The Kitab-i-Aqdas Part 7

Medium Obligatory Prayer

To Be Recited Daily, In The Morning, At Noon, And In The Evening

_Whoso wisheth to pray, let him wash his hands, and while he washeth, let him say:_

Strengthen my hand, O my G.o.d, that it may take hold of Thy Book with such steadfastness that the hosts of the world shall have no power over it.

Guard it, then, from meddling with whatsoever doth not belong unto it.

Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

_And while was.h.i.+ng his face, let him say:_

I have turned my face unto Thee, O my Lord! Illumine it with the light of Thy countenance. Protect it, then, from turning to any one but Thee.

_Then let him stand up, and facing the Qiblih (Point of Adoration, i.e. Bahji, Akka), let him say:_

G.o.d testifieth that there is none other G.o.d but Him. His are the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation. He, in truth, hath manifested Him Who is the Dayspring of Revelation, Who conversed on Sinai, through Whom the Supreme Horizon hath been made to s.h.i.+ne, and the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no pa.s.sing hath spoken, and through Whom the call hath been proclaimed unto all who are in heaven and on earth: "Lo, the All-Possessing is come. Earth and heaven, glory and dominion are G.o.d's, the Lord of all men, and the Possessor of the Throne on high and of earth below!"

_Let him, then, bend down, with hands resting on the knees, and say:_

Exalted art Thou above my praise and the praise of anyone beside me, above my description and the description of all who are in heaven and all who are on earth!

_Then, standing with open hands, palms upward toward the face, let him say:_

Disappoint not, O my G.o.d, him that hath, with beseeching fingers, clung to the hem of Thy mercy and Thy grace, O Thou Who of those who show mercy art the Most Merciful!

_Let him, then, be seated and say:_

I bear witness to Thy unity and Thy oneness, and that Thou art G.o.d, and that there is none other G.o.d beside Thee. Thou hast, verily, revealed Thy Cause, fulfilled Thy Covenant, and opened wide the door of Thy grace to all that dwell in heaven and on earth. Blessing and peace, salutation and glory, rest upon Thy loved ones, whom the changes and chances of the world have not deterred from turning unto Thee, and who have given their all, in the hope of obtaining that which is with Thee. Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

_(If anyone choose to recite instead of the long verse these words: "G.o.d testifieth that there is none other G.o.d but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting," it would be sufficient. And likewise, it would suffice were he, while seated, to choose to recite these words: "I bear witness to Thy unity and Thy oneness, and that Thou art G.o.d, and that there is none other G.o.d beside Thee.")_

_(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, CLx.x.xII)_

Short Obligatory Prayer

To Be Recited Once In Twenty-four Hours, At Noon

I bear witness, O my G.o.d, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to wors.h.i.+p Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth.

There is none other G.o.d but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

_(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, CLx.x.xI)_

Prayer For The Dead

O my G.o.d! This is Thy servant and the son of Thy servant who hath believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and set his face towards Thee, wholly detached from all except Thee. Thou art, verily, of those who show mercy the most merciful.

Deal with him, O Thou Who forgivest the sins of men and concealest their faults, as beseemeth the heaven of Thy bounty and the ocean of Thy grace.

Grant him admission within the precincts of Thy transcendent mercy that was before the foundation of earth and heaven. There is no G.o.d but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

_Let him, then, repeat six times the greeting "Allah-u-Abha", and then repeat nineteen times each of the following verses:_

We all, verily, wors.h.i.+p G.o.d.

We all, verily, bow down before G.o.d.

We all, verily, are devoted unto G.o.d.

We all, verily, give praise unto G.o.d.

We all, verily, yield thanks unto G.o.d.

We all, verily, are patient in G.o.d.

_(If the dead be a woman, let him say: This is Thy handmaiden and the daughter of Thy handmaiden, etc...)_

_(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, CLXVII)_