Prayers and Meditations — §17

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 17 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لَمِ العَلِيلِ أَشْتَغِلُ بِذِكْرِكَ، هَلْ مِنْ ذِي بَصَرٍ يا إِلهِي لِيَراكَ بِعَيْنِكَ. وَهَلْ مِنْ ذِي ظَمَأٍ يَتَوَجَّهُ إِلى كَوْثَرِ حُبِّكَ، وَأَنَا الَّذِيْ يا إِلهِي مَحَوْتُ عَنْ قَلْبِي ذِكْرَ دُونِكَ وَكَتَبْتُ عَلَيهِ أَسْرارَ حُبِّكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ لَوْلا البَلايا لَمْ يَظْهَرِ الامْتِيازُ بَيْنَ عِبادِكَ المُوْقِنِينَ وَالمُرِيبِينَ، إِنَّ الَّذِينَهُمْ سَكِرُوا مِنْ خَمْرِ مَعَارِفِكَ، أُولئِكَ يُسْرِعُونَ إِلى البَلايا شَوْقًا لِلِقائِكَ، أَسْئَلُكَ يا مَحْبُوبَ قَلْبِي وَالمَذْكورُ فِيْ صَدْرِي بِأَنْ تَحْفَظَ أَحِبَّائِي مِنْ شائِبَةِ النَّفْسِ وَالهَوی، ثُمَّ ارْزُقْهُمْ خَيْرَ الآخِرَةِ وَالأُولی، وَإِنَّكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Is there any man of insight, O my God, that can behold Thee with Thine own eye, and where is the thirsty one who can direct his face towards the living waters of Thy love? I am the one, O my God, who hath blotted out from his heart the remembrance of all except Thee, and hath graven upon it the mysteries of Thy love. Thine own might beareth me witness! But for tribulations, how could the assured be distinguished from the doubters among Thy servants? They who have been inebriated with the wine of Thy knowledge, these, verily, hasten to meet every manner of adversity in their longing to pass into Thy presence. I implore Thee, O Beloved of my heart and the Object of my soul’s adoration, to shield them that love me from the faintest trace of evil and corrupt desires. Supply them, then, with the good of this world and of the next.

Translation Notes

لَمْ

l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

العَلِيلِ

ʿ-l-l

literal: cause; reason; illness; defect

أَشْتَغِلُ

sh-gh-l

literal: to occupy; to engage; to busy; occupation

هَلْ

h-l → “people” Distinctive

literal: interrogative particle; whether; is it that

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

ذِي

dh-w-y → “of” Distinctive

literal: possessor; possessor of; possessor/owner

بَصَرٍ

b-ṣ-r → “insight”

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

لِيَراكَ

r-ʾ-y → “that can behold Thee”

literal: see; to see; see/behold

بِعَيْنِكَ.

ʿ-y-n → “with Thine own eye”

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

ظَمَأٍ

ẓ-m-ʾ → “thirsty” Distinctive

literal: thirsty; thirst

يَتَوَجَّهُ

w-j-h → “face” Distinctive

literal: face; attention; turning

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “face towards”

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

كَوْثَرِ

k-w-th-r → “living waters”

literal: abundance; river of paradise; the Kawthar

حُبِّكَ،

ḥ-b-b → “of Thy love”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

وَأَنَا

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: I; ego; self; myself

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

مَحَوْتُ

m-ḥ-w → “who hath blotted out”

literal: erasure; effaced; effacement

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from his”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

قَلْبِي

q-l-b → “heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ذِكْرَ

dh-k-r → “remembrance” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

دُونِكَ

d-w-n → “of all except Thee”

literal: below; lower than; beneath

وَكَتَبْتُ

k-t-b → “and hath graven” Distinctive

literal: book; scripture; writing

عَلَيهِ

ʿ-l-y → “upon it”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أَسْرارَ

s-r-r → “mysteries”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “Thine own might” Distinctive

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

لَوْلا

w-l-y → “But for” Distinctive

literal: were it not for; if not for; save for

البَلايا

b-l-w → “tribulations”

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

يَظْهَرِ

ẓ-h-r → “be distinguished” Distinctive

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

الامْتِيازُ

m-y-z → “distinguish”

literal: to distinguish; to differentiate; to discern

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “from the doubters among”

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

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

المُوْقِنِينَ

y-q-n

literal: to be certain; to know with certainty

وَالمُرِيبِينَ،

r-y-b

literal: doubt, suspicion, uncertainty; doubt; suspicion

سَكِرُوا

s-k-r → “inebriated”

literal: intoxication; drunkenness; agony/stupor

خَمْرِ

kh-m-r → “wine”

literal: wine; intoxicating drink

مَعَارِفِكَ،

ʿ-r-f → “of Thy knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

أُولئِكَ

ʾ-w-l → “first” Distinctive

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

يُسْرِعُونَ

s-r-ʿ → “hasten to meet”

literal: hasten; hastened; hasten/hurry

شَوْقًا

sh-w-q → “their longing”

literal: to encourage; to incite; yearning; enthusiasm

لِلِقائِكَ،

l-q-y → “Thy presence”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I implore Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

فِيْ

f-y → “of” Distinctive

literal: in; in-it; in it

صَدْرِي

ṣ-d-r → “breasts” Distinctive

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

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; indeed; moment

تَحْفَظَ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “shield” Distinctive

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

شائِبَةِ

sh-w-b → “faintest trace”

literal: impurity; trace, blemish; trace

النَّفْسِ

n-f-s → “of evil” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche

وَالهَوی،

h-w-y → “and corrupt desires”

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

ارْزُقْهُمْ

r-z-q → “Supply them”

literal: provide; sustenance; provided

خَيْرَ

kh-y-r → “with the good”

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

الآخِرَةِ

ʾ-kh-r → “of this world” Distinctive

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

وَالأُولی،

ʾ-w-l → “this world”

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

وَإِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; indeed; moment

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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160 ¶

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59 ¶