Prayers and Meditations — §224

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 224 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

َلَبًا لِوِصالِكَ، وَإِذا قِيْلَ لَهُمْ فِي الطَّرِيْقِ إِلى أَيِّ مَقَرٍّ تَذْهَبُوْنَ قالُوا إِلى اللّهِ الْمَلِكِ الْمَهَيْمِنِ الْقَيُّوم، وَما مَنَعَهُمْ ظُلْمُ الَّذِينَ أَعْرَضُوْا عَنْكَ وَبَغَوْا عَلَيْكَ عَنْ حُبِّهِمْ إِيَّاكَ وَتَوَجُّهِهِمْ إِلَيْكَ وَإِقْبالِهِمْ إِلى شَطْرِ رَحْمَتِكَ، أُوْلئِكَ عِبادٌ يُصَلِّيَنَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلأُ الأَعْلى وَيُكبِّرَنَّ أَهْلُ مَدائِنِ الْبَقاءِ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ رُقِمَ عَلَى جَبِيْنِهِمْ مِنْ قَلَمِكَ الأَعْلى هؤُلاءِ أَهْلُ الْبَهاءِ وَبِهِمْ ظَهَرَتْ أنْوارُ الْهُدی، وَكذلِكَ قُدِّرَ فِي لَوْحِ الْقَضآءِ بِأَمْرِكَ وَإِرادَتِكَ، فَيا

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The transgressions committed by such as have turned away from Thee and have borne themselves haughtily towards Thee have not availed to hinder them from loving Thee, and from setting their faces towards Thee, and from turning in the direction of Thy mercy. These are they who are blessed by the Concourse on high, who are glorified by the denizens of the everlasting Cities, and beyond them by those on whose foreheads Thy most exalted pen hath written: “These! The people of Bahá. Through them have been shed the splendors of the light of guidance.” Thus hath it been ordained, at Thy behest and by Thy will, in the Tablet of Thine irrevocable decree.

Translation Notes

َلَبًا

ṭ-l-b

literal: core; essence; intellect; hearts (of understanding)

لِوِصالِكَ،

w-ṣ-l

literal: reunion; union; meeting; connection

وَإِذا

ʾ-dh-n

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

قِيْلَ

q-w-l

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

لَهُمْ

l-h-m

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

فِي

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

الطَّرِيْقِ

ṭ-r-q

literal: path; way; road; method

أَيِّ

ʾ-y-y

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

مَقَرٍّ

q-r-r

literal: matter; affair; thing

تَذْهَبُوْنَ

dh-h-b

literal: gold; religion; religion, doctrine

اللّهِ

ʾ-l-h

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

الْمَلِكِ

m-l-k

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

الْمَهَيْمِنِ

h-m-n

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian; inspiration; revelation; intuition

الْقَيُّوم،

q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; resurrection; uprising; establishment

وَما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

مَنَعَهُمْ

m-n-ʿ → “hinder them” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

ظُلْمُ

ẓ-l-m → “transgressions committed” Distinctive

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “such as have” Distinctive

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

أَعْرَضُوْا

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned away”

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

عَنْكَ

ʿ-n → “from Thee” Distinctive

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

وَبَغَوْا

b-gh-y → “becometh” Distinctive

literal: love; affection

عَلَيْكَ

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

حُبِّهِمْ

ḥ-b-b

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

إِيَّاكَ

ʾ-y-y

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

وَتَوَجُّهِهِمْ

w-j-h → “setting their faces”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y → “towards Thee” Distinctive

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

وَإِقْبالِهِمْ

q-b-l → “turning in”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

شَطْرِ

sh-ṭ-r → “direction of”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

رَحْمَتِكَ،

r-ḥ-m → “Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

أُوْلئِكَ

ʾ-w-l → “first” Distinctive

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

عِبادٌ

ʿ-b-d → “who are” Distinctive

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

يُصَلِّيَنَّ

ṣ-l-y → “may the blessings” Distinctive

literal: blessed; prayed; bless

الْمَلأُ

m-l-ʾ → “the Concourse”

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

الأَعْلى

ʿ-l-w → “on high”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

وَيُكبِّرَنَّ

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: greatest; greater; grandeur

أَهْلُ

ʾ-h-l → “denizens” Distinctive

literal: people; inhabitants; family; kin; worthy; deserving; my family; my people; my kin

مَدائِنِ

m-d-n → “everlasting Cities”

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

الْبَقاءِ

b-q-y

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

رُقِمَ

r-q-m → “hath written” Distinctive

literal: written; inscribed; marked; recorded

جَبِيْنِهِمْ

j-b-n → “firmament of thy generation” Distinctive

literal: forehead, brow

مِنْ

m-n

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

قَلَمِكَ

q-l-m → “Thy most exalted pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

هؤُلاءِ

h-ʾ-l → “these”

literal: these

الْبَهاءِ

b-h-w → “the All-Glorious” Distinctive

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

وَبِهِمْ

h-m → “all”

literal: by it; by him; with it

ظَهَرَتْ

ẓ-h-r → “have been shed” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

أنْوارُ

n-w-r → “splendors”

literal: light; illumination

الْهُدی،

h-d-y → “the light of guidance.””

literal: guidance; to guide; direction; leading rightly; this; this one

وَكذلِكَ

k-dh-l → “Thus hath”

literal: that; thus; likewise

قُدِّرَ

q-d-r → “ordained”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

لَوْحِ

l-w-ḥ → “Tablet”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

الْقَضآءِ

q-ḍ-y → “Thine irrevocable decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

بِأَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “at Thy behest” Distinctive

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

وَإِرادَتِكَ،

r-w-d → “by Thy will”

literal: to intend; to will; to desire

فَيا

y-ʾ

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶