Prayers and Meditations — §303

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 303 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

كَ بَيْنَ عِبادِكَ وَذِكْرِكَ بَيْنَ بَرِيَّتِكَ لِتَأْخُذَ جَذَباتُ وَحْيِكَ مَنْ فِي أَرْضِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ لَمَّا هَدَيْتَهُمْ إِلى كَوْثَرِ فَضْلِكَ لا تَمْنَعْهُمْ بِجُودِكَ وَلَمَّا دَعَوتَهُمْ إِلى مَقَرِّ عَرْشِكَ لا تَطْرُدْهُمْ بِعنايَتِكَ، فَأَنْزِلْ عَلَيْهِمْ يا إِلهِي ما يَجْعَلُهُمْ مُنْقَطِعًا عَنْ دُونِكَ وَطَائِرًا فِي هَوآءِ قُرْبِكَ عَلَى شَأنٍ لا تَمْنَعُهُمْ سَطْوَةُ الظَّالِمِينَ وَلا إِشَاراتُ الَّذِين كَفَرُوا بِنَفْسِكَ العَلِيِّ العَظِيمِ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Since Thou hast guided them, O my Lord, unto the living waters of Thy grace, grant, by Thy bounty, that they may not be kept back from Thee; and since Thou hast summoned them to the habitation of Thy throne, drive them not out from Thy presence, through Thy loving-kindness. Send down upon them what shall wholly detach them from aught else except Thee, and make them able to soar in the atmosphere of Thy nearness, in such wise that neither the ascendancy of the oppressor nor the suggestions of them that have disbelieved in Thy most august and most mighty Self shall be capable of keeping them back from Thee.

Translation Notes

بَيْنَ

b-y-n

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

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r

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

بَرِيَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ

literal: to create; to create anew; to be free from; innocent; free from; clear of; to cure; to heal; to clear

لِتَأْخُذَ

ʾ-kh-dh

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

جَذَباتُ

j-dh-b

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

وَحْيِكَ

w-ḥ-y

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

مَنْ

m-n

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

فِي

f-y → “of” Distinctive

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَرْضِكَ،

ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

لَمَّا

l-m-ʾ → “When”

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

هَدَيْتَهُمْ

h-d-y

literal: guidance; guide; guided

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

كَوْثَرِ

k-w-th-r → “living waters”

literal: abundance; river of paradise; the Kawthar

فَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “of Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَمْنَعْهُمْ

m-n-ʿ → “kept back”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

بِجُودِكَ

j-w-d → “by Thy bounty”

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

دَعَوتَهُمْ

d-ʿ-w → “summoned them”

literal: call; invitation; claim

مَقَرِّ

q-r-r → “habitation”

literal: matter; affair; thing

عَرْشِكَ

ʿ-r-sh → “of Thy throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

تَطْرُدْهُمْ

ṭ-r-d → “drive them”

literal: cast out; driven away; expelled

بِعنايَتِكَ،

ʿ-n-y → “through Thy loving-kindness”

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

فَأَنْزِلْ

n-z-l → “Send down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عَلَيْهِمْ

ʿ-l-y → “upon them”

literal: exalted; highest; supreme; most high; upon you; on; over; Ali (name); upon

يا

y-ʾ

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h

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

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَجْعَلُهُمْ

j-ʿ-l → “make them” Distinctive

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

مُنْقَطِعًا

q-ṭ-ʿ → “wholly detach them” Distinctive

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

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

دُونِكَ

d-w-n → “aught else except Thee”

literal: below; lower than; beneath

وَطَائِرًا

ṭ-y-r → “able to soar”

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

هَوآءِ

h-w-y → “atmosphere”

literal: air; atmosphere; void

قُرْبِكَ

q-r-b → “of Thy nearness”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأنٍ

sh-ʾ-n → “in such wise”

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

سَطْوَةُ

s-ṭ-w → “ascendancy”

literal: might; force; severity; oppression; tyranny

الظَّالِمِينَ

ẓ-l-m → “of the oppressor”

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

وَلا

w-l-y → “nor” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

إِشَاراتُ

sh-y-r → “suggestions”

literal: explanation; commentary; to explain; to open

الَّذِين

l-dh-y → “of them that”

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

كَفَرُوا

k-f-r → “have disbelieved”

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

بِنَفْسِكَ

n-f-s → “Self”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

العَظِيمِ.

ʿ-ẓ-m → “most mighty” Distinctive

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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