Prayers and Meditations — §125

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 125 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

فِيْ سَماءِ مَشِيَّتِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ فَأَلْهِمْهُمْ عَجْزَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ تِلْقاءَ مَظْهَرِ نَفْسِكَ وَعَلِّمْهُمْ فَقْرَ ذَواتِهِمْ لَدَى ظُهُوراتِ غَنائِكَ وَاسْتِغْنائِكَ لِيَجْمَعُوا عَلَى أَمْرِكَ وَيَتَشَبَّثُوا بِذَيْلِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَيَتَمَسَّكُوا بِحَبْلِ إِرادَتِكَ،

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Inspire them, O my Lord, with a sense of their own powerlessness before Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self, and teach them to recognize the poverty of their own nature in the face of the manifold tokens of Thy self-sufficiency and riches, that they may gather together round Thy Cause, and cling to the hem of Thy mercy, and cleave to the cord of the good pleasure of Thy will.

Translation Notes

فِيْ

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

سَماءِ

s-m-w

literal: heaven; sky

مَشِيَّتِكَ،

sh-y-ʾ → “will”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

فَأَلْهِمْهُمْ

l-h-m → “Inspire”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

عَجْزَ

ʿ-j-z → “powerlessness”

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence

أَنْفُسِهِمْ

n-f-s → “their own”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

تِلْقاءَ

l-q-y → “before”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

مَظْهَرِ

ẓ-h-r → “Manifestation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

وَعَلِّمْهُمْ

ʿ-l-m → “teach”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

فَقْرَ

f-q-r → “poverty”

literal: poor; needy; the poor one; pauper

ذَواتِهِمْ

dh-w-t → “their own nature”

literal: essence; essence, self; essence/self

لَدَى

l-d-y → “at”

literal: with; in the presence of; from; by

غَنائِكَ

gh-n-y → “wealth”

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with

لِيَجْمَعُوا

j-m-ʿ → “they may gather together”

literal: all; all, entire; group

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وَيَتَشَبَّثُوا

sh-b-th → “clung” Distinctive

literal: cling; clinging; clinging/holding fast

بِذَيْلِ

dh-y-l → “hem”

literal: hem; skirt; tail; border

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَيَتَمَسَّكُوا

m-s-k → “cleave”

literal: hold fast; clinging; cling

بِحَبْلِ

ḥ-b-l → “cord”

literal: cord; rope; bond; connection

إِرادَتِكَ،

r-w-d → “desire” Distinctive

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶