As for thy mention of the Obligatory Prayer: In truth,
anyone who readeth this with absolute sincerity will attract all created
things, and confer new life upon the world of being. This servant beseecheth
his Lord to assist His loved ones in that which will deliver them from this
world’s vicissitudes, its preoccupations, its frustrations, and its darkness,
and will adorn them with that which shall under all conditions draw them nigh
unto Him. [1] He, verily, is the All-Possessing, the Most High.
This Obligatory Prayer is different from that revealed in
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. That prayer, together with the writings of the Primal
Point—may the souls of all else but Him be offered up for His sake!—was for
reasons of prudence sent to another place. Then, a few years later, another
prayer was revealed, which is also not in hand. Finally, the three present
prayers were revealed from the heaven of Him Who is the Desire of the world.
The intention is the use of one of these three prayers: In
other words, if one is used, the other two are not obligatory
- Baha’u’llah (‘Additional
Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh’; Baha’i Reference
Library of the Baha’i World Center)
[1] This Tablet was revealed in the voice of Bahá’u’lláh’s
amanuensis, Mírzá Áqá Ján, surnamed Khádimu’lláh (Servant of God). Out of
respect, the Bahá’ís, rather than addressing Bahá’u’lláh directly, would write
to Mírzá Áqá Ján. The reply would be in the form of a letter from Mírzá Áqá Ján
quoting words of Bahá’u’lláh, but would, in fact, be dictated in its entirety
by Bahá’u’lláh. All parts of such Tablets, even those which ostensibly are the
words of Mírzá Áqá Ján himself, are Sacred Scripture revealed by Bahá’u’lláh.