长篇义务祷文

（此祷文每隔24小时吟咏一次）

（吟咏这篇祷文时，必须站立，面向上天。站立时向左右寻视，似在等待他最慈悲、最怜恤的主赐予慈悲，然后咏道：）

祢一切名字之主及苍天的创造者啊！以祢最崇高、最荣耀、无法看见的真体之黎明，我祈求祢，使我的祷告成为一把火，烧掉那层阻隔在祢的美与我之间的一重纱；成为一道光，引领我到祢现身的海洋。

（此时高举双手向上天——既崇高又受祝福的祂——祈求说：）

祢，全世界的渴望和所有国家的锺爱啊！祢看见我朝向祢，除了祢，我摆脱了一切羁绊，并依附在祢的腰带上，它的飘动唤醒了所有创造物的腰带。我的主啊！我是祢的仆役和祢的仆役之子。祢瞧见，我随时准备执行祢的希望和意愿，除了博取祢的喜悦，我别无所求。我祈求祢，以祢慈悲之海洋和祢恩宠之黎明，祢按照自己的意愿和喜恶来处置祢的仆役。以祢远远超越所有话语和赞颂的威力，凡是祢所启示的，都是我的心之所期待和我的灵魂之热爱。上天啊，我的上天！别看着我的希望和我的做为，看着祢包罗天地的意旨吧。以祢至大之圣名，啊！祢所有国家之君主，我只将祢的希望作为我的希望，将祢的喜爱作为我的喜爱。

（跪下，前额叩地，咏道：）

祢的高超，远在祢以外任何生灵的形容和理解之上。

（站立，吟道：）

我的主啊！使我的祷告成为一个活水涌泉，以致我的生命将和祢的威权一样长久，使我得以在祢的每一个世界里宣扬祢。

（再举双手，祷道：）

啊，远离祢叫众心和灵魂融化，祢的爱之火叫全世界燃烧！我祈求祢，以祢征服一切创造物之圣名，别让我错失祢的恩惠，祢统治全人类的上天啊！祢瞧见，这陌生人匆促地赶往祢威权的罩蓬下和祢慈悲的畛域内，他的最崇高的家；这越轨者寻觅祢宽恕的海洋；这卑下者摸索祢荣耀的殿堂；这贫穷者探求祢财富的光泽。祢有权按照祢的意旨发号命令，我见证，祢所做的一切都应受到赞扬，祢的诫命都需遵守，在祢的嘱咐里我必须保持无拘无束。

（再举双手，唸三声至大之名号（即：阿拉欧阿帕哈），然后向上天——又崇高又受祝福的祂——鞠躬。弯身时双手置于膝盖上，说：）

我的上天啊，祢瞧见，由于热切敬奉祢和渴望记得祢、表扬祢，我的灵魂在我的四肢百骸中鼓荡起来了。祢瞧见它如何证实了祢诫律之舌头，在祢的话语之王国和祢知识之天堂里所证实了的事。我的主啊，我喜爱在这种状态下，恳求祢赐予我祢的所有，如此，我将彰显我的贫乏和祢的富足，宣告我的无能和祢的全能。

（举起双手两次做祈祷状，说：）

除了祢，那全能者、普施者，别无上天。祢是古往今来的命定者，除了祢无别上天。啊，我的上天！祢的宽厚给予我勇气，祢的慈悲使我坚强，祢的呼唤甦醒了我，祢的恩宠提升了我。若非如此，我是何人，竟敢站在祢临近的城门前，面向祢意旨的圣境所普照的天光？我的主啊，祢瞧见，这可怜的生物正叩着祢恩宠的大门，这个逐渐消失的生命，从祢博施之手，寻觅祢永生之河流。祢，一切名字之主啊，祢是任何时候的命谕者，而我是祢的意旨自愿的服从者。啊，祢创造苍天的上天！

（举手三次，说：）

伟大的上天超越一切的伟大者！

（跪下，前额叩地说：）

祢太高超了，以致那些接近祢的人们的赞颂，无法抵达祢临近的天堂；那些为祢献身的人们的心雀，飞不到祢闸门的入口。我见证，祢的圣洁超越一切德行，祢的神圣为万名所不能企及。除了祢，别无上天，祢是最高超的，最荣耀的上天。

（坐下，咏道：）

我要如所有的创造物，如天上的会众，如最高天国的居民，如在他们之上，来自完全明耀的天边，那伟大的舌头本身所证实了的那样证实：祢，乃是上天。除了祢，别无上天。我要证实，那位得以显圣者，乃是隐藏不露的秘密，乃是珍贵的征兆，由祂的手，把“存在”这两个字创造了出来。我证实，祂就是那最高之笔所记载的名字，是天上地下王座之主在祂的圣书中提及的那位圣者。

（挺身站立，说：）

众生万物之主，有形无形万类之归属者啊！祢感觉到我的眼泪和我的歎息，听见我的呻吟、哀号和内心的呼唤。我以祢的威力发誓，我因越轨而不能接近祢，因为罪过而远隔在祢神圣的殿堂外。我的主啊，祢的爱丰富了我，隔离祢摧残了我，疏远祢消损了我。我祈求祢，以祢在这旷野的脚步，以祢的选民们在这广袤大地所吟唱的“我在这儿，我在这儿”的声音，以祢显圣之黎明的和风，命定我以能凝视祢的美，并遵守祢圣书中所说的一切。

（唸三声至大的名号，躬身，双手着膝，说道：）

我的上天啊，祢协助了我惦记祢和赞美祢，使我认识那位祢征兆之破晓者，使我在祢统治者的尊前深深鞠躬，在祢的神性前谦卑，并认同于祢权威之舌所说的一切，我赞美祢。

（起立，曰：）

上天啊，我的上天！我被我的罪过压弯了腰，被我的疏忽所摧残。每当我沉思我的邪恶和祢的良善，我的心就要融化，我的血液在血管里沸腾。祢全世界的渴望啊，以祢的美，我赧颜不敢抬头望祢，我亟待的双手羞愧得不敢伸向祢博施的天堂。我的上天啊，祢瞧见，我的眼泪如何阻止我惦记祢和表扬祢的美德，祢上天地下王座之主啊！我哀求祢，以祢王国之征象和祢统治之神秘，让祢的所爱者们得到祢的施捨和值得祢的恩宠。啊！一切生灵之主、有形无形万物之君王！

（唸三声至大之名号，脆下，前额着地，吟道：）

我们的上天啊！通过祢的经书和圣典，祢已经惠赐予我们各种使我们能够接近祢的事物，供给了我们种种有益的东西，我们赞美祢。我的主啊，我们祈求祢，保护我们免于沉耽于胡思妄想和主观臆度，祢，诚然，是强大者、无所不知者。

（抬头端坐，祷道：）

我的上天啊，我要如祢的选民们所证实了的那样证实，如最高天国的居众和祢伟大的王座四周围聚的生灵们所见证了的那样见证，天上地下所有的王国，都归属于祢。啊，祢万千世界之主！

巴哈欧拉

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：

OThou Who art the Lord of all names and the Maker of the heavens!  I beseech Thee by them Who are the Day-Springs 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 any one 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 Daystar 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 any one 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 love the whole world hath been set aflame!  I implore Thee by Thy Name through which Thou hast subdued the whole creation, not to withhold from me that which is with Thee, O Thou Who rulest over all men!  Thou seest, O my Lord, this stranger hastening to his most exalted home beneath the canopy of Thy majesty and within the precincts of Thy mercy; and this transgressor seeking the ocean of Thy forgiveness; and this lowly one the court of Thy glory; and this poor creature the orient of Thy wealth.  Thine is the authority to command whatsoever Thou willest.  I bear witness that Thou art to be praised in Thy doings, and to be obeyed in Thy behests, and to remain unconstrained in Thy bidding.

Let him then raise his hands, and repeat three times the Greatest Name (“Alláh-u-Abhá”).  Let him then bend down with hands resting on the knees before God—blessed and exalted be He—and say：

Thou seest, O my God, how my spirit hath been stirred up within my limbs and members, in its longing to worship Thee, and in its yearning to remember Thee and extol Thee; how it testifieth to that whereunto the tongue of Thy Commandment hath testified in the kingdom of Thine utterance and the heaven of Thy knowledge.  I love in this state, O my Lord, to beg of Thee all that is with Thee, that I may demonstrate my poverty, and magnify Thy bounty and Thy riches, and may declare my powerlessness, and manifest Thy power and Thy might. 

Let him then stand and raise his hands twice in supplication, and say：

There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.  There is no God but Thee, the Ordainer, both in the beginning and in the end.  O God, my God!  Thy forgiveness hath emboldened me, and Thy mercy hath strengthened me and Thy call hath awakened me, and Thy grace hath raised me up and led me unto Thee.  Who, otherwise, am I that I should dare to stand at the gate of the city of Thy nearness, or set my face toward the lights that are shining from the heaven of Thy will?  Thou seest, O my Lord, this wretched creature knocking at the door of Thy grace, and this evanescent soul seeking the river of everlasting life from the hands of Thy bounty.  Thine is the command at all times, O Thou Who art the Lord of all names; and mine is resignation and willing submission to Thy will, O Creator of the heavens! 

Let him then raise his hands thrice, and say：

Greater is God than every great one!

Let him then kneel, and bowing his forehead to the ground, say：

Too high art Thou for the praise of those who are nigh unto Thee to ascend unto the heaven of Thy nearness, or for the birds of the hearts of them who are devoted to Thee to attain to the door of Thy gate.  I testify that Thou hast been sanctified above all attributes and holy above all names.  No God is there but Thee, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious. 

Let him then seat himself and say：

I testify unto that whereunto have testified all created things, and the Concourse on high, and the inmates of the all-highest Paradise, and beyond them the Tongue of Grandeur itself from the all-glorious Horizon, that Thou art God, that there is no God but Thee, and that He Who hath been manifested is the Hidden Mystery, the Treasured Symbol, through Whom the letters B and E (Be) have been joined and knit together.  I testify that it is He Whose name hath been set down by the Pen of the Most High, and Who hath been mentioned in the Books of God, the Lord of the Throne on high and of earth below. 

Let him then stand erect and say：

O Lord of all being and Possessor of all things visible and invisible!  Thou dost perceive my tears and the sighs I utter, and hearest my groaning, and my wailing, and the lamentation of my heart.  By Thy might!  My trespasses have kept me back from drawing nigh unto Thee; and my sins have held me far from the court of Thy holiness.  Thy love, O my Lord, hath enriched me, and separation from Thee hath destroyed me, and remoteness from Thee hath consumed me.  I entreat Thee by Thy footsteps in this wilderness, and by the words “Here am I. Here am I” which Thy chosen Ones have uttered in this immensity, and by the breaths of Thy Revelation, and the gentle winds of the Dawn of thy Manifestation, to ordain that I may gaze on Thy beauty and observe whatsoever is in Thy Book. 

Let him then repeat the Greatest Name thrice, and bend down with hands resting on the knees, and say：

Praise be to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast aided me to remember Thee and to praise Thee, and hast made known unto me Him Who is the Dayspring of Thy signs, and hast caused me to bow down before Thy Lordship, and humble myself before Thy Godhead, and to acknowledge that which hath been uttered by the Tongue of Thy grandeur. 

Let him then rise and say：

O God, my God!  My back is bowed by the burden of my sins, and my heedlessness hath destroyed me.  Whenever I ponder my evil doings and Thy benevolence, my heart melteth within me, and my blood boileth in my veins.  By Thy Beauty, O Thou the Desire of the world!  I blush to lift up my face to Thee, and my longing hands are ashamed to stretch forth toward the heaven of Thy bounty.  Thou seest, O my God, how my tears prevent me from remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues, O Thou the Lord of the Throne on high and of earth below!  I implore Thee by the signs of Thy Kingdom and the mysteries of Thy Dominion to do with Thy loved ones as becometh Thy bounty, O Lord of all being, and is worthy of Thy grace, O King of the seen and the unseen! 

Let him then repeat the Greatest Name thrice, and kneel with his forehead to the ground, and say：

Praise be unto Thee, O our God, that Thou has sent down unto us that which draweth us nigh unto Thee, and supplieth us with every good thing sent down by Thee in thy Books and thy Scriptures.  Protect us, we beseech Thee, O my Lord, from the hosts of idle fancies and vain imaginations.  Thou, in truth, art the Mighty, the All-Knowing. 

Let him then raise his head, and seat himself, and say：

I testify, O my God, to that whereunto Thy chosen Ones have testified, and acknowledge that which the inmates of the all-highest Paradise and those who have circled round Thy mighty Throne have acknowledged.  The kingdoms of earth and heaven are Thine, O Lord of the worlds! 

Bahá’u’lláh

“Know thou that in every word and movement of the obligatory prayer there are allusions, mysteries and a wisdom that man is unable to comprehend, and letters and scrolls cannot contain.” —‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Prayers, Meditation and the Devotional Attitude

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