Prayers and Meditations — §142

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 142 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ظُهُورِ نُورِ فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ وَتَجَلِّي عِزِّ وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ، أَسْئَلُكَ يا إِلهِي بِالكَلِمَةِ العُلْيا الَّتِيْ جَعَلْتَها إِكْسِيرًا فِيْ مَمْلَكَتِكَ وَبِهِ انْقَلَبَ نُحاسُ الوُجُودِ بِالذَّهَبِ الإِبْرِيزِ يا مَنْ بِيَدِكَ مَلَكُوتُ الغَيْبِ وَالشُّهُودِ بِأَنْ تَجْعَلَ مُخْتارِي ما اخْتَرْتَهُ وَمُرادِيْ ما أَرَدْتَهُ لأَكُونَ راضِيًا بِرِضائِكَ وَبِما قَدَّرْتَهُ لِي بِجُودِكَ وَإِحْسانِكَ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I beg of Thee, O my God, by Thy most exalted Word which Thou hast ordained as the Divine Elixir unto all who are in Thy realm, the Elixir through whose potency the crude metal of human life hath been transmuted into purest gold, O Thou in Whose hands are both the visible and invisible kingdoms, to ordain that my choice be conformed to Thy choice and my wish to Thy wish, that I may be entirely content with that which Thou didst desire, and be wholly satisfied with what Thou didst destine for me by Thy bounteousness and favor. Potent art Thou to do as Thou willest. Thou, in very truth, art the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.

Translation Notes

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r

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

نُورِ

n-w-r

literal: light; illumination

فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ

f-r-d

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

وَتَجَلِّي

j-l-w

literal: effulgence; manifestation; revelation; manifestation, revelation, appearance

عِزِّ

ʿ-z-z → “All-Glorious” Distinctive

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ،

w-ḥ-d

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

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I beg of Thee” Distinctive

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

بِالكَلِمَةِ

k-l-m → “by Thy most exalted Word”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

العُلْيا

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

جَعَلْتَها

j-ʿ-l → “hast ordained”

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

إِكْسِيرًا

إكسير (non-Arabic) → “Divine Elixir”

literal: breaking; ravening; destructive

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

مَمْلَكَتِكَ

m-l-k → “Thy realm”

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

وَبِهِ

b-h → “as”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

انْقَلَبَ

q-l-b → “hearts” Distinctive

literal: to turn; to overturn; to reverse

نُحاسُ

n-ḥ-s → “copper”

literal: copper; brass; base metal

الوُجُودِ

w-j-d → “being”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

بِالذَّهَبِ

dh-h-b → “into purest gold”

literal: religion; creed; doctrine; belief; sect

الإِبْرِيزِ

b-r-z

literal: manifestation; emergences; appearance

مَنْ

m-n → “Thou in Whose” Distinctive

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

بِيَدِكَ

y-d-y → “hands”

literal: it is necessary; it behooves; one must

الغَيْبِ

gh-y-b → “invisible”

literal: the unseen; the invisible; the hidden; the unknowable; stranger; foreign; alien; separated

وَالشُّهُودِ

sh-h-d → “visible”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to ordain that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مُخْتارِي

kh-t-r → “Unconstrained” Distinctive

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

اخْتَرْتَهُ

kh-y-r → “good” Distinctive

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

وَمُرادِيْ

r-y-d → “my wish”

literal: rebellion; mutiny; revolt

لأَكُونَ

k-w-n → “I may be” Distinctive

literal: to vex; to harm; to beset

راضِيًا

r-ḍ-y → “entirely content” Distinctive

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction; satisfaction; pleasure; approval; contentment

وَبِما

m-w-h → “water” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

قَدَّرْتَهُ

q-d-r → “Thou didst destine” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

لِي

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: for us; to us

بِجُودِكَ

j-w-d → “Thy bounteousness” Distinctive

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

وَإِحْسانِكَ،

ḥ-s-n → “and favor”

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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160 ¶

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59 ¶