Prayers and Meditations — §184

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 184 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

يا إِلهَ الغَيْبِ وَالشُّهُودِ وَمُرَبِّيَ الوُجُودِ أَسْئَلُكَ بِسَلْطَنَتِكَ المَكْنُونَةِ عَنِ الأَنْظارِ بِأَنْ تُظْهِرَ مِنْ كُلِّ الجِهَاتِ آياتِ عِناياتِكَ وَظُهُوراتِ أَلْطافِكَ لأقُومَ بِالرَّوْحِ وَالرَّيْحانِ عَلَى بَدائِعِ ذِكْرِكَ يا رَحْمنُ وَأُحَرِّكَ الأَشْيَاءَ بِاسْمِكَ وَأُوقِدَ نارَ البَيانِ بَيْنَ خَلقِكَ عَلَى شَأْنٍ تَمْلأُ الآفَاقَ أَنْوارُ بَهائِكَ وَيَشْتَعِلُ الوُجُودُ بِنارِ أَمْرِكَ أَيْ رَبِّ لا تَطْوِ البِساطَ الَّذِيْ انْبَسَطَ بِاسْمِكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O Thou the Lord of the visible and the invisible, and the Enlightener of all creation! I beseech Thee, by Thy sovereignty which is hid from the eyes of men, to reveal in all directions the signs of Thy manifold blessings and the tokens of Thy loving-kindness, that I may arise with exultation and rapture and extol Thy wondrous virtues, O Thou the Most Merciful, and stir up by Thy name all created things, and so kindle the fire of Thy glorification amidst Thy creatures, that all the world may be filled with the brightness of the light of Thy glory, and all existence be inflamed with the fire of Thy Cause.

Translation Notes

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

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

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “Lord”

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

الغَيْبِ

gh-y-b → “invisible”

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

وَالشُّهُودِ

sh-h-d → “visible”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

وَمُرَبِّيَ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: father; paternal

الوُجُودِ

w-j-d → “creation”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِسَلْطَنَتِكَ

s-l-ṭ → “Thy sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

المَكْنُونَةِ

k-n-n → “hid”

literal: to do; to make; to perform

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الأَنْظارِ

n-ẓ-r → “the eyes”

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُظْهِرَ

ẓ-h-r → “reveal” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

مِنْ

m-n → “in” Distinctive

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

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الجِهَاتِ

j-h-h → “directions”

literal: direction; aspect; side; regard

آياتِ

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

عِناياتِكَ

ʿ-n-y → “loving-kindness” Distinctive

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

أَلْطافِكَ

l-ṭ-f → “Thy loving-kindness” Distinctive

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

لأقُومَ

q-w-m → “arise”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

بِالرَّوْحِ

r-w-ḥ → “spirit”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “and extol Thy”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

بَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

ذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “virtues” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

رَحْمنُ

r-ḥ-m → “Most Merciful” Distinctive

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَأُحَرِّكَ

ḥ-r-k → “move” Distinctive

literal: move; movement; mover

الأَشْيَاءَ

sh-y-ʾ → “all created things”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “by Thy name”

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

وَأُوقِدَ

w-q-d → “kindled”

literal: kindle; kindled; kindled, burning

نارَ

n-ʾ-r → “fire”

literal: light; illumination

البَيانِ

b-y-n → “utterance”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident

خَلقِكَ

kh-l-q → “Thy creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n

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

تَمْلأُ

m-l-ʾ → “Concourse” Distinctive

literal: assembly; assembly/people; concourse

الآفَاقَ

ʾ-f-q → “all the world”

literal: horizon, direction, region; horizon; sun

أَنْوارُ

n-w-r → “brightness” Distinctive

literal: light; illumination

بَهائِكَ

b-h-w → “glory”

literal: glory; most glorious; most-glorious

وَيَشْتَعِلُ

sh-ʿ-l → “inflamed” Distinctive

literal: to kindle, burn, be inflamed; to blaze

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَطْوِ

ṭ-w-y

literal: fold; folded; the letter Ṭá

البِساطَ

b-s-ṭ

literal: carpet; mat; carpet of realm; expanse; table; surface

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y

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

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