Prayers and Meditations — §218

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 218 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ذِيْ يا إِلهِي أَكُوْنُ مُقِرًّا بِوَحْدانِيَّتِكَ وَمُعْتَرِفًا بِفَرْدانِيَّتِكَ وَخاضِعًا لَدى ظُهُوراتِ عَظَمَتِكَ وَخاشِعًا عِنْدَ بَوارِقِ أَنْوارِ عِزِّ أَحْدِيَّتِكَ، آمَنْتُ بِكَ بَعْدَ الَّذِيْ عَرَّفْتَنِي نَفْسَكَ وَأَظْهَرْتَهُ بِسُلْطانِكَ وَقُدْرَتِكَ، وَتَوَجَّهْتُ إِلَيْهِ مُنْقَطِعًا عَنْ كُلِّ الْجِهاتِ وَمُتَمَسِّكًا بِحَبْلِ أَلْطافِكَ وَمَواهِبِكَ، وَآمَنْتُ بِهِ وَبِما نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ بَدائِعِ أَحْكامِكَ وَأَوامِرِكَ وَصُمْتُ بِحُبِّكَ وَاتِّباعًا لأَمْرِكَ وَأَفْطَرْتُ بِذِكْرِكَ وَرِضائِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ لا تَجْعَلْنِيْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ صامُوْا فِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I am he, O my God, who testifieth to Thy unity, who acknowledgeth Thy oneness, who boweth humbly before the revelations of Thy majesty, and who recognizeth with downcast countenance the splendors of the light of Thy transcendent glory. I have believed in Thee after Thou didst enable me to know Thy Self, Whom Thou hast revealed to men’s eyes through the power of Thy sovereignty and might. Unto Him I have turned, wholly detached from all things, and cleaving steadfastly unto the cord of Thy gifts and favors. I have embraced His truth, and the truth of all the wondrous laws and precepts that have been sent down unto Him. I have fasted for love of Thee and in pursuance of Thine injunction, and have broken my fast with Thy praise on my tongue and in conformity with Thy pleasure. Suffer me not, O my Lord, to be reckoned among them who have fasted in the daytime, who in the night-season have prostrated themselves before Thy face, and who have repudiated Thy truth, disbelieved in Thy signs, gainsaid Thy testimony, and perverted Thine utterances.

Translation Notes

ذِيْ

dh-w-y → “and” Distinctive

literal: possessor; possessor of; possessor/owner

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

أَكُوْنُ

k-w-n → “be” Distinctive

literal: be; was; to be

مُقِرًّا

q-r-r → “testifieth” Distinctive

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

بِوَحْدانِيَّتِكَ

w-ḥ-d → “to Thy unity”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

وَمُعْتَرِفًا

ʿ-r-f → “acknowledgeth” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

بِفَرْدانِيَّتِكَ

f-r-d → “Thy oneness”

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

وَخاضِعًا

kh-ḍ-ʿ → “submissiveness”

literal: humility; submissiveness; lowliness

لَدى

l-d-y → “before”

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

ظُهُوراتِ

ẓ-h-r → “revelations”

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

عَظَمَتِكَ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Thy majesty”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

وَخاشِعًا

kh-sh-ʿ → “humility” Distinctive

literal: fear of God; awe; reverence; submission

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d → “possess” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

بَوارِقِ

b-r-q → “splendors”

literal: lightning; flashes; flashes, lightning

أَنْوارِ

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

عِزِّ

ʿ-z-z → “Thy transcendent”

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

أَحْدِيَّتِكَ،

ʾ-ḥ-d → “glory”

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

آمَنْتُ

ʾ-m-n → “have believed” Distinctive

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

بَعْدَ

b-ʿ-d → “after”

literal: after; behind; distance

نَفْسَكَ

n-f-s → “Thy Self” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

بِسُلْطانِكَ

s-l-ṭ → “power of Thy sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَقُدْرَتِكَ،

q-d-r → “and might”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

وَتَوَجَّهْتُ

w-j-h → “I have turned”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلَيْهِ

ʾ-l-y → “besmirch”

literal: to; to him; besmirch

مُنْقَطِعًا

q-ṭ-ʿ → “wholly detached”

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الْجِهاتِ

j-h-h → “side”

literal: direction; aspect; side; regard

وَمُتَمَسِّكًا

m-s-k → “cleave”

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

بِحَبْلِ

ḥ-b-l → “cord”

literal: love; affection

أَلْطافِكَ

l-ṭ-f → “gifts” Distinctive

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

وَمَواهِبِكَ،

w-h-b → “favors”

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

بِهِ

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

وَبِما

m-w-h → “water” Distinctive

literal: water; what; substance, source

نُزِّلَ

n-z-l → “been sent down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عَلَيْهِ

ʿ-l-y → “unto Him”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

مِنْ

m-n → “of all”

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

بَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

أَحْكامِكَ

ḥ-k-m → “laws”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

وَأَوامِرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause” Distinctive

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

وَصُمْتُ

ṣ-w-m → “have fasted”

literal: silence; to be silent

بِحُبِّكَ

ḥ-b-b → “for love of”

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

وَاتِّباعًا

t-b-ʿ → “follow”

literal: to follow; to obey; to pursue

وَأَفْطَرْتُ

f-ṭ-r → “true Faith” Distinctive

literal: creator; nature; nature, creation

بِذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “Thy praise”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

وَرِضائِكَ،

r-ḍ-y → “Thy pleasure”

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction; satisfaction; pleasure; approval; contentment

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَجْعَلْنِيْ

j-ʿ-l → “to be reckoned”

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

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

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

هُمْ

h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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