Prayers and Meditations — §166

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 166 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

َّتِكَ وَتَبَلْبَلَ بِما اعْتَرَتْهُمُ الأَحْزانُ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ أَمْرِكَ وَتَمَوُّجِ أَبْحُرِ فَضْلِكَ وَأَلْطافِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ مِنْ زَفَراتِ قُلُوبِهِمْ ارْتَفَعَتْ زَفْرَتِي وَمِنْ احْتِراقِ قُلُوبِهِمْ احْتَرَقَ قَلْبِيْ، أَسْئَلُكَ يا مالِكَ الوُجُودِ وَمُرَبِّيَ الغَيْبِ وَالشُّهُودِ بِأَنْ تَجْعَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The power of Thy might beareth me witness! My heart hath melted by reason of my love for them that are dear to Thee, and my soul is laden with anguish for the sorrows which have afflicted them at the revelation of Thy Cause and the appearance of the billowing oceans of Thy grace and favors. The sighs they uttered, O my Lord, have caused my sighs to ascend towards Thee, and the burning of their hearts hath consumed mine own heart within me.

Translation Notes

َّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z

literal: glory; mighty; might

وَتَبَلْبَلَ

b-l-b-l → “nightingales” Distinctive

literal: confusion; mixture of languages; disorder

بِما

m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

اعْتَرَتْهُمُ

ʿ-r-w → “which is afflicted” Distinctive

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

الأَحْزانُ

ḥ-z-n → “the sorrows”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d → “at” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “revelation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “of Thy Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وَتَمَوُّجِ

m-w-j → “surged”

literal: wave; waves; surge

أَبْحُرِ

b-ḥ-r → “billowing oceans”

literal: sea; ocean

فَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “of Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

وَأَلْطافِكَ،

l-ṭ-f → “and favors”

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

مِنْ

m-n → “of”

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

زَفَراتِ

z-f-r → “sighs”

literal: sigh; sob; lamentation

قُلُوبِهِمْ

q-l-b → “their hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ارْتَفَعَتْ

r-f-ʿ → “raised”

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

احْتِراقِ

ḥ-r-q → “consumed” Distinctive

literal: to burn; to be consumed by fire; burning

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

يا

y-ʾ

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

مالِكَ

m-l-k

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

الوُجُودِ

w-j-d

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

الغَيْبِ

gh-y-b

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

وَالشُّهُودِ

sh-h-d → “witness” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَجْعَ

j-ʿ-l

literal: make; made; to make

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