Prayers and Meditations — §174

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 174 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

يا إِلهِي وَنارِيْ وَنُوْرِيْ قَدْ دَخَلَتِ الأَيَّامُ الَّتِيْ سَمَّيْتَها بِأَيَّامِ الهَاءِ فِيْ كِتابِكَ يا مالِكَ الأَسْماءِ وَتَقَرَّبَتْ أَيَّامُ صِيامِكَ الَّذِيْ فَرَضْتَهُ مِنْ قَلَمِكَ الأَعْلى لِمَنْ فِيْ مَلَكُوتِ الإِنْشاءِ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَسْئَلُكَ بِتِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ وَالَّذِينَ تَمَسَّكوا فِيها بِحَبْلِ أَوامِرِكَ وَعُرْوَةِ أَحْكامِكَ بِأَنْ تَجْعَلَ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ مَقَرًّا فِيْ جِوارِكَ وَمَقامًا لَدى ظُهُورِ نُورِ وَجْهِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ أُولئكَ عِبادٌ ما مَنَعَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

My God, my Fire and my Light! The days which Thou hast named the Ayyám-i-Há (the Days of Há, Intercalary Days) in Thy Book have begun, O Thou Who art the King of names, and the Fast which Thy most exalted Pen hath enjoined unto all who are in the kingdom of Thy creation to observe is approaching. I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such as have during that period clung to the cord of Thy commandments, and laid hold on the handle of Thy precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation of the splendors of the light of Thy countenance.

Translation Notes

يا

y-ʾ → “My” Distinctive

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

وَنارِيْ

n-ʾ-r → “my Fire”

literal: fire; blaze; flame

وَنُوْرِيْ

n-w-r → “and my Light”

literal: light; illumination

قَدْ

q-d → “We have been”

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

دَخَلَتِ

d-kh-l → “have begun” Distinctive

literal: to enter; to admit; to bring in

الأَيَّامُ

y-w-m → “The days”

literal: day; age; period; era

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

سَمَّيْتَها

s-m-y → “Thou hast named”

literal: name; names; named

الهَاءِ

h-w-y → “desires” Distinctive

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

فِيْ

f-y → “in Thy”

literal: in it; in them

كِتابِكَ

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

مالِكَ

m-l-k → “Who art the King”

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

الأَسْماءِ

s-m-w → “of names”

literal: heaven; sky

وَتَقَرَّبَتْ

q-r-b → “is approaching”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

صِيامِكَ

ṣ-w-m

literal: fasting; fast; fasted

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

فَرَضْتَهُ

f-r-ḍ → “hast bidden”

literal: obligatory; incumbent; imposed; prescribed; fixed

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

قَلَمِكَ

q-l-m → “Thy most exalted Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

الأَعْلى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الإِنْشاءِ،

n-sh-ʾ → “of Thy creation”

literal: creation; bringing into existence; establishment

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O my” Distinctive

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I entreat Thee” Distinctive

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِتِلْكَ

t-l-k → “those”

literal: those; that; those (feminine)

تَمَسَّكوا

m-s-k → “clung”

literal: musk; to seize; grip; to hold fast; to cling to; to grasp

بِحَبْلِ

ḥ-b-l → “to the cord”

literal: cord; rope; bond; connection

أَوامِرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “of Thy commandments”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وَعُرْوَةِ

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

literal: handle; rope; firm bond; connection

أَحْكامِكَ

ḥ-k-m → “of Thy precepts”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to grant that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَجْعَلَ

j-ʿ-l → “make” Distinctive

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

لِكُلِّ

k-l-l → “unto every”

literal: for each; for every; to each

نَفْسٍ

n-f-s → “soul”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

مَقَرًّا

q-r-r → “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

جِوارِكَ

j-w-r → “precincts of Thy court”

literal: to neighbor; to adjoin; to dwell near

وَمَقامًا

q-w-m → “and a seat” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

لَدى

l-d-y → “at”

literal: with; in the presence of; from; by

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “revelation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

وَجْهِكَ،

w-j-h → “light of Thy countenance”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

أُولئكَ

ʾ-w-l

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

عِبادٌ

ʿ-b-d

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

ما

m-ʾ

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

مَنَعَ

m-n-ʿ

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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