Prayers and Meditations — §135

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 135 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ِكَ، مَرَّةً أَظْهَرْتَهُ يا إِلهِي وَزَيَّنْتَ هَيْكَلَهُ بِطِرازِ اسْمِ الكَلِيمِ وَأَظْهَرْتَ مِنْهُ ما أَرَدْتَهُ بِمَشِيَّتِكَ وَقَدَّرْتَهُ بِتَقْدِيرِكَ، وَطَوْرًا زَيَّنْتَهُ بِاسْمِ الرُّوحِ وَأَنْزَلْتَهُ مِنْ سَمآءِ مَشِيَّتِكَ لِتَرْبِيَةِ بَرِيَّتِكَ وَبِهِ نَفَخْتَ رُوحَ الحَيَوانِ فِيْ أَفْئِدَةِ المُقْبِلِينَ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ وَالمُخْلِصيِنَ مِنْ عِبادِكَ، وَتارَةً أَظْهَرْتَهُ بِطِرازِ اسْمِ الحَبِيبِ وَأَشْرَقْتَهُ مِنْ أُفُقِ الحِجازِ إِظْهارًا لأَمْرِكَ وَإِبْرازًا لِقُدْرَتِكَ وَبَلَّغْتَ بِهِ العِبادَ ما يَجْعَلُهُمْ مُرْتَقِيًا إِلى مَعارِجِ تَوْحِيدِكَ وَمُرْتَغِبًا بَدائِعَ عُلُومِكَ وَعِلْمِكَ، أَشْهَدُ يا إِله

Shoghi Effendi Translation

At one time, Thou didst raise Him up, O my God, and didst attire Him with the ornament of the name of Him Who conversed with Thee (Moses), and didst through Him uncover all that Thy will had decreed and Thine irrevocable purpose ordained. At another time, Thou didst adorn Him with the name of Him Who was Thy Spirit (Jesus), and didst send Him down out of the heaven of Thy will, for the edification of Thy people, infusing thereby the spirit of life into the hearts of the sincere among Thy servants and the faithful among Thy creatures. Again, Thou didst reveal Him, decked forth by the name of Him Who was Thy Friend (Muḥammad), and caused Him to shine brightly above the horizon of Hijáz, as a token of Thy power and an evidence of Thy might. Through Him Thou didst send unto Thy servants what enabled them to scale the heights of Thy unity, and to yearn over the wonders of Thy manifold knowledge and wisdom.

Translation Notes

مَرَّةً

m-r-r → “At one time”

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

أَظْهَرْتَهُ

ẓ-h-r → “Thou didst raise Him up” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

literal: God; Allah; deity; Divinity; divine nature; godhood

وَزَيَّنْتَ

z-y-n → “and didst attire” Distinctive

literal: to adorn; ornament; beauty; adornment; embellishment; decoration

هَيْكَلَهُ

h-y-k-l → “Him” Distinctive

literal: temple; structure; form; body

بِطِرازِ

ṭ-r-z → “with the ornament”

literal: ornament; adornment; embroidery; stripe

اسْمِ

s-m-w → “of the name”

literal: name; title; designation

الكَلِيمِ

k-l-m → “Him Who conversed with Thee” Distinctive

literal: all; every; whole; entirety

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

أَرَدْتَهُ

r-y-d → “desire”

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

وَقَدَّرْتَهُ

q-d-r → “Thine irrevocable purpose ordained” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

وَطَوْرًا

ṭ-w-r → “At another time”

literal: states; conditions; stages; modes; phases; manner

الرُّوحِ

r-w-ḥ → “Spirit”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

وَأَنْزَلْتَهُ

n-z-l → “and didst send Him down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

literal: from; out of; than (preposition and particle)

مَشِيَّتِكَ

sh-y-ʾ → “of Thy will”

literal: will; intention; to will; to intend; to wish

لِتَرْبِيَةِ

r-b-y → “education” Distinctive

literal: education; training; was-raised

بَرِيَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ → “of Thy people”

literal: to create; to create anew; to be free from; innocent; free from; clear of; to cure; to heal; to clear

وَبِهِ

b-h → “as”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

نَفَخْتَ

n-f-kh

literal: breath; breathed; blown

الحَيَوانِ

ḥ-y-w → “of life”

literal: life; living being; animal

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَفْئِدَةِ

f-ʾ-d → “hearts”

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind; heart; inner consciousness; mind; one who benefits; advantageous

المُقْبِلِينَ

q-b-l → “of the sincere” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

خَلْقِكَ

kh-l-q → “Thy servants” Distinctive

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

وَالمُخْلِصيِنَ

kh-l-ṣ → “and the faithful” Distinctive

literal: sincere; devoted; pure one

عِبادِكَ،

ʿ-b-d → “Thy creatures” Distinctive

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَتارَةً

t-w-r → “second”

literal: Torah; time; Torah, Pentateuch

الحَبِيبِ

ḥ-b-b → “Thy Friend” Distinctive

literal: love; affection

وَأَشْرَقْتَهُ

sh-r-q → “shine”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

لأَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

وَإِبْرازًا

b-r-z → “revelation” Distinctive

literal: appearance; manifestation; coming forth

وَبَلَّغْتَ

b-l-gh → “teach” Distinctive

literal: to reach; to attain; to deliver; to proclaim

يَجْعَلُهُمْ

j-ʿ-l → “make” Distinctive

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

مُرْتَقِيًا

r-q-y → “ascended” Distinctive

literal: ascension; ascend; advancement

إِلى

ʾ-l-y

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

مَعارِجِ

ʿ-r-j → “heights”

literal: to ascend, climb, mount

تَوْحِيدِكَ

w-ḥ-d → “of Thy unity”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

وَمُرْتَغِبًا

r-gh-b → “spurred him on” Distinctive

literal: desiring; encouragement; desirable

بَدائِعَ

b-d-ʿ → “over the wonders”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

عُلُومِكَ

ʿ-l-m → “of Thy manifold knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

أَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

إِله

ʾ-l-h

literal: God; Allah; deity; Divinity; divine nature; godhood

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