Praise be unto Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of the world
and the Ruler of the nations! I testify that Thou hast from eternity been
sanctified above the mention of all created things and exalted beyond the
loftiest descriptions of Thy creatures. Whensoever Thy devoted servants sought
to ascend unto the station of Thy recognition, the hosts of Thy knowledge
barred their way; and whensoever Thy near ones desired to gain admittance to
the heaven of Thy nearness, the overpowering majesty of Thine utterance kept
them back. We bear witness that the loftiest of the divine names are but
servants at Thy door, and that their most glorious manifestations bow down
before Thy countenance and are humbled in Thy presence. Thou art, in truth, He
Who can neither be described in letters, nor evoked by words, nor even
contained within the hidden meanings they conceal. For these are all
circumscribed by the inherent limitations of speech which characterize all the
utterances of the peoples of the world.
Exalted, immeasurably exalted, art Thou above the mention of
every soul and the understanding of every heart! Exalted, immeasurably exalted,
art Thou above the description of anyone save Thyself and beyond every
conception of Thy creatures! Were Thine own Manifestations to soar upon the
wings of the seen and the unseen, yet would they fail to attain unto the first
effulgence shining from the horizon of Thy most exalted Countenance and the
dawning-place of Thy most sublime Revelation. And were the Exponents of Thy
Lordship enabled to ascend for as long as the kingdoms of earth and heaven endure,
yet would they be forever powerless to draw nigh unto the Day-Star of Thy
beauty.
Blessed be the one who comprehendeth Thine enduring reality
and the evanescence of all else but Thee, and who acknowledgeth Thy sovereign
authority and the powerlessness of all save Thyself. And as the evanescence of
all things is established before the surging ocean of Thy remembrance, O King
of all names, it likewise becometh evident that their every mention and
description falleth short of Thy might and grandeur and ill beseemeth Thy
loftiness and power. And yet in spite of this, O my God, Thou hast, out of the
wonders of Thy grace and munificence and as a token of Thy bounty and Thy
favour, enjoined upon all to make mention of Thee and to praise Thee, and hast
accepted their glorification of Thee out of Thy grace and generosity.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)