Prayers and Meditations — §293

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 293 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

رَبِّ أَيِّدْنِي عَلَى ما أَرَدْتَ وَلا تَجْعَلْنِي مَحْرُومًا عَمَّا عِنْدَكَ وَاجْذِبْنِي بِبَدائِعِ آياتِكَ عَلَى شَأْنٍ لا يَمْنَعُنِي شُئُوناتُ الدُّنْيا وَما فِيها عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلَيْكَ وَالاسْتِقامَةِ عَلَى أَمْرِكَ وَالنَّظَرِ إِلى أُفُقِ فَضْلِكَ، ثُمَّ وَفِّقْنِي يا إِلهِي عَلَى ما تُحِبُّ وَتَرْضى وَاكْتُبْ لِي خَيْرَ الدُّنْيا وَالآخِرَةِ وَقَدِّرْ لِي مَقْعَدَ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَكَ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ عَلَى ما تَشآءُ وَالحاكِمُ عَلَى ما تُرِيدُ، لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ المُتَعالِ العَزِيْزُ العَظِيمُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Assist me, by Thy strengthening grace, O my Lord, to do what Thou didst will, and withhold not from me the things Thou dost possess. So enravish me with the wonders of Thine utterances that the noise and distraction of this world may be powerless to deter me from turning unto Thee, and may fail to shake my constancy in Thy Cause, or to distract my gaze from the horizon of Thy grace. Aid me, then, O my God, to do what pleaseth Thee, and to carry out Thy will. Write down for me, moreover, the good of this world and of the world which is to come, and ordain for me a seat of truth in Thy presence. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, and to rule as Thou pleasest. No God is there but Thee, the Inaccessible, the All-Glorious, the Most Great.

Translation Notes

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

أَيِّدْنِي

ʾ-y-d → “Assist”

literal: support; strengthen; aid

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

أَرَدْتَ

r-w-d → “what Thou didst will” Distinctive

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

وَلا

w-l-y

literal: friend; lord; guardian

تَجْعَلْنِي

j-ʿ-l → “make” Distinctive

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

مَحْرُومًا

ḥ-r-m → “withhold not from” Distinctive

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

عَمَّا

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: with them; in their company

عِنْدَكَ

ʿ-n-d → “things Thou dost possess”

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

وَاجْذِبْنِي

j-dh-b → “attract” Distinctive

literal: attract; attraction; attract, draw

بِبَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wonders of Thine utterances”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

آياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “wonders of Thine utterances”

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

لا

l-ʾ → “No”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَمْنَعُنِي

m-n-ʿ → “deter”

literal: prevent; prevented; prevention

شُئُوناتُ

sh-ʾ-n → “in such wise” Distinctive

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

الدُّنْيا

d-n-w → “this world”

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

فِيها

f-y

literal: in it; in them

التَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h → “turning”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y → “towards” Distinctive

literal: one; a single

وَالاسْتِقامَةِ

q-w-m → “shake my constancy”

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Thy Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وَالنَّظَرِ

n-ẓ-r → “gaze” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “horizon of Thy grace”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

فَضْلِكَ،

f-ḍ-l → “horizon of Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

وَفِّقْنِي

w-f-q → “Aid”

literal: accord, agreement, harmony; to agree, accord with

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

تُحِبُّ

ḥ-b-b → “what pleaseth Thee”

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

وَتَرْضى

r-ḍ-y → “what pleaseth Thee”

literal: pleasure; pleasure/satisfaction; pleasure, satisfaction

وَاكْتُبْ

k-t-b → “Write down”

literal: book; scripture; writing

لِي

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: for us; to us

خَيْرَ

kh-y-r → “good”

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

وَالآخِرَةِ

ʾ-kh-r → “of the world which is to come” Distinctive

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

وَقَدِّرْ

q-d-r → “ordain”

literal: and indeed; and already; conjunction indicating completed action

مَقْعَدَ

q-ʿ-d → “seat”

literal: rule; principle; foundation; basis

صِدْقٍ

ṣ-d-q → “truth”

literal: to confirm; to verify; to acknowledge; to testify to truth

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t

literal: you (masculine singular)

تَشآءُ

sh-y-ʾ → “what Thou willest”

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

وَالحاكِمُ

ḥ-k-m → “rule” Distinctive

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

تُرِيدُ،

r-y-d → “Thou pleasest”

literal: want; desire; will

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

المُتَعالِ

ʿ-l-w → “Inaccessible”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

العَزِيْزُ

ʿ-z-z → “All-Glorious”

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

العَظِيمُ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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