Our
thoughts and prayers are with those suffering as a result of
the events at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in
Washington, D.C., and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. From the
Bahá’í Writings, we offer these prayers as a means of
solace and comfort.
Prayer for Assistance
“O Lord, my God and my Haven in my distress!
My Shield and my Shelter in my woes! My Asylum and Refuge in time of need
and in my loneliness my Companion! In my anguish my Solace, and in my
solitude a loving Friend! The Remover of the pangs of my sorrows and the
Pardoner of my sins!
Wholly unto Thee do I turn, fervently imploring Thee with all my heart, my
mind and my tongue, to shield me from all that runs counter to Thy will in
this, the cycle of Thy divine unity, and to cleanse me of all defilement
that will hinder me from seeking, stainless and unsullied, the shade of the
tree of Thy grace.
Have mercy, O Lord, on the feeble, make whole the sick, and quench the
burning thirst.
Gladden the bosom wherein the fire of Thy love doth smolder, and set it
aglow with the flameof Thy celestial love and spirit.
Robe the tabernacles of divine unity with the vesture of holiness, and set
upon my head the crown of Thy favor.
Illumine my face with the radiance of the orb of Thy bounty, and graciously
aid me in ministering at Thy holy threshold.
Make my heart overflow with love for Thy creatures and grant that I may
become the sign of Thy mercy, the token of Thy grace, the promoter of
concord amongst Thy loved ones, devoted unto Thee, uttering Thy
commemoration and forgetful of self but ever mindful of what is Thine.
O God, my God! Stay not from me the gentle gales of Thy pardon and grace,
and deprive me not of the wellsprings of Thine aid and favor.
‘Neath the shade of Thy protecting wings let me nestle, and cast upon
me the glance of Thine all-protecting eye.
Loose my tongue to laud Thy name amidst Thy people, that my voice may be
raised in great assemblies and from my lips may stream the flood of Thy
praise.
Thou art, in all truth, the Gracious, the Glorified, the Mighty, the
Omnipotent.”
—Bahá’í Writings
Prayer for America
“O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to
Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are
exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American
democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to
material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this
revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to
promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and
praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American
nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it
precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.”