Prayers and Meditations — §272

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 272 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي تَرَى مَقَرِّي فِي السِّجْنِ الَّذِيْ كانَ خَلْفَ البُحُورِ وَالجِبالِ وَتَعْلَمُ ما وَرَدَ عَلَيَّ فِي حُبِّكَ وَأَمْرِكَ، أَنْتَ الَّذِيْ يا إِلهِي بَعَثْتَنِي بِأَمْرِكَ وَأَقَمْتَنِي عَلَى مَقَامِ نَفْسِكَ وَأَمَرْتَنِي بِأَنْ أَدْعُوَ الكُلَّ إِلى شَطْرِ رَحْمانِيَّتِكَ وَأُحَدِّثَهُمْ بِما قَدَّرْتَ لَهُمْ فِي لَوْحِ قَضائِكَ مِنْ قَلَمِ وَحْيِكَ وَأُشْعِلَ قُلُوبَ العِبادِ بِنارِ حُبِّكَ وَأُقَرِّبَ مَنْ فِي البِلادِ إِلى مَقَرِّ عَرْشِكَ، وَلَمَّا قُمْتُ بِأَمْرِكَ وَنادَيْتُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou seest me dwelling in this prison-house that lieth behind the seas and the mountains, and knowest full well what I have endured for love of Thee and for the sake of Thy Cause. Thou art He, O my God, Who hath raised me up at Thy behest, and bidden me to occupy Thy seat, and to summon all men to the court of Thy mercy. It is Thou Who hast commanded me to tell out the things Thou didst destine for them in the Tablet of Thy decree and didst inscribe with the pen of Thy Revelation, and Who hast enjoined on me the duty of kindling the fire of Thy love in the hearts of Thy servants, and of drawing all the peoples of the earth nearer to the habitation of Thy throne.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glorified”

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

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “O Lord my God”

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

تَرَى

r-ʾ-y → “seest”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

مَقَرِّي

q-r-r → “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: village; town; hamlet

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

السِّجْنِ

s-j-n → “prison-house”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “that” Distinctive

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

كانَ

k-w-n → “be”

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

خَلْفَ

kh-l-f → “behind”

literal: opposing; contrary; conflicting

البُحُورِ

b-ḥ-r → “seas”

literal: sea; ocean

وَالجِبالِ

j-b-l → “mountains”

literal: mountain; nature, constitution; to create, to form

وَتَعْلَمُ

ʿ-l-m → “knowest”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

وَرَدَ

w-r-d → “endured” Distinctive

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

عَلَيَّ

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

حُبِّكَ

ḥ-b-b → “love”

literal: love; affection

وَأَمْرِكَ،

ʾ-m-r → “Thy Cause”

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

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

بَعَثْتَنِي

b-ʿ-th → “hath raised me up”

literal: sent; send; resurrection

وَأَقَمْتَنِي

q-w-m → “people” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

نَفْسِكَ

n-f-s

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَدْعُوَ

d-ʿ-w → “summon”

literal: call; invitation; claim

الكُلَّ

k-l-l → “all men”

literal: for us; to us

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “to”

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

شَطْرِ

sh-ṭ-r → “court” Distinctive

literal: side, direction; half; to split

رَحْمانِيَّتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَأُحَدِّثَهُمْ

ḥ-d-th → “traditions” Distinctive

literal: tradition; traditions; tradition, hadith

قَدَّرْتَ

q-d-r → “didst destine” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

لَهُمْ

l-h-m → “inspiration” Distinctive

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

لَوْحِ

l-w-ḥ → “Tablet”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

قَضائِكَ

q-ḍ-y → “decree”

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

مَنْ

m-n → “all the peoples” Distinctive

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

قَلَمِ

q-l-m → “pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

وَحْيِكَ

w-ḥ-y → “Revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

وَأُشْعِلَ

sh-ʿ-l → “kindled” Distinctive

literal: burning; kindled; flame

قُلُوبَ

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

العِبادِ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

بِنارِ

n-ʾ-r → “fire”

literal: fire; blaze; flame

وَأُقَرِّبَ

q-r-b

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

البِلادِ

b-l-d → “earth”

literal: city; land; country

عَرْشِكَ،

ʿ-r-sh → “throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

وَلَمَّا

l-m-ʾ

literal: did not; has not (negative particle with past tense)

وَنادَيْتُ

n-d-y

literal: call; called; call, voice

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶