Nearness to God

He is the All-Glorious! Praise be to Thee, O my God! Thou didst call me, and I answered Thee. Thou didst summon me, and I hastened unto Thee, entering beneath the shade of Thy mercy and seeking shelter at the threshold of the door of Thy grace. Thou hast nurtured me, O Lord, through Thy providence, chosen me for Thee alone, created me for Thy service, and appointed me to stand before Thee. I beseech Thee, by Thine all-glorious Name and by Thy beauty that hath dawned above the horizon of Thy most exalted Essence, to cause me to be related to Thee even as Thou hadst done so aforetime, and not to separate me from Thyself. Cause then to appear from me, O my God, that which is worthy of Thee. Thou art, in truth, powerful over all things.

Say: O God, my God! Glory be to Thee for Thou hast guided me to the horizon of Thy Revelation and illumined me with the splendours of the luminary of Thy bounty and mercy, hast enabled me to utter Thy praise and caused me to behold that which hath been revealed by Thy Pen.

I beseech Thee, O Thou the Possessor of the kingdom of names and Fashioner of earth and heaven, by the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree and by Thy sweet utterance which hath attracted the inmost realities off all things, to raise me up amidst Thy servants through Thy Name.

I am he who hath yearned in the daytime and the night season to stand at the door of Thy bounty and be ready before the seat of Thy justice. O my God! Drive not away the one who hath clung to the cord of Thy nearness and deprive not him who hath sought Thy most sublime station, the summit of glory, and the supreme Object, the Spot in which every atom calleth out with the most clear accents, saying: “The kingdoms of earth and heaven, as well as glory and grandeur belong to God, the Almighty, the Most Glorious, the Bestower of gifts. ...”

Say: Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God, for Thou hast guided me to the horizon of Thy Revelation and hast honoured me to be remembered though Thy Name. I beseech Thee by the effulgences of the sun of Thy bestowal and by the billows of the sea of Thy mercy to grant that my utterance may be inspired by Thine exalted Words, so as to attract the realities of all created things. Thou art verily powerful, through Thy glorious and wondrous Words, over what Thou willest.

O Thou beloved of my heart and soul! I have no refuge save thee. I raise no voice at dawn except in thy commemoration and praise. Thy love encompasseth me and Thy Grace is perfect. My hope is in Thee. Oh God, give me a new life at every instant and bestow upon me the breaths of the Holy Spirit at every moment, in order that I may remain steadfast in Thy love; attain unto great felicity, perceive the manifest light and be in the state of utmost tranquillity and submissiveness. Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Forgiver, the Compassionate.

Notes: This prayer is believed to have been given to Edward "Saffa" Kinney by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Research Department of the Universal House of Justice states that the original of the prayer does not bear the name of the recipient, though it is likely it was revealed for a western believer because the Master signed it in the roman alphabet. The original was published in Persian in "Muntakhabat-i-Matatib", vol. 2, Page 16, number 24. The translation below is an authorized translation. This prayer can therefore be considered and used as authentic and authoritative.