Prayers and Meditations — §217

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 217 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي هَذِهِ أَيّامٌ فِيْها فَرَضْتَ الصِّيامَ لِكُلِّ الأَنامِ، لِيُزَكى بِها أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَيَنْقَطِعُنَّ عَمَّا سِواكَ وَيَصْعَدَ مِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ ما يَكوْنُ لائِقًا لِمَكامِنِ عِزِّ أَحَدِيَّتِكَ وَقابِلاً لِمَقَرِّ ظُهُورِ فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ فَاجْعَلْ هذَا الصِّيامَ كَوْثَرَ الْحَيَوانِ وَقَدِّرْ فِيهِ أَثَرَهُ وَطَهِّرْ بِهِ أَفْئِدَةَ عِبادِكَ الَّذِيْنَ ما مَنَعَهُمْ مَكارِهُ الدُّنْيا عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلى شَطْرِ اسْمِكَ الأَبْهى وَمَا اضْطَرَبُوا مِنْ ضَوْضاءِ الَّذِينَ هُمْ كَفَرُوا بِآياتِكَ الْكبْرَى بَعْدَ الَّذِيْ أَرْسَلْتَ مَظْهَرَ نَفْسِكَ بِسَلْطَنَتِكَ وَاقْتِدارِكَ وَعَظَمَتِكَ وَإِجْلالِكَ، أُولئِكَ إِذا سَمِعُوْا نِدائَكَ سَرُعُوْا إِلى شَطْرِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَما أَمْسَكَتْهُمُ الشُّؤُوناتُ الْعَرَضِيَّةِ وَالْحُدُوداتُ الْبَشَرِيَّةِ، وَأَنَا الَّ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! These are the days whereon Thou hast bidden all men to observe the Fast, that through it they may purify their souls and rid themselves of all attachment to any one but Thee, and that out of their hearts may ascend that which will be worthy of the court of Thy majesty and may well beseem the seat of the revelation of Thy oneness. Grant, O my Lord, that this fast may become a river of life-giving waters and may yield the virtue wherewith Thou hast endowed it. Cleanse Thou by its means the hearts of Thy servants whom the evils of the world have failed to hinder from turning towards Thine all-glorious Name, and who have remained unmoved by the noise and tumult of such as have repudiated Thy most resplendent signs which have accompanied the advent of Thy Manifestation Whom Thou hast invested with Thy sovereignty, Thy power, Thy majesty and glory. These are the servants who, as soon as Thy call reached them, hastened in the direction of Thy mercy and were not kept back from Thee by the changes and chances of this world or by any human limitations.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glory” Distinctive

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

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “Lord” Distinctive

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

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

هَذِهِ

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

أَيّامٌ

y-w-m → “days”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

فِيْها

f-y → “whereon” Distinctive

literal: in it; in them

فَرَضْتَ

f-r-ḍ → “hast bidden”

literal: obligatory; incumbent; imposed; prescribed; fixed

الصِّيامَ

ṣ-w-m → “the Fast”

literal: fasting; to abstain from food

لِكُلِّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for each; for every; to each

الأَنامِ،

ʾ-n-m → “the peoples of the”

literal: people; mankind; human beings

لِيُزَكى

z-k-y → “may purify”

literal: pure; purify

بِها

b-h-w → “All-Glorious” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

أَنْفُسُهُمْ

n-f-s → “their souls” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَيَنْقَطِعُنَّ

q-ṭ-ʿ → “rid themselves”

literal: detachment; detached; severed

عَمَّا

ʿ-n → “from Thee by”

literal: with them; in their company

سِواكَ

s-w-y → “of all attachment to” Distinctive

literal: other than; besides; except; equal; alike

وَيَصْعَدَ

ṣ-ʿ-d → “ascend”

literal: ascent; ascension; rising; elevation

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

قُلُوبِهِمْ

q-l-b → “their hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَكوْنُ

k-w-n → “will be”

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

لائِقًا

l-y-q → “worthy”

literal: worthy, befitting, appropriate, suitable

لِمَكامِنِ

k-m-n → “repository” Distinctive

literal: repository; hiding-place; hiding place

عِزِّ

ʿ-z-z → “Thy majesty” Distinctive

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

أَحَدِيَّتِكَ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “Thy oneness”

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

وَقابِلاً

q-b-l → “before” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

لِمَقَرِّ

q-r-r → “seat”

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “revelation”

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

فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ،

f-r-d

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

فَاجْعَلْ

j-ʿ-l → “make” Distinctive

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

كَوْثَرَ

k-w-th-r → “river”

literal: abundance; river of paradise; the Kawthar

الْحَيَوانِ

ḥ-y-w → “life-giving waters”

literal: life; living being; animal

وَقَدِّرْ

q-d-r → “power”

literal: and indeed; and already; conjunction indicating completed action

أَثَرَهُ

ʾ-th-r → “signs” Distinctive

literal: effect; trace; influence; imprint; sign; mark; vestige

وَطَهِّرْ

ṭ-h-r → “Cleanse”

literal: to purify; to cleanse

بِهِ

b-h → “as”

literal: to; with it; with

أَفْئِدَةَ

f-ʾ-d → “hearts”

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind; heart; inner consciousness; mind; one who benefits; advantageous

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الَّذِيْنَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

مَنَعَهُمْ

m-n-ʿ → “have failed to hinder”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

مَكارِهُ

k-r-h → “abhor” Distinctive

literal: blind; darkness

الدُّنْيا

d-n-w → “the world”

literal: this world; earthly life; temporal realm; lowest; base; mean; of little account; to know; to be acquainted with

التَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h → “turning”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلى

ʾ-l-y

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

شَطْرِ

sh-ṭ-r → “direction”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

اسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “all-glorious Name” Distinctive

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

اضْطَرَبُوا

ḍ-r-b → “tremble” Distinctive

literal: disturbed; be disturbed; agitation

ضَوْضاءِ

ḍ-w-ḍ → “clamor” Distinctive

literal: noise, tumult, clamor

هُمْ

h-m-m

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

كَفَرُوا

k-f-r → “have repudiated”

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

بِآياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “Thy most resplendent signs”

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

الْكبْرَى

k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

بَعْدَ

b-ʿ-d → “after”

literal: after; behind; distance

أَرْسَلْتَ

r-s-l → “Apostle” Distinctive

literal: to send; sent

بِسَلْطَنَتِكَ

s-l-ṭ → “Thy sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَعَظَمَتِكَ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Thy majesty”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

وَإِجْلالِكَ،

j-l-l → “and glory”

literal: majesty; glory; exaltation; magnificence

أُولئِكَ

ʾ-w-l → “first” Distinctive

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

إِذا

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

سَمِعُوْا

s-m-ʿ → “reached”

literal: hear; hearing; heard

نِدائَكَ

n-d-y → “Thy call”

literal: call; voice; cry; summons; to call; to proclaim; to cry out; to summon

سَرُعُوْا

s-r-ʿ → “hastened”

literal: speed; swiftness; haste

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

أَمْسَكَتْهُمُ

m-s-k → “cleave” Distinctive

literal: hold fast; clinging; cling

الشُّؤُوناتُ

sh-ʾ-n → “in such wise” Distinctive

literal: manner; affair; state

الْعَرَضِيَّةِ

ʿ-r-ḍ

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

وَالْحُدُوداتُ

ḥ-d-d → “any human limitations”

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

الْبَشَرِيَّةِ،

b-sh-r

literal: human; mankind; human nature

وَأَنَا

ʾ-n

literal: I; ego; self; myself

الَّ

ʾ-w-l → “this world” Distinctive

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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