Prayers and Meditations — §283

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 283 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ يا إِلهِي تَرَانِي مَحْبُوسًا فِي هذا السِّجْنِ وَتَعْلَمُ بِأَنِّي ما وَرَدْتُ فِيه إِلاَّ فِي سَبِيلِكَ وَإِعلآءِ كَلِمَتِكَ وَإِظْهارِ أَمْرِكَ، أُنادِيكَ يا إِلهَ العالَمِينَ فِي هذا الحِينِ بِاسْمِكَ المُبِيْنِ بِأَنْ تَجْذِبَ قُلُوبَ عِبادِكَ إِلى مَطْلَعِ أَسْمائِكَ الحُسْنى وَمَشْرِقِ آياتِكَ الكبْری، فَيا إِلهِي لَوْ لَمْ تَكنِ البَلايا فِي سَبِيلِكَ بِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ يُسَرُّ قَلْبِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Praised be Thou, O my God! Thou seest me shut up in this Prison, and art well aware that I have entered it solely for Thy sake and for the sake of the glorification of Thy word and the proclamation of Thy Cause. I cry out to Thee, this very moment, O Thou Who art the Lord of all worlds, beseeching Thee, by Thine undoubted Name, to attract the hearts of Thy servants unto the Dayspring of Thy most excellent titles and the Dawning-Place of Thy most resplendent signs.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Praised”

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

يا

y-ʾ

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

تَرَانِي

r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest me”

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

مَحْبُوسًا

ḥ-b-s → “cast Him into prison” Distinctive

literal: to confine; to detain; prison

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

السِّجْنِ

s-j-n → “Prison”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison

وَتَعْلَمُ

ʿ-l-m → “art well aware”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بِأَنِّي

ʾ-n-n → “that I”

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

ما

m-ʾ

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

وَرَدْتُ

w-r-d → “have entered”

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

فِيه

f-y → “it” Distinctive

literal: alas; woe; oh

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

سَبِيلِكَ

s-b-l → “for Thy sake” Distinctive

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

وَإِعلآءِ

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

كَلِمَتِكَ

k-l-m → “word”

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

وَإِظْهارِ

ẓ-h-r → “proclamation” Distinctive

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

أَمْرِكَ،

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

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

أُنادِيكَ

n-d-y → “I cry out”

literal: call; called; call, voice

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “Lord”

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

الحِينِ

ḥ-y-n → “moment”

literal: time; moment; while; season

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “Name”

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

المُبِيْنِ

b-y-n → “undoubted”

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

تَجْذِبَ

j-dh-b → “attract”

literal: to draw, attract, pull; to be enraptured

قُلُوبَ

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

literal: to; to, toward; to, until

مَطْلَعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

الحُسْنى

ḥ-s-n → “most excellent”

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

وَمَشْرِقِ

sh-r-q

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

آياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: sign; verse; miracle; token; verses; signs; proofs

الكبْری،

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

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

لَوْ

l-w

literal: if; would that; O that

لَمْ

l-y-s

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

تَكنِ

k-w-n

literal: to be; existence

البَلايا

b-l-w

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

بِأَيِّ

ʾ-y-y

literal: sign; verse; miracle; token; verses; signs; proofs

شَيْءٍ

sh-y-ʾ

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

يُسَرُّ

s-r-r

literal: secret; secrets; secret, mystery

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶