord and my Summoner; Thou art my Chief and the end of all my hopes; Thou art my Possessor and the goal of my longing.

If I say, "From everlasting Thou hast ever been -- Thou, Thou," the sweetness of Thy remembrance will not affright my heart; nay, at every recurrence I taste a second rapture of love that no memory can compare with that first remembrance. Blessed then am I, and yet again how blessed, how peerlessly blessed, by Thy grace and the sweetness of my communion with Thee!

I praise Thee for that Thou hast silenced me in the Abode of Eternity within Thy neighborhood, and given me to drink of the wine of nearness from Thy two hands, O Beloved of those who know, O Companion of the desolate, O Goal of the seekers! If Thou hast made me oppressed in the hands of the transgressors, yet, from Thy bounty, Thou hast inspired me with such supplications as wherein I find repose in Thy neighborhood and patience in my meeting with Thee. By Thy might! A single letter thereof, with me, is more glorious than were all who are in heaven and on earth subjected unto me, and I then made a witness over all that are on earth, and Thou didst exact vengeance upon my enemies altogether, to the delight of mine eyes -- for these invocations shall remain in the Tablets of them who draw nigh; and they -- if God will -- shall recall me after my passing by chanting them before Thee; and Thou, after my death, shalt glory in these prayers amidst Thy righteous servants, and shall send down upon me, at every instant, the recompense befitting Thy generosity and grace.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thine be praise, in the kingdom of Command and Creation -- praise that transcendeth the praise of all beings and is exalted above the praise of all besides Thee: a praise gleaming, radiant, resplendent, hallowed, scintillating, ringing forth -- everlasting, eternal, perpetual -- as Thou lovest and art well-pleased; as Thou art, in Thine exaltation, Thy oneness, Thy majesty, and Thy might -- beyond the reach of all comprehension.

Say:

My God, my God! I beseech Thee by the Mother Book which is established upon the throne in the ultimate end, and which Thou hast made the Dawning-Place of Thy verses, the Dayspring of Thy clear tokens, the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Source of Thy Cause, to strengthen me to remain steadfast in Thy love in such wise that what the people possess shall never prevent me. O Lord! Thou seest me turning toward Thy direction and setting my face toward Thy countenance.

I beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou didst manifest Thy Beauty, perfect Thy Cause, exalt Thy proof, elevate Thy names and reveal Thy attributes, that Thou mayest cause Thy servants to ascend unto the station wherein they behold Thee upon the throne of Thy majesty and the seat of Thy glory.

Send down, then, upon me, O my Lord, out of the heaven of Thy bounty what will draw me nearer unto the chalice of Thy gifts, and make me able to quaff the choice sealed Wine, whose seal hath been loosed in Thy name, and from Which the sweet savors of Thy days have been shed abroad.

When thou art attracted by the fragrances of My verses and seized by the Kawthar of Mine utterance, say: "My God, my God! Thou seest him who is remote seeking Thy nearness, and the poor one seeking the ocean of Thy riches, and the thirsty one seeking the Kawthar of Thy bounty.

Wherefore, O my God, behold this poor one who hath clung to the cord of Thy riches, and this thirsty one who hath hastened to the Kawthar of Thy knowledge, and this needy one who hath laid hold on the hem of Thy bounty, and this evanescent one who desireth to enter the stronghold of Thy eternity and drink from the Tasnim of Thy providence and soar in the atmosphere of yearning for Thee and ascend unto the heaven of union with Thee and meeting Thee.

O Lord! Have mercy on this seeker who has sought the Ka'bah of Thy presence, and this approaching one who has drawn near to the pavilion of Thy outpouring and has raised the hand of hope to the heaven of Thy favors and gifts.

Then ordain for me, O my God, that which will draw me nigh unto Thee in all conditions. Verily, Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the Most High. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous.

Then ordain for me to attain Thy presence, to stand at the gate of Thy majesty, and to remain steadfast in Thy Mighty Message, whereby the limbs of the idolaters have quaked.

I beseech Thee to ordain for me the reward of attaining Thy presence and arriving at the shore of the ocean of Thy reunion.

I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy countenance, the mysteries of Thy Book, and that which Thou hast concealed from the eyes of Thy servants, to ordain for them what they desire of Thy bounty, Thy favors, Thy mercy and Thy grace. O my Lord! Draw them nigh unto Thee that they may stand before the gate of the City of Thy might wherein was raised Thy Call - the Call by which the ear of Thy Moses was privileged in the Sinai of Thy knowledge.

At such time I call upon Thee with the tongue wherewith Thy servants who yearn for the sanctuary of Thy presence and who stand firm before the Kaaba of reunion with Thee do call upon Thee, that Thou mayest cause me to ascend unto the heights of the sanctity of Thy oneness and raise me to the kingdom of rapture of Thy essence, that I may soar on wings of detachment to the Lote-Tree of ascension in the paradise of Thy providence, and hover with holy swiftness in the atmosphere of the sanctity of Thy mercy, that I may thereby be among those who journey in the realms near to Thy countenance and in the kingdom of Thy presence and meeting.

I beseech Thee by Him Whom Thou hast made the All-Compelling over all created things, the Self-Subsisting over all existence, and the Ever-Living in the kingdom of earth and heaven, to cause the ark of my reality to sail upon the sea of Thine essence, that I may bring forth from the depths of the ocean of Thy greatness the pearls of Thy eternality and the fish of Thine everlastingness, so that none may be seen except Thee, and no soul may turn to aught but Thee, and all may turn their faces to the court of Thy holiness, and all in the lands may hasten to the carpet of Thy intimacy, and may behold naught save the pure vision of Thy countenance, and may drink only from the wine of Thy grace from the hands of Thy attraction, and may taste only of the fruits of Thy bounty from the tree of Thine eternity.

O my Lord! I have turned my face toward the Dayspring of the lights of Thy countenance. I beseech Thee not to deprive me of Thee in any world of Thy worlds.

Take them by the hands of Thy bounty, then cause them to enter the pavilion of reunion at the shining forth of the lights of Thy countenance. … Look upon them, then, with the glances of Thy loving-kindness, and make them to be among those who circle round the sanctuary of Thy oneness and who stand before the revelation of the lights of Thy face.

Wilt Thou cast away this evanescent one who hath sought the kingdom of Thine eternity, and wilt Thou deny this thirsty one who hath turned toward the ocean of Thy bounty?

I beseech Thee then, O my God, by that Name of Thine whereby Thou hast encompassed all things with Thy knowledge, to ordain for all things the reward of attaining Thy presence and the station of reunion with Thee, that nothing in the heavens or on the earth or in between them may be deprived of the sovereignty of Thy bestowals.

I beseech Thee by that shore of the sea of Thy reunion whereon was raised the pavilion of Thy majesty and the tabernacle of Thy Cause, and where Thou didst manifest Thyself unto all who are on earth through the lights of Thy countenance, that Thou mayest exalt the stations of those who have desired the elevation of Thy Most Exalted Word and strengthen them to glorify Thy Cause, O Lord of Names and Creator of heaven!

I beseech Thee to ordain for everyone who hath turned unto Thee the reward of them that have attained unto Thy presence and have quaffed the choice wine of nearness unto Thee.

I beseech Thee to make this meeting a treasure for me in the repositories of Thy protection and a store for me with Thee.

I have turned toward the horizon of Thy Manifestation, the ocean of Thy bounty and the sun of Thy grace. I beseech Thee not to disappoint me of that which Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen ones, Thy trusted ones and Thy loved ones.

O my Lord! I am he who has sought Thy nearness and Thy presence, to stand before Thy throne and at the door of Thy grandeur.

Then make me to be of those who have circled round Thy will, who have sought the Kaaba of Thy presence, who have stood before Thee, and who have heard Thy most sweet call from Thy Most Exalted Pen.

This is Thy servant who hath turned toward the realms of the sanctity of Thy divinity, and desired to enter the sanctuary of Thy Being and to gain admittance to the house of Thy oneness, that he might witness the subtleties of Thy beauty in the manifestations of Thine identity.

I beseech Thee by Thy Name, the All-Bountiful, and Glory be unto Thee, O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Name, the All-Generous, to make me one of those who have quaffed the wine of reunion from the hands of Thy bounty and the Kawthar of meeting through Thy grace and favors.

Write down for them, moreover, what none of Thy creatures hath discovered, and number them with those who have circled round Thee, and who move about Thy throne in every world of Thy worlds.

He is!

Glorified art Thou, O my God! These hands of mine I have raised up for the descent of Thy mercy, and these feet of mine I have planted before Thee, and this neck of mine I have made submissive to Thy sovereignty and humble before Thy divinity, and this tongue of mine I have caused to speak in Thy remembrance, and these eyes of mine I have opened to behold Thy beauty and observe the signs of Thy creative handiwork, and this gaze of mine I have directed to visit Thy countenance and the splendor of Thy presence, and this heart of mine I have filled with the sweetness of Thy love and the wonders of Thy knowledge and charged it with fear of Thee, and this liver of mine I have caused to be consumed with passion for Thee, and this inner being of mine I have stirred with longing for union with and meeting Thee, and these bowels of mine I have caused to drink of the essence of life from the cups of Thy love and the chalices of Thy grace, and this body of mine I have made to quiver at the signs of Thy holiness and the letters of Thy intimacy, and this will of mine I have bound with the cords of Thy will and fastened with the pegs of Thy desire, and this form of mine I have seated before Thee and made yearning for the conditions of Thy decree and the manifestations of Thy judgment, and this neck of mine I have extended toward the swords of Thy power and the spears of Thy might, for in Thy subjugation, O my God, lie hidden the treasuries of mercy, and therein are stored the repositories of glory.

Glorified, glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou hast broken the necks of those who would not submit to Thy divinity nor humble themselves before Thine eternity, and the pillars have been destroyed of those who would not fear Thy fear nor tremble at Thy might nor hope for all that Thou lovest for them from the effulgences of Thy grasp and the universality of Thy Cause.

Glorified, glorified art Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by Him Whom Thou hast made the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Source of Thy Being and the Repository of Thy glory, that Thou ignite us with the fire of Thy love and attract us through Thy light. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful, the All-Bountiful.

For this is the station which Thou hast specially ordained for the sincere ones among Thy loved ones and the near ones among the people of Thy affection - they who behold none but Thee, who turn to none but Thee, who trust in none but Thee, who find intimacy with none save Thy beauty, who immerse themselves in naught but the seas of Thy good-pleasure, who breathe not except by Thy leave, and who speak not except by Thy command.

Sanctify thyself from all that veils thee from the beauty of the Divine Essence, in such wise that thou shalt dwell only in His remembrance, walk only in His name, sleep only by His leave, arise only at His bidding, drink only of His love, gaze only upon His beauty, seek only His presence, and desire only His meeting, that thou mayest enter the City of Immortality in the most exalted Paradise, attain unto every good, and find every light, and be in truth the guided one as thou art named.

And whosoever attains to this station and causes his own will to be annihilated in the Will of God, has everlastingly been in nearness to the Eternal Presence.

Deliver Thy servants from the promptings of self and passion, that they may turn with their hearts unto Thee, hearken unto Thy call, and recognize that which Thou hast ordained for them through Thy bounty.

Cast away all that ye possess and soar on the wings of detachment into this atmosphere wherein waft the breezes of the mercy of your Lord, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous."

O My handmaiden, detach thyself from all else besides Me, then soar in the atmosphere of My nearness, that thou mayest witness the heaven of My majesty and the kingdom of My grandeur, and visit the House of My remembrance and the Kaaba of My knowledge, and behold My lights from the horizon of My appearance and My beauty, and journey through the realms of My holiness and the domains of My greatness and the heaven of My might and the pavilions of My glory and My splendor and the sanctuary of My mysteries and the tent of My grace and favor and the tabernacles of My power and sovereignty.

And if ye are able within yourselves, then sail upon the crimson ark in My Most Exalted Name and traverse the sea of grandeur that ye may find yourselves beneath a shade illumined by the lights of His countenance.

He teacheth the servants from His resplendent, Most Glorious mysteries that people might hasten to the Kawthar of reunion in the refuges of piety and return to the homeland wherein none dieth nor liveth.

This hath ever been and shall ever be the ultimate journey for those who seek, and the final homeland of the lovers.

Though it is evident that no grace, bounty, station or rank can ever equal attaining the presence of God in the visible realm, I swear by the Sun of the glory of oneness, rising from the dawning-place of detachment in My Name, the All-Powerful, that nothing can equal appearing before the Throne in the visible realm, even for a moment, though one possessed all that is in the heavens and earth.

He who hath attained the presence of the Countenance in the manifest outer realm - this is better for him than the worship of both humans and jinn. Around this outward manifestation revolve the worlds of the inner reality, yet the people remain in evident obscurity.

We bear witness that thou didst enter the prison, and present thyself, and stand before the gate, and with thine own ears didst hear the call of the Wronged One--a call through which every lamp was lit, every sun rose, every moon appeared, and every luminous horizon shone forth.

Thou didst purpose to reach the true Ka'bih and didst attain to His presence, and from the hand of bounty thou didst drink the cup of meeting.

The Supreme Pen testifies that you turned towards Him and, purely for the sake of God, set out from your home intending to reach the Most Great House of God. You bore the hardship of travel and traversed sea and land until you arrived at the Most Great Prison and heard His sweetest call and beheld His most exalted horizon.

He traversed land and sea and bore hardships until he entered the Luminous Spot and attained the presence of and arose before the Gate which was opened unto all who are in the heavens and the earth. Verily We caused him to hear Our sweetest call and guided him to Our Most Glorious Horizon and gave him to drink of the Kawthar of immortality which is My mighty, impregnable presence.

He traversed land and sea in his longing to attain the presence of God until he entered the shore of the right-hand valley in the blessed crimson spot.

… Days passed, then We proceeded to the sepulcher, and when We arrived We stood before the grave and said: "O thou who didst race in the arena of the love of God! The fragrance of thy Lord's robe, the Lord of all names, stirred thee until thou didst seek the Most Exalted Horizon to attain the presence of the Throne and stand before the Gate.

O Lord! One of Your servants whom You gave to drink from Your sealed nectar and intoxicated from Your camphor cup, and made him recognize Your beauty in the day of Your manifestation, and made him yearn to arrive at the gate of Your favors, has crossed the deserts and wastes and valleys and seas and arrived before You and reached the courtyard of Your oneness and appeared before You, and You shone upon him with the lights of Your presence and illumined his eyes with the vision of Your beauty and honored him with listening and gladdened his heart with the radiance of Your luminous countenance.

O My leaf! I bear witness that thou didst leave thy homeland out of love for God, the Possessor of the Hidden and the Manifest, and didst turn toward the Dawning-Place of verses and the Rising-Point of clear proofs, and didst attain unto the presence of the Kaaba of God, the Lord of all the worlds.

And We bear witness that thou didst leave thy homeland, seeking the homeland of God, and didst traverse land and sea in thy longing to attain His presence.

My tongue and My pen bear witness that thou hast turned to the Wronged One, clinging to His Name, the Self-Subsisting, and hast traversed land and sea until thou didst reach the shore of the Most Great Ocean and didst behold the waves of His utterance and the pearls of His knowledge, and didst drink the choice wine of revelation from the cup of thy Lord's bountiful favor.

He drew near with his heart and feet until he reached the paradise of Thy oneness and won the presence of the tree of Thy singleness before the sanctuary of Thy beauty. He sought Thy leave until he entered within the precincts of Thy mercy in the sanctuary of nearness and reunion with Thee, and heard the holy melodies in the highest paradise, and beheld the Beauty of the Divine Identity in the most exalted horizon, and reached such nearness that the clouds of Thy generosity and favor and the rain-clouds of Thy grace and bounty were showered upon him to a degree that none can reckon save Thee alone.

O my God! Thou art He Who hath guided me through Thy bounty and aided me through Thy grace, until I departed from my home, seeking the ultimate goal and the supreme summit - the Station wherein was raised the screech of Thy Most Exalted Pen and the rustling of the Sadratu'l-Muntaha - until I attained Thy presence and heard and beheld that which was inscribed in Thy Book, recorded in Thy Scrolls, and treasured within the hearts of Thy Prophets.

O thou who hast journeyed in God, and migrated in His path, and striven in His Cause! I testify that thou hast fulfilled what thou didst covenant, and performed all that befitteth thee and is worthy of thee, and thou hast detached thyself from all who are in the kingdom, and thou hast traversed the pathways of love and piety until thou didst reach the precincts of immortality and the central point of all houses - the Most Exalted House - in the throne of meeting, and thou didst ascend the stairs of the spirit until thou didst hear the singing of the light from the Divine Lote-Tree, as though thou hadst perished all things within thyself for the preservation of thy countenance and the perpetuation of thine essence. Glad tidings, then, be unto thee! And congratulations to thee upon thine arrival at the seat of His Countenance and Beauty, and thy entrance from the hiding place of Glory into the throne of never-ending might and the King of sanctity without compare!

Although outwardly, due to prison conditions, things did not pass pleasantly for him, yet inwardly, praise and thanks be to God, he was blessed with the outpourings of the All-Merciful and attained that which is the ultimate goal - the presence of the Beloved of the worlds. This is truly a grace which serves as a luminous crown atop all deeds.

Thou didst attain unto the presence when the Lord of Eternity entered into the Most Great Prison, and this yet another time.

O thou who art present before the Wronged One! We testify that thou didst attain the presence of the Countenance and didst hear what the tongue of the Wronged One spoke forth in His mighty prison.

This is a letter from Us to him who attained the presence and drank the wine of revelation from the hands of the bounty of his Lord, the Generous, who stood before the Face and heard the Call which was raised in the prison of Akka, who attained the meeting and took the chalice of immortality from the hands of the bounty of his Lord, the Forgiving, the Merciful.

We make mention of those days when thou wert present with thy uncle - upon him be God's mercy and grace - before Our face, and ye both heard what the Tongue of Grandeur uttered in His mighty prison.

Muhammad hath in these days been present before the Throne, and 'Ali is circling round, and Our servant Rahim and his other son are turning unto God.

Know that your brother Nabil has attained the presence of the Throne and has won what was ordained for him in preserved tablets of glory. He has reached the summit of grace and has heard the verses of God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. The lights seized him from all directions - none comprehend this save those who have attained the presence of God, the Mighty, the Beloved.

Thy son, who hath been honored to attain the presence of God time and again and who hath been seized by the breathings of the days which were recorded in all the Tablets by the Pen of God, hath appeared before Us.

Blessed art thou, and blessed are thy father, thy mother, and thy brother who attained unto the presence of his Lord and quaffed the choice wine of reunion from the hands of the bounty of his Lord, the All-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

Give thanks unto God for having enabled thy brother to attain His presence and hearken unto that which the Tongue of Grandeur and Glory uttereth from His mighty and impregnable station.

Blessed are you for having attained the presence of God in your early days and drunk the choice wine of reunion from the hands of the bounty of your Lord, the Generous.

O Hasan! Praise the Beloved, for in successive years thou wert present before the throne of the All-Merciful, and in all nights and days thou didst attain unto the presence of God. At sunrise thy gaze was fixed upon the Most Great Scene and thy heart was turned toward the right hand of the throne.

And therein We opened the gates of reunion to the faces of the loved ones, and gave all to drink from the ocean of Thy reunion and the springs of Thy nearness and good-pleasure, such that whoso desired was present each day before the throne of Thy mercy, and each night before Thy countenance, and in every moment there shone upon them the lights of Thy face and the suns of Thy grandeur and power.

Through God's infinite bounty and by His leave and will, he turned towards the Most Holy Court and time after time and repeatedly partook of the Kawthar of meeting and the choice wine of reunion. We showed him Our most exalted horizon and caused him to hear Our most great verses.

O servant! Forget not the time when thou didst enter the Garden of Paradise and didst sit in the presence of God, the Mighty, the Beautiful, and the Tongue of God spoke with thee openly.

The days of attainment are surely remembered - a single moment's pause in the Desired Land cannot be equaled by centuries and ages.

Therefore keep My counsel and remember the days of meeting Me and attaining My presence and My nearness and My manifestation and My effulgence.

This is a Book from Us to him who turned to God and detached himself from all else - verily he is among those who have attained the presence of God, the Protector, the Mighty, the Wise, and who circled the Spot of God until he entered therein by His leave and appeared before the Throne with evident humility.

Thou didst turn to God by His leave and didst draw nigh unto Him to Whom the world hath turned, until thou didst enter the pavilion of eternity wherein was raised the call of God, the Lord of the worlds. Thou didst attain the presence of the Throne and didst hear and witness that which is inscribed in the Tablet of God, thy Lord, the Most Exalted, the Most Great.

O thou who hast been present before the Wronged One, and who dwellest in His neighbourhood! He testifieth that thou hast attained unto His presence, and hast turned unto Him at a time when all mankind, save whomsoever God hath willed---the Lord of what hath been and what shall be---have arisen to turn away.

Through the wonders of His grace He guided thee to the Most Great Scene until thou didst attain unto His presence, drink from the cup of meeting, and without veil or barrier become illumined by the light of the countenance of the Beloved.

Thou art the one who entered the Most Great Scene by God's leave, the Possessor of Destiny, and departed from it by His command, the Mighty, the Wondrous.

There hath come before Us a letter from one who hath turned towards My horizon, set his face towards My countenance, spoken My praise, appeared before My throne, and heard My call, and hath drunk the choice wine of reunion from the hands of My bounty.

Blessed art thou for having attained the presence of the Beloved and for having entered, appeared, and heard the call of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Impregnable.

We testify that thou didst circle round the Throne and didst attain the presence of thy Lord when most of mankind were debarred therefrom, and didst drink the pure wine from the hand of the bounty of thy Lord.

And We testify that thou didst enter and arrive and attain the presence before the Face, and didst hear with thine own ear the call of the Wronged One. Thou didst take the choice wine of reunion from the hand of bounty and drink it in His Name, the One Who dominateth over what was and what shall be.

He has stood before all faces and said: The door of meeting has been opened and the fragrance of reunion has been diffused.

Thou didst drink the choice wine of reunion from the hand of the bounty of the Dawning-Place of Beauty, and didst attain unto that which was inscribed and recorded by the Most Exalted Pen in the Books of God, the Lord of the worlds.

Blessed is he who hath rent asunder the veils and entered the presence of his Lord, the All-Bountiful, the Most Generous, and hath drunk the most pure wine from the Supreme Horizon.

Thou didst advance and turn thy face until thou didst arrive before the Countenance and didst hear the call of the Wronged One from His lofty station.

Thou art indeed among those who have attained unto Him and His presence, and heard His call, and stood before the Throne after most of the servants were debarred therefrom.

Blessed is he who hath attained His presence.

… O servant! Give thanks unto God that in the previous year thou wast illumined by the Sun of Grandeur and attained the presence of the Spirit of God and wast honored to meet Him.

Blessed art thou for having attained His presence and drunk the choice wine of revelation from the hand of the bounty of thy Lord, the Generous.

All things bear witness to his turning unto God, the Sovereign of creation. How glorious is this station, lofty and sublime!

Those souls who have today turned towards the Dawning-Place of Revelation and have attained unto the hearing of the divine Call - the end of such souls hath been and shall be good, and they are honored and distinguished by divine forgiveness.

Praise the Beloved of the world that thou hast drunk from the cup of Beauty, which is the countenance of the Self-Sufficient, the Most High, the Water of Life, and hast attained unto the knowledge of God, which is the source of all good.

Blessed art thou, inasmuch as thou hast drunk from the fountain of reunion from the hands of bounty, and from the Kawthar of immortality through the grace of thy Lord, the Most High, the Most Exalted.

He beareth witness that thou didst seek the Most Exalted Goal and didst attain unto the presence of thy Lord, when all humanity turned away save those whom God, thy Lord, the Forgiving, the Merciful, did choose.

She was honoured with attaining Thy presence in Thy days, and was enabled to behold Thy Beauty upon the horizon of Thy sanctity and in the kingdom of Thy oneness.

He attained the presence of the Countenance, and the lights of Beauty shone upon Him from the Dayspring of Glory. Thus doth God single out whom He willeth through His grace, and He, verily, hath power over all things.

O servant! Blessed art thou in that thou hast drawn nigh unto God, thy Lord, attained His presence, and been honored to meet Him. This, verily, is a mighty triumph.

Blessed is he who hath migrated, advancing toward the Most Exalted Horizon until he entered and attained and heard the call of the Wronged One.

He has attained Our presence and heard that which caused the lips of mystic knowledge to smile throughout creation. The hand of grace took hold of him and enabled him to attain the most holy and exalted Court.

Thereupon doth the Tongue of Grandeur testify that thou didst turn unto the Face and didst respond to thy Lord when He called thee, and didst attain His presence in this earthly life, and didst hear with thine own ear His most mighty, most holy and wondrous call.

Blessed are the days wherein thou didst attain the presence of thy Lord's countenance and didst drink from this Most Great, this Mighty Ocean.

He aided thee to recognize His sanctified Essence and led thee to the Highest Horizon until thou arrived here and attained the Presence, drank from the Kawthar of the reunion of the imperishable Desire, and became aware of His holy and sanctified Person.

I testify that thou didst purpose to attain the Most Exalted Station, and from an earthly abode didst turn thy face toward the House of God, and didst attain unto that for which thou wast created from nothingness into being.

This is a Book unto My servant Javad, who was attracted by the wine of utterance - that is, heard the Call and ran forward intoxicated.

Blessed art thou for having attained the presence of the Beloved and for having turned to Him by His leave and heard His mighty and wondrous call.

They have drunk the choice wine of Thy utterance before Thy face, and have entered the gate of Thy mercy which Thou hadst opened unto all who are in Thy heaven and on Thine earth. Through Thy might and power they have advanced until they attained the salsabil of reunion from the hand of Thy bounty and the kawthar of meeting through Thy leave and will.

Give thanks unto thy Lord for having attained His presence at the Throne, for having circumambulated the sanctuary of God, thy Lord and the Lord of all worlds, for having dwelt in the pavilion of holiness, for having heard repeatedly the call of thy Lord, and for having drunk the choice wine of revelation from the chalice of His hallowed bounty, the Mighty, the Wondrous.

And thou, give thanks unto God for having blessed thee with His presence and caused thee to attain unto a station of praiseworthy nearness, and made thee to hear His melodies, and to know His beauty, and hath sent down upon thee His words that there is none other God but Him, the Mighty, the Loving.

This is Thy handmaiden who hath believed in Thee and in Thy signs, who hath hastened to the fields of Thy pardon and Thy meeting, who hath drunk from the cups of Thy forgiveness and reunion with Thee, until she attained unto Thy nearness and Thy presence, and ascended on the wings of servitude until she visited the sun of Thy manifestation and the moon of Thy training, and heard the melodies of the birds of Thy sanctification, and appeared before this Thy servant.

To reach the presence of Mulla Muhammad Ja'far that he may behold the Greatest Scene.

O Ja'far! Rend asunder the veils of idle fancy, for We have rent them by a sovereignty from Our presence and a power from Our side, and I am, verily, the One Who prevaileth over whatsoever I desire, the Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

All people have ever yearned for attainment unto the presence of God and still do yearn for it, but when the Sun of Meeting dawned and the ocean of attainment surged, most remained deprived.

How many souls there were who waited expectantly for this Day and who, with utmost supplication and ardent desire, besought the All-Bountiful for His presence, and yet were deprived and forbidden therefrom.

How many were the divines and the learned and the jurisprudents who longed for the presence of God, yet after His manifestation remained deprived thereof, while thou didst drink from the choice wine of reunion and didst attain unto the kingdom of meeting.

Among the people are those who awaited the days of God and His presence, yet when He appeared they turned away and followed the ways of the ignorant ones.

Say: You have been created to attain the presence of God - what is wrong with you that We see you among the heedless?

O people! Deprive not yourselves of the presence of God, and bar not your ears from hearkening unto that which hath been sent down in truth.

Verily He hath appeared with the truth and hath opened the gate of reunion before all who are in earth and heaven. Blessed is he who hath attained the presence, and woe unto every heedless one who hath turned away by following those who have disbelieved in the Beginning and the Return.

Know with certainty that ye shall never again hear the melodies of God, never draw nigh unto a manifest meeting with Him, never witness the beauty of God among you, and never shall the words of God, the Mighty, the Glorious, the Gracious, be cast upon you.

By God! His visitation is regarded by God as better than those who have visited and do visit in these days the shrines bearing Our names and are counted among the visitors - for they visit mere names while remaining veiled from their Creator and Originator, and are among the heedless ones.

Yet when they drew near, they were prevented from entering the precincts of Thy mighty oneness and from attaining presence before Thy majestic throne.

How many souls rushed forth into the deadly wilderness and were consumed by the heat of deprivation, never tasting a drop of the wine of reunion from the hand of the Cup-bearer of attainment, while you, through the favor of the Most Glorious Beloved, have entered beneath the sheltering shade of the Tree of the Uttermost End. This is a bounty that hath ever been the ultimate desire of the denizens of the Supreme Concourse.

How many servants desired to attain the presence but were prevented from attaining unto the throne. For this did the dwellers of the cities of the Kingdom of Names and the denizens of the Concourse on High lament - upon them be My blessings and mercy until the Day that cannot be reckoned by numbers.

Thou didst desire reunion; the Wronged One too desireth it, but the smoke of heedless hearts hath become an obstacle, and the hatred of souls hath appeared as an impenetrable barrier.

Regarding your desire to attain His presence - blessed are you and your desire. He verily records for whosoever desires it the reward of attaining His presence. He is the Hearer, the Answerer.

He verily ordaineth for whomsoever hath desired to attain His presence and to stand before His gate the reward thereof.

By My life! He who desires My presence is among those who have attained the presence of My countenance, heard My call, and attained the Kawthar of My meeting and the choice wine of My reunion.

We make mention of everyone who desireth to turn towards this forbidden quarter, and We ordain for whomsoever We please the reward of attaining His presence.

God, exalted be His glory, ordains the reward of attaining His presence for whomsoever He wishes.

A mention from Our presence to her who has turned to the Countenance and desired to draw near to the Most Great Sea when most men turned away from it, that the breezes of revelation might attract her to a station beyond which all allusions are cut off.

… We make mention of every handmaiden who hath turned to God and every servant who hath faced his Lord, the Cleaver of the Dawn.

I beseech Thee, O God of Names and Creator of earth and heaven, by the Daysprings of Thy Revelation and the Dawning-Places of Thy inspiration and the Manifestations of Thy Self and the Treasuries of Thy wisdom, to ordain for Thy loved ones and Thy leaves the reward of attaining Thy presence and standing before Thy face and appearing at the gate of Thy grandeur.

We beseech God to ordain for him the reward of those who attained the presence of the Countenance and were blessed to hearken to the call of their Lord, the All-Protecting over what was and what shall be, and the reward of those who circumambulated the Throne and drank the Kawthar of immortality from the hands of bounty and stood before the Gate that was opened unto all who are on earth and in heaven.

I beseech Thee by the lights of Thy might and dominion and by the mysteries of Thy Manifestation that Thou write down for me, with Thy Most Exalted Pen, the recompense of attaining Thy presence and standing before Thy face.

Should God will, He would adorn your bed with His Name, the Praised Muhammad, and would renew your covenant with Him, grant you His presence, and draw you nigh unto Him as the soul draweth nigh unto the spirit and the beloved unto the Beloved.

The presence of your letter testifies that you are with Someone, and under the shadow of Someone - but what Someone! The King of all beings and the Creator of earth and heaven.

Your mention has been made before the throne, and there has been sent down for you that which shall profit you in the hereafter and in this world, shouldst thou be of them that are steadfast.

O Ismail! The All-Glorious hath turned toward thee from this Prison and mentioned thee in such wise as to set ablaze the hearts of them that are near unto God.

Verily He was with you in all conditions, witnessing and beholding what befell you in His path. He is, verily, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

This is Thy servant who hath been illumined by the lamp of Thy oneness and hath turned toward the seat of the throne of Thy grandeur, and hath found the breezes of Thy name, the All-Glorious, from the right hand of certitude from this direction wherein Thy sovereignty hath been established over all who are in the heavens and on earth, and Thy countenance hath shone forth unto Thy creatures who were not prevented by the veils of glory from turning unto Thy majesty nor by the veils of error from beholding Thy beauty.

Thou art He Who created me and sustained me until Thou didst honor me with Thy days wherein the Sun of Thy loving-kindness dawned from the horizon of Thy Will and was established upon the throne of Thy mercy, and Thou didst open the gate of attainment unto Thy presence before the face of all who dwell in Thy earth and Thy heaven, and didst call all unto Thyself, and didst attract all through Thy signs.

O Lord! This is one dead who desireth the breaths of Thy revelation and what would give him life through the eternity of Thy might and sovereignty; and this is one non-existent who seeketh existence from the heaven of Thy bounty and the sea of Thy generosity and the sun of Thy grace; and this is one poor whom Thou seest clinging to the hem of Thy riches and holding fast to the cord of Thy bestowals; and a sinner who desireth the ocean of Thy forgiveness; and one deaf who desireth to hear Thy most sweet call which hath been raised from the direction of Thy prison.

I would rather Thou shouldst torment me with a torment than which there can be none greater in Thy knowledge, and ordain for me the sweetness of meeting Thee.

O Ali! The Dayspring of the Cause addresseth thee in most wondrous utterance. By God! Wert thou to be present before the Throne and hear it from the Tongue of grandeur and power, thou wouldst sacrifice thy body, then thy spirit, then thy very self, for love of God, the Sovereign Lord, the All-Compelling, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

This is that treasure for which many sincere ones and near ones have given their lives, and with utmost humility and supplication have begged it from the Self-Sufficient Lord. The Most Great Remembrance (may my spirit be sacrificed for Him) says that all exists so that one might be mentioned but once in the presence of that Luminary of pre-existence, exalted be His majesty and glory.

This is a Call in yearning to hear which the hosts of Revelation and Inspiration have perished - to this doth your Lord, the Great, the All-Knowing, bear witness.

We beseech God, exalted be He, to show you the Sun that shineth from its depths - verily it is the mystery, and the mystery of the mystery, and the mystery enshrouded in mystery.

Then didst Thou manifest these hidden names upon the tablets through the Point which Thou didst detail by Thy power, making it to tell of him whom Thou didst create from the fire of Thy love and the air of Thy grace, and Thou didst conceal therein the earth of Thy will that it might be watered by the waters of tenderness from the hand of Thy bounty.

For every man and woman who hath been accepted, and every male and female believer - that which hath been revealed is more precious in the sight of God than what lieth concealed in the bowels of the earth and what is visible upon its surface.

The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High.

He hath abandoned this mortal life and hath flown to the kingdom of immortality, yearning for the favour of meeting Thee.

… He hath, verily, attained the meeting of his Lord at the seat of Truth in the presence of the potent King.

With utmost yearning, crying "My Lord, receive me!", he hastened to the Abha Kingdom and the most exalted horizon.

… In that sanctified rose garden he built his nest in the Divine Lote Tree, and in the presence of the Most Great Mercy he found dwelling and shelter, becoming the manifestation of the blessed verse "Peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am raised alive."

Permit him to meet Thee after his ascension to the realms above and to behold Thy beauty in Thy most luminous, most brilliant Horizon.

He desired to ascend to the canopy of union with and meeting with Thee, and to abide in the seats of nearness to and proximity with Thee.

And then, when the doors of the Kingdom are opened unto thee, seek thou reunion with Him instantly! Attain thy heart's desire! Enter the "Seat of truth" in the company of the exalted and seek thy shelter beneath the shade of His mercy.

Strive that ye may attain unto this most great bounty, that at the time of ascension ye may meet the luminous countenance of the Desired One.

And shield me from the arrows of the people of doubts aimed at me from all directions, that I may find rest at the gate of Thy oneness in Thy most glorious kingdom and receive sustenance from the banquets of meeting.

Verily Thy servant who has turned toward Thee, who has sought the gate of Thy forgiveness, has ever lived thirsting for the cup of meeting Thee, yearning to gaze upon Thy beauty, stirred by Thy sweet fragrances, longing to hear Thy voice, hoping to attain Thy threshold.

Struck with his attitude of humility, the jailer did as requested; thanking him the prisoner said: "I am exceedingly sorry to trouble you, but pray have a little patience with our requests tonight, for tomorrow night we shall be the guests of God."

Blessed is he who hath ascended unto God along this path. Verily he hath attained the presence of God and drunk the choice wine of reunion, and returned by God's command, the Self-Sufficient, the Most Exalted, until he ascended unto Him.

Grant him nearness to Thee, O Most Bountiful! Bestow upon him the gift of meeting Thee, O Most Kind! Make him the intimate of Thy gracious countenance and the companion of Thy loved ones in the Paradise of Delight.

Thus he yearned to be present at Your holy threshold and hastened to the source of favors, the fountain of forgiveness, and the place of grace and benevolence.

I swear by the Ancient Beauty, may my spirit be sacrificed for His loved ones, that solace is impossible except through ascension to the Abha Kingdom and entering the presence of the Most Great Mercy.

Although in this world of uncertainty the loftiness of this station is neither known nor evident, yet this bounty shall shine forth like unto a celestial lamp amidst the gathering of spiritual beings in the Concourse on High.

We beseech Him to bless you with His presence and meeting in all those worlds. Think not this a mere promise - whatsoever has been recorded by the Pen of Destiny is immediate. To this testify My tongue of grandeur, My pen of will, and the servants of My pavilion of infallibility.

We beseech Him, exalted be He, to draw you both near unto Him in every world among His worlds, to grant you the bounty of attaining His presence in His dominion and kingdom, and to send down upon you from the heaven of His generosity the table of His knowledge and the grace of His munificence.

By God! He shall be present in My presence and shall circle round My majesty and shall soar with My Self in the atmosphere of My heavenly dominion and might and the cities of My grandeur and power.

We beseech God to gather us together in the gardens of immortality near unto the twin glorious bows, that haply thou mayest witness the secrets of God's decree within this crimson and effulgent countenance, that the blessing of God upon thee and upon all who are on earth may be made complete.

In the Most Glorious Kingdom make them intimate companions in the gathering of manifestation, and bring them into Thy private chamber, and in this world too bestow upon them every grace worthy and free.

O Lord! Have mercy upon these flowing tears and these agitated hearts. Ordain for us the joy of meeting in the most exalted Paradise, and pass round to us the cup of bounty in this world and the next.

O thou who hasteneth to the Sacred Kaaba! In this time, when the winds of separation and deprivation have caused all upon the earth to tremble and quake, thou hast hastened from the wilderness of remoteness to the station of union and nearness, thou hast turned thy face away from all else but God, thou hast made the Sacred Threshold thy refuge and shelter, and thou hast raised aloft the banner of the love of God upon the summits of the divine native lands.

In this momentous day and wondrous time, when the fragrances of the garden of Ridvan and the breezes of the paradise of certitude have perfumed the nostrils of the spiritually-minded, and the divine fragrance hath made both East and West redolent with musk - when the sweet scent of the hallowed sanctuary hath bestowed life upon the nostrils of the yearning ones, and the fragrance of the blessed dust hath conferred ecstasy upon the minds of the spiritually-minded - no greater bounty could there be than attaining the presence of that holy ground and anointing one's eyes with the dust of that Most Great Threshold.

You circumambulated the Sacred Shrine in utmost humility and submissiveness, and visited the Sacred Precinct in complete devotion and supplication.

This circumambulation in the sacred court of Him Who is the Hidden Bestower of Favors is accepted and beloved, and gratitude for this acceptance is among the decisive obligations for those who are firmly grounded.

First, that you reached the Holy Shrine with pure intention in such a day and such a century - this is the ultimate bounty. Second, that you were blessed to visit the Sacred Threshold. Third, that you attained the presence of the Most Exalted One.

As long as a person is not separated from the sacred surroundings of the Threshold of Baha'u'llah, he does not realize the magnitude of his loss, neither can he conceive the grandeur of this bounty.

No matter how unhappy and sorrowful a person may be, when he arrives at the Divine Threshold of the Tomb of the Blessed Perfection, he forgets all. Another world and its calm influence are unfolded to him, and he remembers naught else save the Beauty of the Beloved.

Whoso reciteth this Tablet with the love of the Lord in his heart will witness in his dreams whatever he hath desired of reunion with God, the Almighty, the Beloved.

Ye were raised up in a place where the Holy Spirit would cry out "Thanks be to Thee for gathering me in this plane" and ye were brought together in an assembly where the Faithful Spirit would exclaim from heart and soul "Praise be to Thee, O Sun of Reality, for raising me up on this Promised Day."

The angelic company of the Celestial Concourse hath joined in a call that hath run throughout the universe, all loudly and mightily acclaiming: "This is the City of God and His abode, wherein shall dwell the pure and holy among His servants. He shall live with them, for they are His people and He is their Lord."

Make them intoxicated from the brimming cup of attainment to Your presence, and in an eternal celebration make them full of joy from the wine of beholding Your beauty.

The greatest glad tidings is the presence of that spiritual friend in the holy court of the Lord. I beseech and hope from God that He may soon grant the blessing of attainment unto His presence.

Furthermore, in all conditions I beseech and hope that that beloved and those with him will proceed to the ultimate destination in perfect health and well-being, so that we may attain to meeting, which is the greatest of God's bounties, glorified be His majesty, and under the shade of His blessed Tree offer thanks and praise.

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having made known unto me Thy Hidden Secret and Thy Treasured Symbol, for having given me to drink from the Kawthar of reunion through the hands of grace and bounty, for having caused me to hear Thy Most Sweet Call and to behold the lights of Thy Countenance from Thy Most Exalted Horizon.

Praise be unto Thee, O my God, for having honored me with Thy presence and given me to drink of the Kawthar of Thy reunion, and caused me to be seated in the sacred precincts at the manifestation of Thy power and sovereignty.

When thou dost inhale the fragrance of My mention and hear My call, say:

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! All praise be unto Thee for having remembered me from Thy most exalted horizon and for having sent down unto me that which drew unto it the Concourse on High.

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When I entered and attained His presence, after permission was granted, I presented what was contained therein. Then the face of the Beloved turned toward me and He spoke that which I am unable to mention except according to my weakness and poverty.

When I read and understood its contents, I repaired to a station which meanings cannot reach, nor utterance, nor can the bird of knowledge approach it. I was present and presented that wherewith you praised God, the Lord of the Throne and of earth, the Master of the hereafter and of the former times.

O Abu'l-Hasan! God willing, through infinite bounties, the Revealer of verses shall cause thee to traverse the lands of God with complete eagerness and longing, and to perfume all with the fragrance of divine remembrance and the sweet scents of the Merciful's raiment. Praise be to God that thou didst arrive at the Most Great Sea and didst attain the Dawning-Place of infinite suns. With thine own eyes thou didst behold and with thine own ears thou didst hear that which no eye hath seen nor ear heard.

Set thy face toward the Ultimate Goal and the Most Exalted Summit, that thou mayest visit on behalf of him whom God hath extolled in His Book, and given to drink of the Kawthar of His presence and the Salsabil of His reunion, and caused to speak forth His remembrance and praise, and established to serve His Cause.

O my Lord! I beseech Thee by Thy most exalted attributes and the manifestations of Thy glory in the Kingdom of eternity that Thou aid whosoever hath turned unto Thee and arisen to serve Thy Cause when he was in Thy vicinity in the great city which was honored by Thy presence, wherein Thou didst reveal that which was hidden in Thy knowledge, and wherein Thou didst manifest Thy Self and Thy sovereignty and Thy power.

O handmaiden of God! Be not grieved at separation from your father, for he is engaged in the most great and glorious service, and this separation is the cause of eternal union, and this parting is the greatest means of attaining to the Kingdom of the All-Merciful.

Although, in accordance with your request, permission was granted for you to direct yourself once again to the Prison, yet if you were to transform this traversing of a long distance into teaching the divine Word, it would be more excellent and more beloved, for praise be to God, you have attained His presence and drunk from the wine of reunion.

O My community and My leaf! The Wronged One calleth thee from the precincts of the Prison and inviteth thee to the supreme horizon, that perchance thy tongue may not cease from mention, nor thine eye from beholding, nor thine ear from hearkening, nor thy heart from turning toward Him.

Hearken unto the call of Him Who is the Manifestation of the Cause, the Lord of Destiny, and with heart and soul turn toward the Most Great Scene, that thou mayest behold the Eternal Countenance from the horizon of the everlasting heaven and drink, after the passing away of all things, from the Kawthar of reunion with the Lord of Names.

Turn thou unto the ocean of reunion that thou mayest attain unto the presence of God, the Mighty, the Most Praised.

He verily commands you to that which will draw you nigh unto a station wherein naught is seen save the radiance of My shining and luminous countenance.

O friends! Strive with all your hearts that perchance ye may drink this heavenly Kawthar from the hand of divine favors, for it hath ever been and shall remain the quickener of hearts and the gladdener of souls. Whosoever attaineth unto it and drinketh a draught thereof is numbered among the people of eternity in the Kingdom of Names, and whosoever remaineth deprived thereof is accounted among the dead.

Blessed are they who have quaffed from the wine of immortal life and who have been nourished by the Kawthar of His presence.

Ponder, then, upon thy affair, and choose for thyself what thou desirest. But if thou wouldst hearken unto Me, choose that which will draw thee nigh unto the meeting with thy Beloved and will unite thee with thy Lord and thy Goal.

I testify that he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God.

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...reunion with the One. If you grasp it by taking away being from it, you will be filled with wonder. And, throwing yourself upon it and coming to rest within it, understand it more and more intimately, knowing it by intuition and seeing its greatness by the things which exist after it and through it.

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And when the sanctified souls rend asunder the veils of all the worlds and the wrappings of all the degrees and attain the stage of meeting the divine Presence ... then the purpose of creation, which is the recognition of the one true God, will become manifest.

Catalogue reference: AB00006 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

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The meaning of the short prayer... is simply that Baha'u'llah has put into one brief sentence the very essence of life, which is that we come from one Father, and pass, on the road of life, through tests and trials and experiences, so that our souls may grow; and that the reason for our existence is to learn to know and understand our Creator. As we do this, we will increase our love for Him and will worship Him.

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