Prayers and Meditations — §149

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 149 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِاسْمِكَ الَّذِيْ ما عَرَفَهُ أَحَدٌ حَقَّ العِرْفانِ وَما بَلَغَتْ إِلَيْهِ نَفْسٌ حَقَّ البُلُوغِ، أَسْئَلُكَ بِمَصْدَرِ وَحْيِكَ وَمَطْلَعِ آياتِكَ بِأَنْ تَجْعَلَ قَلْبِيْ إِناءَ حُبِّكَ وَذِكْرِكَ، ثُمَّ اجْعَلْهُ مُتَّصِلاً بِبَحْرِكَ الأَعْظَمِ لِيَجْرِيَ مِنْهُ فُراتُ حِكْمَتِكَ وَأَنْهارُ ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ، تَش

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I implore Thee, by Thy Name which none hath befittingly recognized, and whose import no soul hath fathomed; I beseech Thee, by Him Who is the Fountainhead of Thy Revelation and the Dayspring of Thy signs, to make my heart to be a receptacle of Thy love and of remembrance of Thee. Knit it, then, to Thy most great Ocean, that from it may flow out the living waters of Thy wisdom and the crystal streams of Thy glorification and praise.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Praise be to Thee” Distinctive

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted; dawn; daybreak; morning

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “O Lord my God”

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

يا

literal: O; or

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I implore Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “by Thy Name”

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

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

عَرَفَهُ

ʿ-r-f → “hath befittingly recognized”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

أَحَدٌ

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

حَقَّ

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

بَلَغَتْ

b-l-gh → “teach” Distinctive

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

إِلَيْهِ

literal: to; to him; besmirch

نَفْسٌ

n-f-s → “soul”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

بِمَصْدَرِ

ṣ-d-r → “breasts” Distinctive

literal: to issue, emanate, proceed; issued, emanating

وَحْيِكَ

w-ḥ-y → “of Thy Revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

وَمَطْلَعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

آياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “of Thy signs”

literal: sign; verse; miracle; token; verses; signs; proofs

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

قَلْبِيْ

q-l-b → “my heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

إِناءَ

ʾ-n-w → “receptacle”

literal: vessel; container

حُبِّكَ

ḥ-b-b → “of Thy love”

literal: love; affection

وَذِكْرِكَ،

dh-k-r → “and of remembrance of Thee”

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

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

مُتَّصِلاً

w-ṣ-l → “to” Distinctive

literal: and; union; reach

بِبَحْرِكَ

b-ḥ-r → “Thy most great Ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

الأَعْظَمِ

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

لِيَجْرِيَ

j-r-y → “flow”

literal: trade; commerce; business; to flow; to run; to be in effect; flowing

مِنْهُ

m-n → “from it may”

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

فُراتُ

f-r-t → “living waters”

literal: sweet water; river; the Euphrates

حِكْمَتِكَ

ḥ-k-m → “of Thy wisdom”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

وَأَنْهارُ

n-h-r → “and the crystal streams”

literal: river; to flow

وَثَنائِكَ،

th-n-y → “and praise”

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

تَش

literal: witness; observation; witnessed

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