Prayers and Meditations — §257

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 257 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

الإِحْسانِ لِيَقُوْمُنَّ كُلٌّ عَلَى أَمْرِكَ وَيَنْقَطِعُنَّ عَمَّا دُونَكَ وَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ العَزِيزُ المُخْتارُ، فَيا إِلهِي وَسَيِّدِي وَمَحْبوبِي أَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَابْنُ عَبْدِكَ قَدْ تَمَسَّكْتُ بِحَبْلِ عِنايَتِكَ وَتَشَبَّثْتُ بِذَيْلِ رِداءِ عُطُوفَتِكَ، أَسْئَلُكَ بِاسْمِكَ الأَعْظَمِ الَّذِيْ جَعَلْتَهُ مِيزانَ الأُمَمِ وَبُرْهانَكَ الأَقْوَمَ بِأَنْ لا تَدَعَنِي بِنَفْسِي وَهَوايَ فَاحْفَظْنِي فِي ظِلِّ عِصْمَتِكَ الكبْری، ثُمَّ أَنْطِقْنِيْ بِثَنآءِ نَفْسِكَ بَيْنَ مَلإِ الإِنشآءِ وَلا تَجْعَلْنِي مَحْرُومًا عَنْ نَفَحاتِ أَيَّامِكَ وَفَوْحَاتِ مَطْلَعِ أَمْرِكَ، وَبِأَنْ تَرْزُقَنِي خَيْرَ الدُّنْيا وَالآخِرَةِ بِفَضْلِكَ الَّذِيْ أَحَاطَ المَوْجُوداتِ وَرَحْمَتِكَ الَّتِيْ سَبَقَتِ المُمْكِناتِ، وَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الَّذِيْ فِي قَبْضَتِكَ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ تَفْعَلُ ما تَشآءُ بِأَمرِكَ وَتَحْكُمُ ما تُرِيْدُ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، لا لِمَشِيَّتِكَ مِنْ مانِعٍ وَلا لِحُكْمِكَ مِنْ نَفادٍ، لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ العَزِيزُ الوَهَّابُ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O my God, my Master, my Best-Beloved! I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I have held fast the cord of Thy grace, and clung to the hem of the garment of Thy loving providence. I entreat Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, Whom Thou hast appointed as the unerring Balance among the nations, and Thine infallible Proof unto all men, not to forsake me, nor to abandon me to my corrupt desires. Do Thou preserve me beneath the shadow of Thy Supreme Sinlessness, and enable me to magnify Thine own Self amidst the concourse of Thy creatures. Withhold not from me the Divine fragrance of Thy days, and deprive me not of the sweet savors wafting from the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. Bestow on me the good of this world and of the next, through the power of Thy grace that hath encompassed all created things and Thy mercy that hath surpassed the entire creation. Thou art He Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of all things. Thou doest what Thou willest through Thy decree, and choosest, through the power of Thy might, whatsoever Thou desirest. None can resist Thy will; naught can exhaust the impelling force of Thy command. There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.

Translation Notes

الإِحْسانِ

ḥ-s-n

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

لِيَقُوْمُنَّ

q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “of all things”

literal: for us; to us

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أَمْرِكَ،

ʾ-m-r → “of Thy Revelation” Distinctive

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

وَيَنْقَطِعُنَّ

q-ṭ-ʿ

literal: detachment; detached; severed

دُونَكَ

d-w-n

literal: below; lower than; beneath

وَإِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that” Distinctive

literal: that; indeed/verily; indeed

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

المُقْتَدِرُ

q-d-r → “Almighty”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

العَزِيزُ

ʿ-z-z → “the All-Glorious”

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

المُخْتارُ،

kh-y-r → “good” Distinctive

literal: west; the western region

فَيا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

وَسَيِّدِي

s-w-d → “my Master”

literal: master; lord; chief; my master

وَمَحْبوبِي

ḥ-b-b → “my Best-Beloved”

literal: love; affection

أَنَا

ʾ-n → “I” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

عَبْدُكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servant”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَابْنُ

b-n-y → “son”

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

قَدْ

q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

تَمَسَّكْتُ

m-s-k → “held fast the cord” Distinctive

literal: hold fast; clinging; cling

بِحَبْلِ

ḥ-b-l → “of” Distinctive

literal: cord; rope; bond; connection

عِنايَتِكَ

ʿ-n-y → “Thy grace” Distinctive

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

وَتَشَبَّثْتُ

sh-b-th → “clung”

literal: cling; clinging; clinging/holding fast

بِذَيْلِ

dh-y-l → “to the hem”

literal: hem; skirt; tail; border

رِداءِ

r-d-y → “mantle”

literal: will; desire; intention; volition

عُطُوفَتِكَ،

ʿ-ṭ-f → “of Thy loving providence”

literal: compassionate; kindness/compassion; kindness

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I entreat Thee” Distinctive

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “by Thy Most Great Name” Distinctive

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

الأَعْظَمِ

ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

جَعَلْتَهُ

j-ʿ-l → “Thou hast appointed” Distinctive

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

مِيزانَ

w-z-n → “standard”

literal: weight; measure; to weigh

الأُمَمِ

ʾ-m-m → “among the nations”

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

وَبُرْهانَكَ

b-r-h-n → “and Thine infallible Proof”

literal: proof, evidence, demonstration, argument

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “not to” Distinctive

literal: that; indeed/verily; indeed

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَدَعَنِي

w-d-ʿ → “entrusted” Distinctive

literal: call, invocation, summons; to call, invite, summon

بِنَفْسِي

n-f-s → “to my corrupt desires” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَهَوايَ

h-w-y

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

فَاحْفَظْنِي

ḥ-f-ẓ → “Do Thou preserve”

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

فِي

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

ظِلِّ

ẓ-l-l → “beneath the shadow”

literal: to take shelter; to dwell in shadow

عِصْمَتِكَ

ʿ-ṣ-m → “protection”

literal: immaculate; protected; infallible

الكبْری،

k-b-r

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

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “and” Distinctive

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أَنْطِقْنِيْ

n-ṭ-q → “spoken” Distinctive

literal: speak; speaking; spoke

بِثَنآءِ

th-n-y

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy; glorification; praise, commendation, eulogy

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “amidst”

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

مَلإِ

m-l-ʾ → “concourse”

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

الإِنشآءِ

n-sh-ʾ → “creation”

literal: creation; bringing into existence; establishment; God willing; if God wishes; please God

وَلا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: no; not; negation particle

مَحْرُومًا

ḥ-r-m → “deprive me not”

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “of”

literal: with them; in their company

نَفَحاتِ

n-f-ḥ

literal: breeze; fragrance; whiff; breath; emanation

أَيَّامِكَ

y-w-m → “of Thy days”

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

وَفَوْحَاتِ

f-w-ḥ → “breaths” Distinctive

literal: breaths; exhalations; wafts

مَطْلَعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “wafting from the Dayspring”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

تَرْزُقَنِي

r-z-q

literal: sustenance; provision; to grant livelihood

الدُّنْيا

d-n-w → “of this world”

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

وَالآخِرَةِ

ʾ-kh-r → “and of the next”

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

بِفَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

أَحَاطَ

ḥ-w-ṭ → “hath encompassed”

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

المَوْجُوداتِ

w-j-d → “all created things”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

وَرَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “and Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l

literal: who; which/that; which

سَبَقَتِ

s-b-q → “that hath surpassed”

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

المُمْكِناتِ،

m-k-n → “the entire creation”

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

قَبْضَتِكَ

q-b-ḍ → “holdeth in His grasp”

literal: grasp; grip; control; seize

مَلَكُوتُ

m-l-k → “kingdom”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

تَفْعَلُ

f-ʿ-l → “Thou doest”

literal: do; deed; do/act

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

تَشآءُ

sh-y-ʾ → “Thou willest”

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

وَتَحْكُمُ

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom” Distinctive

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

تُرِيْدُ

r-y-d → “Thou desirest” Distinctive

literal: want; desire; will

مِنْ

m-n

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

مانِعٍ

m-n-ʿ

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

نَفادٍ،

n-f-d → “exhausted”

literal: exhaustion; depletion; coming to an end

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “but” Distinctive

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

الوَهَّابُ.

w-h-b

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

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50 ¶

Gleanings

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A compilation of 166 selections from Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets, spanning the Baghdad, Adrianople, and ‘Akká periods (1853–1892). George Townshend assisted with English refinement. Shoghi Effendi wrote that it gives the friends a splendid opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of the Faith.

729 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

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16 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

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The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

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17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

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5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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57 ¶

The Hidden Words

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160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶