Dawn Prayers

Ridvan

Ridvan is a twelve-day festival that commemorates the Baha’u’llah's time spent in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad, in 1863. He declared His Prophetic Mission to His followers and announced His station as the Promised One of all religions. It was the beginning of the New Era of humanity.

Loss and Progression

O thou who art tested with a great calamity, be not grieved, be not troubled because of the loss which hath befallen thee…Separation elongeth to the characteristics of the bod.
In the world of existence, man has traversed successive degrees, until he has attained the human kingdom. In each degree of his progression, he has developed capacity for advancement to the next station and condition.
Take time to be holy. It does no mean goody-goody. It means set apart for sacred use.
Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy.
I implore Thee, O Thou who art the Supreme Ordainer, not to suffer me to be deprived of the breezes which are wafted in Thy days.
O Thou, whose face is the object of my adoration, whose beauty is my sanctuary, whose habitation is my goal… I entreat Thee not to withhold from me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy servants. 
By what means can man attain these things? How shall he obtain these merciful gifts and powers?

The Hidden Treasure

Thou art My stronghold; enter therein that thou mayest abide in safety. My love is in thee, know it, that thou mayest find Me near unto thee.
Know thou that there are two kinds of happiness, spiritual and material. As to material happiness, it never exists. 
Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me, O my hope.
O ye lovers of the one true God, strive that ye may truly recognize and know Him, and observe befittingly his precepts.
Lauded be thy name, O Lord my God. I testify that Thou wast a hidden treasure, wrapped within Thy immemorial being.
O Thou forgiving God, these servants are turning to Thy kingdom and seeking Thy grace and bounty.
O Son of Light! Forget all save Me, and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command.

Justice

Know verily, that the essence of justice, and the source thereof, are both embodied in the ordinances prescribed by Him who is the Manifestation of the Self of God amongst men.
O Son of Justice! Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved?
O My Friends! Walk ye in the good pleasure of the ways of the friends and know that His pleasure is in the pleasure of His creatures.
O People of the Earth! Know ye that justice consisteth of innumerable degrees and incalculable meanings.
Since Thou hast revealed Thy grace, O my God, deter not Thy servants from directing their eyes toward it.
Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner.
Whoso cleavers to justice can under no circumstances transgress the limits of moderation. 
O Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things in My sight is justice…Verily justice is My gift to Thee, and a sign of my lovingkindness.
Justice is vital to the establishment of unity and harmony at all levels of society, as it provides the standard of individual conduct and collective effort are judged.

Divine Springtime

We are saplings which have been planted by the fingers of thy bounty and have been formed by the water and clay of thy tender affection.
Grant by Thy bounty that they may not be kept back from Thee. Make them able to soar in the atmosphere of Thy nearness.
Thank God that ye have come into existence in this radiant century wherein the bestowals of God are appearing from all directions.
The day has come when all darkness is to be dispelled, and the Sun of Truth shall shine forth radiantly… For verily, this is the spring season of God.
In the spring, there are clouds which send down the precious rain, the musk-scented breezes and the life giving zephyrs.
This period of time is the promised age… Soon the whole world, as in springtime, will change its garb.
The first stirrings of the spring of Thy grace have appeared, and clothed Thy earth.
Every time I turn my gaze to Thine earth, Baha’u’llah addresses God, I am made to recognize the evidences of Thy power and the tokens of Thy bounty.

He is the prayer hearing, prayer answering God

It will be even as meeting Him face to face.  
 The nature of the soul after death can never be described.
It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world.
Create in me a pure heart, O my God.
He is the prayer hearing, prayer answering God.
I hear thou art grieved and distressed by the happenings of the world.
Thou hast brought into being all created things through the power of thy behest.
Unto Thee I repair for refuge and toward all Thy signs I have set me heart.
I am with you in all that you do, even in the most menial task.
 Thou hast breathed over the friends in the West, the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit.

I have fasted for the love of Thee

Whatever duty Thou hast prescribed unto thy servants… is but a token of grace unto them. 
The sword of upright conduct and a goodly character is sharper than blades of steel.
Fasting is the supreme remedy and the most healing for the disease of self and passion.
I have believed in Thee after Thou hast enabled me to know Thyself. I have embraced His truth, and the truth of all the wondrous laws and precepts that have been set down by Him.
This fast leadeth to the cleansing of the soul from all selfish desires. Fasting is the cause of the elevation of one’s spiritual station.
Send down upon me and upon them who are in my company, that which will enable us to soar into the heavens of Thy transcendent glory.
O Divine Providence, shield and protect my soul and fast from the mention of all else besides thee.

Unity

O divine providence, this assemblage is composed of Thy friends who are attracted to Thy beauty and are set ablaze by the fire of Thy love.
This century, the century of lights, has been endowed with unique and unprecedented glory, power, and illumination. The first candle is unity in the political realm.
O God my God, aid Thou Thy trusted servants to have loving and tender hearts.
O sincere servant of the True One, I hear thou art grieved and distressed at the happenings of the world and the visissitudes of fortune.
Let there be no mistake, the principle of oneness of mankind, the pivot round which all the teachings of Baha’u’llah revolve…calls for reconstruction and demilitarization of the whole civilized world.
Diversity endows the human family with richness. Just as different colored flowers enrich a garden, diversity gives society natural beauty and strength. Unity in diversity, not uniformity, is thus the watchword for Baha’i teachings.
O Lord, conceal not the light which Thou hast revealed through Thy strength and Thy omnipotence. Assist me then, and those who truly believe in Thee, with the hosts of the seen and the unseen.
My utmost desire, firstly, is the accord, and union, and love of the believers, and after that, of all the peoples of the world.
Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose.
Truth has many aspects, but it remains always and forever, one.

Wealth

May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer, and my soul be a ransom for the adversities Thou didst sustain.
This century, the century of light, hath been endowed with unique and unprecedented glory, power, and illumination.
Certainly, with some being enormously rich, and others lamentably poor, an organization is necessary to control and improve this state of affairs.
Baha’u’llah is unequivocally clear in His assertion that true wealth is spiritual wealth.
The teachings of Baha’u’llah advocate voluntary sharing, and this is a greater thing than the equalization of wealth.
Given the vital role of economic activity in the advancement of civilization, visible evidence of the pace at which development is  progressing, will be the extent to which women gain access to  all avenues of economic endeavor.
May we all follow Thy pathway, long for Thy good pleasure, and seek the mysteries of Thy kingdom.

Loneliness

I bear withness that he who hath known Ye hath known God.
Thou didst lift their parched lips to the water of union. Thou dost calm their pain with the balm of Thy bounty and grace.
At the innermost core of all loneliness is a deep and powerful yearning for union with one’s lost self.
The darkness of this gloomy night shall pass away. Again the sun of reality will dawn from the horizon of the heart. Have patience.
I am nearer than you think, richly present in all your moments. Ask Me to open your eyes, so that you can find me everywhere.
This is a broken winged bird and his filght is very slow. Assist him that he may fly toward the apex of prosperity and salvation.
Thou hearest the sigh of those who, though they long to behold Thy face, are yet separated from Thee.
Oh Lord, the ocean of rebellion is surging, and these tempests will not be stilled, save through Thy boundless grace.