The Baha'i Studies Listserv Dear friends, Copied below are two translations of a prayer attributed to 'Abdul-Baha. Is one translation preferred over the other? Is this prayer in the category of authorized?
Thank you, Larry O my Lord, my Hope![1] [1 May be said before meals.] Praise be unto Thee, for Thou hast sent down unto us this spiritual table, supreme benefit and heavenly blessing. O our Lord! Strengthen us to partake of this heavenly food, so that its fine essence may run through the pillars of our spiritual being and that we may thereby obtain a celestial power for serving Thy Cause, promulgating Thy signs and adorning Thy vineyard with lofty trees, the fruits whereof shall be near (to gather) and of perfuming fragrances. Verily Thou art the Possessor of great bounty! Verily Thou are the Clement, the Merciful! (Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 166) ******************************************************************** Prayer of `Abdu'l-Baha to be recited before eating My Lord and My Hope. Praise be to Thee that Thou hast sent down upon us this spiritual table, this divine bounty, this heavenly blessing. O our Lord, enable us to eat of this food of the kingdom that its subtle essences may pervade the corners of our spiritual being and that there may be produced from [it?] that heavenly strength for the service of Thy cause, the spread of Thy revelation, and the adorning of Thy garden with lofty trees bearing branches near at hand, perfumed with fresh breezes. Thou, verily, art the All- generous. Thou art the Possessor of mighty grace. Thou art the Merciful, the Compassionate. - Amr va Khalq, III 69, tr. Denis Maceoin, Rituals in Babism and Bahaism, p. 120. __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-455298-274...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai...@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu