Prayers and Meditations — §140

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 140 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لِيُقْبِلُوا إِلَيْكَ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ مَظْهَرِ أَسْمَائِكَ وَصِفاتِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ فَانْظُرْ هذا الفَقِيرَ بِلَحَظاتِ أَعْيُنِ غَنَائِكَ وَنَوِّرْ قَلْبَهُ بِنُورِ مَعْرِفَتِكَ لِيَعْرِفَ حَقائِقَ اللاَّهُوتِ وَأَسْرارَ الجَبَرُوتِ وَظُهُوراتِ المَلَكُوتِ وَشُئُوناتِ النَّاسُوتِ تِلْقاءَ ظُهُورِ مَظْهَرِ نَفْسِكَ، ثُمَّ اجْعَلْهُ يا إِلهِي مُقْبِلاً إِلى أُفُقِ عِنايَتِكَ وَمُسْتَقِيمًا عَلَى حُبِّكَ وَناطِقًا بِذِكْرِكَ وَمُتَمَسِّكًا بِحَبْلِ حُبِّكَ وَمُتَشَبِّثًا بِذَيْلِ كَرَمِكَ وَمُنادِيًا بِاسْمِكَ بَيْنَ خَلْقِكَ وَمُثْنِيًا بِثَنائِكَ فِيْ دِيارِكَ عَلَى شَأْنٍ لا تَمْنَعُهُ الأَحْجابُ عَنِ اسْمِكَ الوَهَّابِ وَلا تَحْجُبُهُ السُّبُحَاتُ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Cast upon this poor and desolate creature, O my Lord, the glance of Thy wealth, and flood his heart with the beams of Thy knowledge, that he may apprehend the verities of the unseen world, and discover the mysteries of Thy heavenly realm, and perceive the signs and tokens of Thy kingdom, and behold the manifold revelations of this earthly life all set forth before the face of Him Who is the Revealer of Thine own Self. Direct, then, his eyes, O my God, towards the horizon of Thy loving-kindness, and make steadfast his heart in its attachment to Thee, and unloose his tongue to praise Thee, and make him able to hold fast the cord of Thy love, and to cling to the hem of Thy bounteousness, and to proclaim Thy name amidst Thy creatures, and to recount Thy virtues throughout Thy realm, in such wise that no obstacle will deter him from turning to Thy name, the All-Bountiful, and no veil shut him out from Thee, in Whose hand is the dominion of utterance and the kingdom of all names and attributes!

Translation Notes

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

أَسْمَائِكَ

s-m-w → “names”

literal: name; title; designation

وَصِفاتِكَ،

w-ṣ-f → “attributes”

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O my” Distinctive

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

فَانْظُرْ

n-ẓ-r → “Consider”

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

الفَقِيرَ

f-q-r → “poor”

literal: poor; needy; the poor one; pauper

بِلَحَظاتِ

l-ḥ-ẓ → “glance”

literal: to observe; to consider; to note; observation

أَعْيُنِ

ʿ-y-n → “eyes”

literal: eye; eyes; appointed

غَنَائِكَ

gh-n-y → “wealth”

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

وَنَوِّرْ

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

قَلْبَهُ

q-l-b → “heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

مَعْرِفَتِكَ

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

حَقائِقَ

ḥ-q-q → “verities” Distinctive

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

اللاَّهُوتِ

l-h-t → “the unseen world”

literal: divine nature; Godhead; divinity; theistic

وَأَسْرارَ

s-r-r → “and discover the mysteries”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

الجَبَرُوتِ

j-b-r → “heavenly realm”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

وَظُهُوراتِ

ẓ-h-r → “and perceive the signs and tokens of” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

المَلَكُوتِ

m-l-k → “Thy kingdom”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

وَشُئُوناتِ

sh-ʾ-n → “station” Distinctive

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

النَّاسُوتِ

n-w-s → “men” Distinctive

literal: human nature; humanity; the physical or material realm; corporeality

تِلْقاءَ

l-q-y → “set forth before”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

نَفْسِكَ،

n-f-s → “of Thine own Self”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

اجْعَلْهُ

j-ʿ-l → “make” Distinctive

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

مُقْبِلاً

q-b-l → “towards”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

literal: one; a single

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

عِنايَتِكَ

ʿ-n-y → “loving-kindness”

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

وَمُسْتَقِيمًا

q-w-m → “steadfast his heart”

literal: rising; standing; resurrection; uprising; establishment

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “in its attachment to Thee”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

حُبِّكَ

ḥ-b-b → “love”

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

وَناطِقًا

n-ṭ-q → “spoken” Distinctive

literal: to speak; to utter; to pronounce; to articulate

بِذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “to praise Thee”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

وَمُتَمَسِّكًا

m-s-k → “hold fast” Distinctive

literal: musk; to seize; grip; to hold fast; to cling to; to grasp

بِحَبْلِ

ḥ-b-l → “cord”

literal: cord; rope; bond; connection

وَمُتَشَبِّثًا

sh-b-th → “clung” Distinctive

literal: to cling to; to grasp; to hold fast

بِذَيْلِ

dh-y-l → “hem”

literal: hem; skirt; tail; border

كَرَمِكَ

k-r-m → “bounteousness” Distinctive

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field

وَمُنادِيًا

n-d-y → “to proclaim”

literal: call; voice; proclamation; forty; forty years

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “amidst”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

خَلْقِكَ

kh-l-q → “creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

وَمُثْنِيًا

th-n-y → “praise” Distinctive

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy; glorification; praise, commendation, eulogy

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

دِيارِكَ

d-w-r → “far” Distinctive

literal: home; place; land; abode

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n

لا

l-ʾ → “no”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَمْنَعُهُ

m-n-ʿ → “deter” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

الأَحْجابُ

ḥ-j-b → “veils”

literal: stone; rock

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الوَهَّابِ

w-h-b → “gifts” Distinctive

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

وَلا

w-l-y → “no”

literal: friend; lord; guardian

السُّبُحَاتُ

s-b-ḥ → “Glorified” Distinctive

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted

التَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h → “turning”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶