Prayers and Meditations — §306

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 306 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

عِبادَكَ الَّذِينَ تَوَجَّهُوا إِلَيْكَ وَأَقْبَلُوا إِلى مَقَرِّ فَضْلِكَ، ثُمَّ أَنْزِلْ يا إِلهِي عَلَيْهِمْ ما يَحْفَظُهُمْ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلى غَيْرِكَ وَالنَّظَرِ إِلى سِواكَ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ عَلَى ما تَشآءُ وَالحاكِمُ عَلَى ما تُرِيدُ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Render, then, victorious, O my God, Thy servants who have set their faces towards Thee, and directed their steps to the seat of Thy grace. Send down, then, upon them what will keep them safe from the danger of turning to any one but Thee, and from fixing their eyes upon aught else except Thyself.

Translation Notes

عِبادَكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

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

تَوَجَّهُوا

w-j-h → “set their faces”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y → “towards Thee” Distinctive

literal: one; a single

وَأَقْبَلُوا

q-b-l → “before” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

مَقَرِّ

q-r-r → “seat”

literal: matter; affair; thing

فَضْلِكَ،

f-ḍ-l → “of Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “Send down, then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أَنْزِلْ

n-z-l

literal: to descend, to be revealed

يا

y-ʾ → “O my”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

عَلَيْهِمْ

ʿ-l-y → “upon them”

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

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَحْفَظُهُمْ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “will keep them safe”

literal: protection; protect; preserve

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from the danger of”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

غَيْرِكَ

gh-y-r → “any one but Thee”

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

وَالنَّظَرِ

n-ẓ-r → “fixing their eyes” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

سِواكَ،

s-w-y → “aught else except Thyself”

literal: other than; besides; except; equal; alike

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t

literal: you (masculine singular)

المُقْتَدِرُ

q-d-r

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

تَشآءُ

sh-y-ʾ

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

وَالحاكِمُ

ḥ-k-m

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

تُرِيدُ.

r-y-d

literal: want; desire; will

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