Prayers and Meditations — §228

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 228 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

بِهِ وَبِآياتِهِ وَتَوَجَّهُوْا إِلَيْهِ مُنْقَطِعِيْنَ عَمَّا سِواكَ، مِنَ الَّذِيْنَ اعْتَرَفُوْا بوَحْدانِيَّتِكَ فِي ظُهُوْرِهِ كَرَّةً أُخْرى الَّذِيْ كانَ مَذْكوْرًا فِي أَلْواحِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَصُحُفِهِ وَفِي كُلِّ ما نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ بَدائِعِ آياتِكَ وَجَواهِرِ كَلِماتِكَ، وَأَمَرْتَهُ بِأَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَهْدَ نَفْسِهِ قَبْلَ عَهْدِ نَفْسِهِ وَنُزِّلَ الْبَيانُ فِي ذِكْرِهِ وَشَأْنِهِ وَإِثْباتِ حَقِّهِ وَإِظْهارِ سَلْطَنَتِهِ وَإِتْقانِ أمْرِهِ، طُوْبى لِمَنْ أَقْبَلَ إِلَيْهِ وَعَمِلَ ما أُمِرَ بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ يا إِلهَ الْعالَمِيْنَ وَمَقْصُوْدَ الْعارفِيْنَ، فَلَكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Magnify Thou, moreover, such as have believed in Him and in His signs and have turned towards Him, from among those that have acknowledged Thy unity in His Latter Manifestation—a Manifestation whereof He hath made mention in His Tablets, and in His Books, and in His Scriptures, and in all the wondrous verses and gem-like utterances that have descended upon Him. It is this same Manifestation Whose covenant Thou hast bidden Him establish ere He had established His own covenant. He it is Whose praise the Bayán hath celebrated. In it His excellence hath been extolled, and His truth established, and His sovereignty proclaimed, and His Cause perfected. Blessed is the man that hath turned unto Him, and fulfilled the things He hath commanded, O Thou Who art the Lord of the worlds and the Desire of all them that have known Thee!

Translation Notes

بِهِ

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

وَبِآياتِهِ

ʾ-y-y → “in His signs”

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

وَتَوَجَّهُوْا

w-j-h → “turned towards Him” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلَيْهِ

ʾ-l-y → “besmirch”

literal: to; to him; besmirch

مُنْقَطِعِيْنَ

q-ṭ-ʿ → “detachment”

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

عَمَّا

ʿ-n

literal: with them; in their company

سِواكَ،

s-w-y → “established” Distinctive

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

اعْتَرَفُوْا

ʿ-r-f → “have acknowledged”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

بوَحْدانِيَّتِكَ

w-ḥ-d → “Thy unity”

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

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: faithfulness; loyalty; fulfillment; fidelity; to be faithful; faithful, loyal

ظُهُوْرِهِ

ẓ-h-r → “His Latter Manifestation—a”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

كَرَّةً

k-r-r

literal: to dislike; to hate; sphere; ball

أُخْرى

ʾ-kh-r

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

كانَ

k-w-n → “hath made” Distinctive

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

مَذْكوْرًا

dh-k-r → “mention”

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

أَلْواحِهِ

l-w-ḥ → “His Tablets”

literal: tablet; tablets; allusion

وَكُتُبِهِ

k-t-b → “in His Books”

literal: book; scripture; writing

وَصُحُفِهِ

ṣ-ḥ-f → “in His Scriptures”

literal: page; tablet; scroll; book

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

ما

m-ʾ → “the” Distinctive

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

نُزِّلَ

n-z-l → “have descended” Distinctive

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عَلَيْهِ

ʿ-l-y → “upon Him”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

بَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

وَجَواهِرِ

j-w-r → “precincts of Thy court” Distinctive

literal: jewel; essence; gem; substance

كَلِماتِكَ،

k-l-m → “utterances”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

وَأَمَرْتَهُ

ʾ-m-r → “hast bidden”

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

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يَأْخُذَ

ʾ-kh-dh → “laid hold” Distinctive

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

عَهْدَ

ʿ-h-d → “covenant”

literal: covenant; testament; promise; command

نَفْسِهِ

n-f-s → “Him”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

قَبْلَ

q-b-l → “ere”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

الْبَيانُ

b-y-n → “the Bayán”

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

وَشَأْنِهِ

sh-ʾ-n → “station”

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

وَإِثْباتِ

th-b-t → “established” Distinctive

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed

حَقِّهِ

ḥ-q-q → “truth”

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

سَلْطَنَتِهِ

s-l-ṭ → “sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَإِتْقانِ

t-q-n → “convincing” Distinctive

literal: firm; firm, weighty; weighty

طُوْبى

ṭ-w-b → “Blessed”

literal: happiness; blessedness; felicity

لِمَنْ

m-n → “man that” Distinctive

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

وَعَمِلَ

ʿ-m-l → “deeds”

literal: to work; to act; to do; to perform

أُمِرَ

ʾ-m-r → “hath commanded” Distinctive

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

عِنْدِهِ

ʿ-n-d → “Thee” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “Lord”

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

الْعالَمِيْنَ

ʿ-l-m → “the worlds”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

وَمَقْصُوْدَ

q-ṣ-d → “Desire”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

فَلَكَ

f-l-k

literal: ship; ark; orbit; sphere; heaven

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶