They whose sight is keen, whose ears are retentive, whose hearts are enlightened, and whose breasts are dilated, recognize both truth and falsehood, and distinguish the one from the other.  Recite thou this prayer that hath flowed from the tongue of this Wronged One, and ponder thereon with a heart rid of all attachment, and with ears that are pure and sanctified, be attentive to its meaning, that haply thou mayest inhale the breath of detachment and have pity upon thyself and upon others: 

“My God, the Object of my adoration, the Goal of my desire, the All-Bountiful, the Most Compassionate!  All life is of Thee, and all power lieth within the grasp of Thine omnipotence.  Whosoever Thou exaltest is raised above the angels, and attaineth the station:  ’Verily, We uplifted him to a place on high!’; and whosoever Thou dost abase is made lower than dust, nay, less than nothing.  O Divine Providence!  Though wicked, sinful, and intemperate, we still seek from Thee a ‘seat of truth,’ and long to behold the countenance of the Omnipotent King.  It is Thine to command, and all sovereignty belongeth to Thee, and the realm of might boweth before Thy behest.  Everything Thou doest is pure justice, nay, the very essence of grace.  One gleam from the splendors of Thy Name, the All-Merciful, sufficeth to banish and blot out every trace of sinfulness from the world, and a single breath from the breezes of the Day of Thy Revelation is enough to adorn all mankind with a fresh attire.  Vouchsafe Thy strength, O Almighty One, unto Thy weak creatures, and quicken them who are as dead, that haply they may find Thee, and may be led unto the ocean of Thy guidance, and may remain steadfast in Thy Cause.  Should the fragrance of Thy praise be shed abroad by any of the divers tongues of the world, out of the East or out of the West, it would, verily, be prized and greatly cherished.  If such tongues, however, be deprived of that fragrance, they assuredly would be unworthy of any mention, in word or yet in thought.  We beg of Thee, O Providence, to show Thy way unto all men, and to guide them aright.  Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing.”

We beseech God to aid thee to be just and fair-minded, and to acquaint thee with the things that were hidden from the eyes of men.  He, in truth, is the Mighty, the Unconstrained.  We ask thee to reflect upon that which hath been revealed, and to be fair and just in thy speech, that perchance the splendors of the daystar of truthfulness and sincerity may shine forth, and may deliver thee from the darkness of ignorance, and illumine the world with the light of knowledge.  This Wronged One hath frequented no school, neither hath He attended the controversies of the learned.  By My life!  Not of Mine own volition have I revealed Myself, but God, of His own choosing, hath manifested Me.  In the Tablet, addressed to His Majesty the Shah—­may God, blessed and glorified be He, assist him—­these words have streamed from the tongue of this Wronged One: