Prayers and Meditations — §141

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 141 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

إِلَيْكَ يا مَنْ بِيَدِكَ جَبَروُتُ الآياتِ وَمَلَكُوتُ الأَسْمآءِ وَالصِّفاتِ، خُذْ يا إِلهِي يَدَ هذا المُقْبِلِ الَّذِيْ أَقْبَلَ إِلى وَجْهِكَ ثُمَّ أَنْقِذْهُ مِنْ غَمَراتِ الأَوْهامِ لِيَطْلَعَ مِنْ أُفُقِ قَلْبِهِ نُورُ الإِيْقانِ فِي الأَيَّامِ الَّتِيْ فِيها أَظْلَمَتْ شَمْسُ عِرفانِ خَلْقِكَ عِنْدَ إِشْراقِ شَمْسِ أَحَدِيَّتِكَ وَخَسَفَ قَمَرُ العِلْمِ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ عِلْمِكَ المَكْنُونِ وَسِرِّكَ المَصُونِ وَرَمْزِكَ المَخْزُونِ وَسَقَطَتْ أَنْجُمُ الأَعْمالِ عِنْدَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Hold Thou the hand of this seeker who hath set his face towards Thee, O my Lord, and draw him out of the depths of his vain imaginations, that the light of certainty may shine brightly above the horizon of his heart in the days whereon the sun of the knowledge of Thy creatures hath been darkened through the shining of the Daystar of Thy glory; the days whereon the moon of the world’s wisdom hath been eclipsed through the appearance of Thy hidden knowledge, and the manifestation of Thy well-guarded secret, and the revelation of Thine enshrined mystery; the days whereon the stars of men’s doings have fallen through the rising of the orb of Thy unity and the shedding of the radiance of Thy transcendent oneness.

Translation Notes

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y

literal: one; a single

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

مِنْ

m-n → “of the depths of”

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

جَبَروُتُ

j-b-r

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

الآياتِ

ʾ-y-y

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof

وَمَلَكُوتُ

m-l-k

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

الأَسْمآءِ

s-m-w

literal: to name, to nominate, to designate, to appoint

وَالصِّفاتِ،

w-ṣ-f

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

خُذْ

ʾ-kh-dh → “Hold Thou” Distinctive

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my Lord” Distinctive

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

يَدَ

y-d-y → “hand”

literal: it is necessary; it behooves; one must

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “of this seeker”

literal: this; that

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

أَقْبَلَ

q-b-l → “set his face towards Thee” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

وَجْهِكَ

w-j-h

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أَنْقِذْهُ

n-q-dh → “Save” Distinctive

literal: to rescue; to save; to snatch away

غَمَراتِ

gh-m-r

literal: to immerse; to submerge; depths; ocean

الأَوْهامِ

w-h-m → “his vain imaginations”

literal: to imagine, suppose; fancy, idle imagination

لِيَطْلَعَ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “may shine brightly”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

قَلْبِهِ

q-l-b → “of his heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

نُورُ

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

الإِيْقانِ

y-q-n → “of certainty”

literal: certainty; certitude; conviction

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in it; in them

الأَيَّامِ

y-w-m → “days”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

أَظْلَمَتْ

ẓ-l-m → “hath been darkened”

literal: wronged; injustice; darkness

شَمْسُ

sh-m-s → “sun”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

عِرفانِ

ʿ-r-f → “of the knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

خَلْقِكَ

kh-l-q → “of Thy creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d → “possess” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

إِشْراقِ

sh-r-q

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

أَحَدِيَّتِكَ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “of Thy glory”

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

وَخَسَفَ

kh-s-f → “disruption”

literal: sinking; subsidence; disruption

قَمَرُ

q-m-r → “moon”

literal: moon

العِلْمِ

ʿ-l-m → “of the world’s wisdom” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “revelation”

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

المَكْنُونِ

k-n-n

literal: to do; to make; to perform

وَسِرِّكَ

s-r-r → “mystery” Distinctive

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

المَصُونِ

ṣ-w-n → “insure the protection” Distinctive

literal: to guard; to protect; to preserve

وَرَمْزِكَ

r-m-z → “mysteries”

literal: symbolic; hidden; mysterious

المَخْزُونِ

kh-z-n → “treasury” Distinctive

literal: to store, to treasure; storehouse, depository, treasury

وَسَقَطَتْ

s-q-ṭ → “have fallen”

literal: dropping; omitting; falsifying; interpolating

أَنْجُمُ

n-j-m → “stars”

literal: star

الأَعْمالِ

ʿ-m-l → “of men’s doings”

literal: to work; to act; to do; to perform

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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