Prayers and Meditations of Bahá’u’lláh

Prayers and Meditations of Bahá’u’lláh is a collection, in English, of Bahá’u’lláh’s devotional writings. It is one of Shoghi Effendi’s translations: a work he undertook in 1936-37, shortly after he completed the translation of Gleanings of Bahá’u’lláh.

In Prayers and Meditations we find Shoghi Effendi’s translations of the Baha’i obligatory prayers – which Baha’is recite every day – noting that Shoghi Effendi’s English translations became the model for translation into many other languages. Beautiful flowing language such as the following:

… make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, and a light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy Presence …[1]

We also find many of the beautiful prayers that appear in Baha’i prayer books. The topics are diverse: assistance, spirituality, detachment, healing, humanity, love, meetings and more. Here are some examples drawn from Prayers and Meditations:

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O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, Whose beauty is my sanctuary, Whose habitation is my goal, Whose praise is my hope, Whose providence is my companion, Whose love is the cause of my being, … [CLXVI]

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My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life.[CLXXIII]

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Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world’s afflictions can in no wise alarm me.[CXXII]

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Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.[CLXX]

* * *

I have wakened in Thy shelter, O my God, and it becometh him that seeketh that shelter to abide within the Sanctuary of Thy protection and the Stronghold of Thy defense. Illumine my inner being, O my Lord, with the splendors of the Dayspring of Thy Revelation, even as Thou didst illumine my outer being with the morning light of Thy favor.[CLVIII]

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(This article is the 85th in a series of what I hope will be 200 articles in 200 days for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh. The anniversary is being celebrated around the world on 21 and 22 October 2017, The articles are simply my personal reflections on Bahá’u’lláh’s life and work. Any errors or inadequacies in these articles are solely my responsibility.)

Image Credits: Cover image from ebook edition of Prayers and Meditations of Bahá’u’lláh