h God desireth. Ye are all the leaves of one tree and the drops of one
ocean.

_(Tablets of Baha'u'llah revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas)_

Long Obligatory Prayer

To Be Recited Once In Twenty-four Hours

_Whoso wisheth to recite this prayer, let him stand up and turn
unto God, and, as he standeth in his place, let him gaze to the
right and to the left, as if awaiting the mercy of his Lord, the
Most Merciful, the Compassionate. Then let him say:_

O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Maker of the heavens! I
beseech Thee by them Who are the Daysprings of Thine invisible Essence,
the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, to 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.

_Let him then raise his hands in supplication toward God--blessed
and exalted be He--and say:_

O Thou the Desire of the world and the Beloved of the nations! Thou seest
me turning toward Thee, and rid of all attachment to anyone save Thee, and
clinging to Thy cord, through whose movement the whole creation hath been
stirred up. I am Thy servant, O my Lord, and the son of Thy servant.
Behold me standing ready to do Thy will and Thy desire, and wishing naught
else except Thy good pleasure. I implore Thee by the Ocean of Thy mercy
and the Day-Star of Thy grace to do with Thy servant as Thou willest and
pleasest. By Thy might which is far above all mention and praise!
Whatsoever is revealed by Thee is the desire of my heart and the beloved
of my soul. O God, my God! Look not upon my hopes and my doings, nay
rather look upon Thy will that hath encompassed the heavens and the earth.
By Thy Most Great Name, O Thou Lord of all nations! I have desired only
what Thou didst desire, and love only what Thou dost love.

_Let him then kneel, and bowing his forehead to the ground, let
him say:_

Exalted art Thou above the description of anyone save Thyself, and the
comprehension of aught else except Thee.

_Let him then stand and say:_

Make my prayer, O my Lord, a fountain of living waters whereby I may live
as long as Thy sovereignty endureth, and may make mention of Thee in every
world of Thy worlds.

_Let him again raise his hands in supplication, and say:_

O Thou in separation from Whom hearts and souls have melted, and by the
fire of Whose