Prayer for the Fast, Part 2

Another method that I love to use in studying a prayer is to excerpt "the story". In the case of this prayer, it results in this:

1. cast me not away from the gate of the city of Thy presence
2. disappoint not the hopes I have set on the manifestations of Thy grace amidst Thy creatures
3. draw me ever nearer to the threshold of Thy door
4. suffer me not to be far removed from the shadow of Thy mercy and the canopy of Thy bounty
5. attract me by the fragrance of Thy raiment
6. make me drink of the choice wine of Thine utterance
7. raise me up to serve Thy Cause
8. enable me to gaze on the Daystar of Thy Beauty
9. supply me with the wine of Thine utterance
10. graciously aid me to do what Thy will hath desired and Thy purpose hath manifested
11. grant that I may die to all that I possess and live to whatsoever belongeth unto Thee
12. aid me to remember Thee amongst Thy creatures, and to extol Thee amidst Thy people
13. remove me far from whatsoever Thy will abhorreth
14. draw me nigh unto the station wherein He Who is the Dayspring of Thy signs hath shone forth
15. make known unto me what lay hid in the treasuries of Thy knowledge and concealed within the repositories of Thy wisdom
16. number me with such as have attained unto that which Thou hast sent down in Thy Book and manifested through Thy will
17. write down for me with Thy most exalted Pen what Thou hast written down for Thy trusted ones and Thy chosen ones
18. write down for everyone who hath turned unto Thee, and observed the fast prescribed by Thee, the recompense decreed for such as speak not except by Thy leave, and who forsook all that they possessed in Thy path and for love of Thee
19. cancel the trespasses of those who have held fast to Thy laws, and have observed what Thou hast prescribed unto them in Thy Book

There is so much in just this one portion of this prayer that I am hesitant to even begin looking at it. But as they say, there is no place like the beginning.

"Cast me not away from the gate of the city of Thy presence"

When I try and visualize what this must look like as a movie, I imagine a weary traveller standing outside an old city-gate. You know the kind: tall walls, with guards walking along the top keeping an eye out for undesirables. And there we are, knocking at the gate. An old grizzled gatekeeper opens up an eye-hole and asks us what we want. We, as we tell him, pray that we are allowed in, and not cast out.

"Disappoint not the hopes I have set on the manifestations of Thy grace amidst Thy creatures"

It is only through the grace of God that we are allowed in, and surely not because, lest we dare think it, of our own worthiness. Now that we are in the city, our prayer is that our hopes are not disappointed and that we can attain the goal of our heart's desire.

"Draw me ever nearer to the threshold of Thy door"

So, where do we go? We approach the threshold of the door of our Beloved, drawn by our love.

Can you not see the lover moving with such intent down the street, ignoring everything else, determined on getting to that door? I imagine a purposeful stride, not a full sprint, for dignity and respect must always be maintained.

"Suffer me not to be far removed from the shadow of Thy mercy and the canopy of Thy bounty"

And there we are, inside the house (the castle of the city, really), having been granted admission. Here I imagine a throne room, with a sheer curtain hiding the King, the beloved. All that we see at this point in time is His shadow on the fabric, the canopy.

Although we have come from so far, and we have been so patient in our desire to see our Beloved, we must wait a bit longer, for He is not yet ready to receive us.

"Attract me by the fragrance of Thy raiment"

But even this waiting has its rewards, for we can inhale the sweet fragrance of our Dear One, and cherish the perfume that adorns the air.

Every moment of our journey has been filled with such riches, if we only took the time to appreciate them. Every tree in the countryside, every flower, every rock: they have all been singing in their joy for our being able to attain this moment. Every building, brick and cobblestone in the city is filled with wonder at being so near, and they all cherish the thought of being able to welcome every sojourner.

These last few moment before we behold the face of the Beloved are but another step we must take, allowing us to compose ourselves inwardly, as we are no doubt prepared outwardly.

"Make me drink of the choice wine of Thine utterance"

Then two things happen at once: He speaks, and we are given refreshment, like an honoured guest. Although we know that it His very speech which gives us refreshment, I still visualize a servant coming in and handing us a glass, which we take unawares, captivated as we are by the words uttered by such a Personage.

And what do we do at such a time? I would be so overcome by emotion that I would, no doubt, fall to my knees and bow my head in respect, wonder and awe.

"Raise me up to serve Thy Cause"

And, like a gentle and loving father, the Beloved would take my arm and help me to stand again, smiling at me all the while.

But this raising up would not be merely a physical thing, for my spirit would be so uplifted that I would feel as if I am soaring in the sky.

"Enable me to gaze on the Daystar of Thy Beauty"

And when I raise my eyes, what do I see? The Daystar of the Beloved, shining down upon me, giving me a new life.

"Supply me with the wine of Thine utterance"

Once again we are offered the wine of His utterance, but this time it is not only for ourselves. Oh sure, we can keep it all if we wish, but this is not our desire, nor His. This Faith of ours is not a treasure to be hoarded, but rather it is to be shared.

"Graciously aid me to do what Thy will hath desired and Thy purpose hath manifested"

But it's not easy to share such a treasure, and we need to ask for help. We may, at times, not feel able to give it to someone, or sometimes we feel that He wants us to keep some of it for ourselves. But that is not His will. It is desired that we share it all.

"Grant that I may die to all that I possess and live to whatsoever belongeth unto Thee"

You know, though, when we initially went on the road, we brought some luggage with us. We felt we needed a change of clothes, or perhaps a toothbrush. But now, with this gift from our Lord, we cannot carry both this priceless gift and our own luggage. We have to leave something behind. What should we leave? Our own meager belongings, obviously. How can a toothbrush compare to the treasures that have been bestowed upon us?

"Aid me to remember Thee amongst Thy creatures, and to extol Thee amidst Thy people"

We are now bidden to depart and carry out our task. As we leave behind the castle and the city, we are a different person than we were when we arrived. Our very being has been changed. In fact, whereas before we were a suppliant, perhaps fallen upon the dust, now we are a messenger. We have a job to do.

"Remove me far from whatsoever Thy will abhorreth"

Where shall we go to perform this job? Well, that's an interesting question. While we should go everywhere and spread this message in all places, there are some things in a few areas that can distract us and lead us astray. These things are not pleasing in the sight of our Beloved, and we ask for His help in avoiding those pitfalls. Most of these things, of course, can be found within our own heart, and these are especially tricky to avoid, but with His help, we will succeed.

"Draw me nigh unto the station wherein He Who is the Dayspring of Thy signs hath shone forth"

Being a messenger is not an easy task. It requires courage, strength, fortitude, compassion, love and many other virtuous qualities. It is through our continual rememberence of His Station that we will better be able to perform our duty as teachers of His Cause, thinking of Him and not of ourselves. To aid us in this, we can remember the wine of utterence He gave us, study its flavour, meditate upon its effects, come to a better appreciation of it. Perhaps we will even meet other messengers and take a sip of their choice wine, as we offer them some of ours.

"Make known unto me what lay hid in the treasuries of Thy knowledge and concealed within the repositories of Thy wisdom"

It is through this sharing, and this deep study, that we will better appreciate the wealth that our Beloved has at His disposal. If we think ours is the only share, then we will miss out on so much, for each of us has a different piece of His treasure to share. Only by sharing, and receiving what others have to share, can we gain a better understanding of this.

"Number me with such as have attained unto that which Thou hast sent down in Thy Book and manifested through Thy will"

Now comes the reward for the job we have done. We pray that we have done our job satisfactorily enough to earn a reward.

"Write down for me with Thy most exalted Pen what Thou hast written down for Thy trusted ones and Thy chosen ones"

We pray for a mention from our Beloved. Hopefully favourable.

"Write down for everyone who hath turned unto Thee, and observed the fast prescribed by Thee, the recompense decreed for such as speak not except by Thy leave, and who forsook all that they possessed in Thy path and for love of Thee"

We pray for this not only for ourselves, but for all the others who helped us get here. We pray that everyone who has turned to the Beloved, and all those who have kept His fast, will receive his reward, a reward decreed for the Hands of the Cause, for they have been referred to as those "who speak not except by Thy leave", and the martyrs, who gave up everything in His path.

"Cancel the trespasses of those who have held fast to Thy laws, and have observed what Thou hast prescribed unto them in Thy Book"
 
Finally, we ask for forgiveness for all our mistakes, for we, surely, have made many. At least, I know I have. And this time, it is not just about those who have kept the fast, but those who have tried to keep to all of His mighty laws.