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Prayers and Meditations — §188

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 188 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِاسْمِكَ الأَعْظَمِ الَّذِيْ سُجِنَ فِي العَكَّا وَتَراهُ يا إِلهِي بَيْنَ أَيْدِي الأَعْداءِ وَتَحْتَ سُيُوفِ الأَشْقِيآءِ بِأَنْ تَجْعَلَنِي مُسْتَقِيمًا عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَناظِرًا إِلى شَطْرِهِ فِيْ كُلِّ الأَحْوالِ بِحَيْثُ لا يَمْنَعُنِي شَيْءٌ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلَيْهِ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّهُ فَدى

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Unto Thee be praise, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great Name Who hath been shut up in the prison-town of ‘Akká, and Who—as Thou beholdest, O my God—hath fallen into the hands of His enemies, and is threatened by the swords of the wicked doers, to make me steadfast in His Cause, and to direct mine eyes continually towards His court, in such wise that nothing whatsoever will have the power to turn me back from Him.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ
s-b-ḥ → “Thee be praise” Distinctive

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted; dawn; daybreak; morning

اللَّهُمَّ
ʾ-l-h → “O Lord” Distinctive

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

يا
y-ʾ

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

أَسْئَلُكَ
s-ʾ-l → “I beseech”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِاسْمِكَ
s-m-w → “by Thy”

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

الأَعْظَمِ
ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

الَّذِيْ
l-dh-y → “which”

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

سُجِنَ
s-j-n → “Prison”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison

فِي
f-y → “in the”

literal: in; in-it; in it

وَتَراهُ
r-ʾ-y → “Who—as Thou beholdest”

literal: way; path; road

بَيْنَ
b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

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

أَيْدِي
y-d-y → “hands”

literal: hand; power; action; possession

الأَعْداءِ
ʿ-d-w → “of His enemies”

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

وَتَحْتَ
t-ḥ-t → “beneath”

literal: under; under, beneath; beneath

سُيُوفِ
s-y-f → “by the” Distinctive

literal: sword

الأَشْقِيآءِ
sh-q-y → “swords of the wicked doers”

literal: wretched ones; the miserable; the wicked

بِأَنْ
ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَجْعَلَنِي
j-ʿ-l → “me steadfast” Distinctive

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

مُسْتَقِيمًا
q-w-m → “people” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

عَلَى
ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أَمْرِهِ
ʾ-m-r

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وَناظِرًا
n-ẓ-r → “Consider” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

إِلى
ʾ-l-y → “towards His court”

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

شَطْرِهِ
sh-ṭ-r

literal: side, direction; half; to split

كُلِّ
k-l-l → “nothing whatsoever” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

الأَحْوالِ
ḥ-w-l → “continually” Distinctive

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

بِحَيْثُ
ḥ-y-th

literal: where; in which; inasmuch as; in such wise that; whereby; in that; respect, aspect

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَمْنَعُنِي
m-n-ʿ → “turn me back from”

literal: prevent; prevented; prevention

شَيْءٌ
sh-y-ʾ

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

عَنِ
ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

التَّوَجُّهِ
w-j-h

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلَيْهِ،
ʾ-l-y → “besmirch”

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

أَيْ
ʾ-y-y

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

رَبِّ
r-b-b

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

أَشْهَدُ
sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنَّهُ
ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

فَدى
f-d-y

literal: to sacrifice; to ransom; to redeem

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