Prayers and Meditations — §165

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 165 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

فاتَ عَنْهُمْ فِيْ أَيَّامِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ هؤلآءِ عِبادُكَ الَّذِينَ هاجَرُوا فِيْ حُبِّكَ وَحَمَلُوا القَضايا فِيْ سَبِيلِكَ، وَعِزَّتِكَ يا إِلهِي كُلَّما يُقِرُّ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ بِجَرِيراتِهِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ يُغَطِّي الحَياءُ وَجْهَ البَهَاءِ لأَنَّهُمْ عِبادُكَ الَّذِينَ ذاقُوا كَأْسَ البَلآءِ فِيْ أَمْرِكَ وَشَرِبُوا أَكْوابَ البَأْسآءِ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ أَنْوارِ وَجْهِكَ وَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الشَّدائِدُ عَلَى شَأْنٍ ما اسْتَراحُوا فِيْ جِوارِكَ، وَعِزَّتِكَ قَدْ ذابَ البَهآءُ حُبًّا لأَحِب

Shoghi Effendi Translation

These are Thy servants, O my Lord, who for love of Thee have abandoned their homes, and sustained the tribulations decreed by Thee in Thy path. I swear by Thy glory! Every time any one of them testifieth before Thee to his evil doings, shame covereth my face, for they are Thy servants who have tasted of the cup of woe in Thy Cause, who have quaffed from the chalice of adversity when the light of Thy countenance was lifted upon them, and who were so vexed by trials that peace was utterly denied them within the precincts of Thy court.

Translation Notes

فاتَ

f-w-t

literal: to neglect; to fail; to abandon; to waste

عَنْهُمْ

ʿ-n-d → “Thee”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

فِيْ

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَيَّامِكَ،

y-w-m

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

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “O my Lord”

literal: love; affection

هؤلآءِ

h-ʾ-l → “these”

literal: these

عِبادُكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

هاجَرُوا

h-j-r → “remoteness” Distinctive

literal: to set in motion, to excite, to stir; to blow (of winds)

حُبِّكَ

ḥ-b-b → “love of Thee”

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

وَحَمَلُوا

ḥ-m-l → “and sustained”

literal: to bear; to endure; to carry; to tolerate

القَضايا

q-ḍ-y → “the tribulations decreed”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

سَبِيلِكَ،

s-b-l → “in Thy path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

وَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “I swear by Thy glory”

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

يا

y-ʾ

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h

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

كُلَّما

k-l-l → “Every time”

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

يُقِرُّ

q-r-r → “testifieth”

literal: abode; place; established

أَحَدٌ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “any one”

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

مِنْهُمْ

m-n → “of them”

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

بِجَرِيراتِهِ

j-r-r → “mighty sins” Distinctive

literal: sin; transgression; crime; that which is drawn or dragged

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “before” Distinctive

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

يَدَيْكَ

y-d-y → “Thee”

literal: hand; power; action; possession

يُغَطِّي

gh-ṭ-y → “shame covereth”

literal: covers; veil; cover, conceal

الحَياءُ

ḥ-y-y

literal: greeting; salutation; tribute; to make alive; to revive

وَجْهَ

w-j-h → “my face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

البَهَاءِ

b-h-w

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

لأَنَّهُمْ

ʾ-n-n → “that” Distinctive

literal: that; because; inasmuch as

ذاقُوا

dh-w-q → “tasted”

literal: establishment; setting up; standing firm

كَأْسَ

k-ʾ-s → “cup”

literal: cup; chalice; goblet

البَلآءِ

b-l-w → “of woe” Distinctive

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “in Thy Cause”

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

وَشَرِبُوا

sh-r-b → “have quaffed”

literal: to drink; to imbibe

أَكْوابَ

k-w-b → “gallon-measure” Distinctive

literal: pitcher; pot

البَأْسآءِ

b-ʾ-s → “Wretched” Distinctive

literal: worst; evil; bad; other than; besides; save; except

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

أَنْوارِ

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

وَأَخَذَتْهُمُ

ʾ-kh-dh → “laid hold” Distinctive

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

الشَّدائِدُ

sh-d-d → “tribulations”

literal: strong; severe; intense; violent

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n → “that”

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

ما

m-ʾ

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

اسْتَراحُوا

r-w-ḥ → “peace was utterly denied them”

literal: spirit; spiritual; soul

جِوارِكَ،

j-w-r → “precincts of Thy court”

literal: to neighbor; to adjoin; to dwell near

قَدْ

q-d

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

ذابَ

dh-w-b

literal: to melt; to waste away

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶