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Prayers and Meditations — §333

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 333 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لَمْ يَكنْ مَعَكَ مِنْ شَيءٍ وَلا تَزالُ تَكُونُ بِمِثْلِ ما كُنْتَ لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ العَزِيزُ العَليِمُ، سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِذِكْرِكَ العَلِيِّ الأَعْلَى الَّذِيْ أَظْهَرْتَهُ بِاسْمِكَ الأَبْهى بَيْنَ أَهْلِ الإِنْشآءِ، وَجَعَلْتَ مَشِيَّتَهُ ذاتَ مَشِيَّتِكَ وَنَفْسَهُ مَظْهَرَ نَفْسِكَ وَكَيْنُونَتَهُ مَطْلَعَ عِلْمِكَ وَقَلْبَهُ مَخْزَنَ إِلْهامِكَ وَفُؤادَهُ مَهْبَطَ وَحْيِكَ وَصَدْرَهُ مَشْرِقَ أَسْمائِكَ الحُسْنى وَصَفاتِكَ العُلْيا وَلِسانَهُ مَنْبَعَ كَوْثَرِ ثَنائِكَ وَسَلْسَبِيلِ حِكْمَتِكَ بِأَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنا ما يَجْعَلُنا أَغْنِيآءَ عَنْ دونِكَ وَمُقَدَّسيِنَ عَمَّا سِواكَ وَقاصِدينَ إِلى حَرَمِ رِضائِكَ وَآمِلِينَ ما قَدَّرْتَ لَنا بِتَقْدِيرِكَ، ثُمَّ اجْعَلْنا يا إِلهِي مُنْقَطِعِينَ عَنْ أَنْفُسِنا وَمُتَوَسِّلِينَ بِمَظْهَرِ نَفْسِكَ العَلِيِّ الأَعْلی، ثُمَّ ارْزُقْنا ما هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَنا، ثُمَّ اكْتُبْنا مِنْ عِبادِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَآمَنُوا بِنَفْسِكَ وَاسْتَقَرُّوا عَلَى سُرُرِ الإِيْقانِ عَلَى شَأْنٍ ما مَنَعَتْهُمْ إِشاراتُ الشَّيْطانِ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلى شَطْرِ اسْمِكَ الرَّحْمنِ وَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Him Who is Thine exalted and supreme Remembrance, Whom Thou hast sent down unto all Thy creatures and invested with Thy name, the All-Glorious, Whose will Thou hast ordained to be Thine own will, Whose self Thou hast decreed to be the revealer of Thine own Self, and His essence the Dayspring of Thy wisdom, and His heart the treasury of Thine inspiration, and His breast the dawning-place of Thy most excellent attributes and most exalted titles, and His tongue the fountainhead of the waters of Thy praise and the wellspring of the soft-flowing streams of Thy wisdom, to send down upon us that which will enable us to dispense with all else except Thee, and will cause us to direct our steps towards the sanctuary of Thy pleasure and to aspire after the things Thou didst ordain for us according to Thine irrevocable decree. Empower us, then, O my God, to forsake ourselves and cleave steadfastly to Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self, the Most Exalted, the Most High. Supply us also with that which is best for us, and write us down with such of Thy servants as have repudiated the Idol (Mírzá Yaḥyá), and firmly believed in Thee, and been so established on the throne of certitude that the whisperings of the Evil One have been powerless to hinder them from turning their faces towards Thy name, the All-Merciful.

Translation Notes

مَعَكَ
maʿak m-ʿ

literal: with; with/notwithstanding; with-me

SE rendered يَكنْ (yakn)مَعَكَ (maʿak)شَيءٍ (shayʾin)تَزالُ (tazál)تَكُونُ (takún) as “been, will, to be”

ذاتَ
dhát dh-w-t

literal: essence; essence, self; essence/self

SE rendered أَهْلِ (ʾahl)الإِنْشآءِ، (an-nsháʾi،)وَجَعَلْتَ (wajaʿalt)مَشِيَّتَهُ (mashíhatah)ذاتَ (dhát)مَشِيَّتِكَ (mashíhatik)وَنَفْسَهُ (wanafsah)مَظْهَرَ (maẓhar) as “unto all Thy creatures, ordained, Whose will, Thine own will, Whose self, revealer”

وَحْيِكَ
waḥyik w-ḥ-y “of thy”

literal: revelation; revelation/inspiration; revelation, inspiration

SE rendered إِلْهامِكَ (ʾilhámik)وَفُؤادَهُ (wafuʾádah)مَهْبَطَ (mahbaṭ)وَحْيِكَ (waḥyik) as “of Thine inspiration, His breast, the dawning-place, of Thy”

وَصَدْرَهُ
waṣadrah ṣ-d-r

literal: breast

SE rendered وَفُؤادَهُ (wafuʾádah)مَهْبَطَ (mahbaṭ)وَحْيِكَ (waḥyik)وَصَدْرَهُ (waṣadrah)مَشْرِقَ (mashriq)أَسْمائِكَ (ʾasmáʾik)الحُسْنى (al-ḥusnى) as “His breast, the dawning-place, of Thy, most excellent”

breast 23% breasts 15% dilated 8% honor 8% midmost 8% radiant 8% leader 8% seats 8% heart 8% thoughts 8%
مَشْرِقَ
mashriq sh-r-q

literal: shining; east; shine

SE rendered مَهْبَطَ (mahbaṭ)وَحْيِكَ (waḥyik)وَصَدْرَهُ (waṣadrah)مَشْرِقَ (mashriq)أَسْمائِكَ (ʾasmáʾik)الحُسْنى (al-ḥusnى)وَصَفاتِكَ (waṣafátik) as “the dawning-place, of Thy, most excellent, attributes”

ثَنائِكَ
thanáʾik th-n-y

literal: praise; praise, commendation

SE rendered وَلِسانَهُ (walisánah)مَنْبَعَ (manbaʿ)كَوْثَرِ (kawthar)ثَنائِكَ (thanáʾik)وَسَلْسَبِيلِ (wasalsabíl)حِكْمَتِكَ (ḥikmatik) as “His tongue, the fountainhead, waters, soft-flowing streams, wisdom”

وَسَلْسَبِيلِ
wasalsabíl s-l-s-b-y-l “waters”

literal: pure-fountain; Salsabil (heavenly fountain); soft-flowing-stream

2 occurrences in corpus

عَلَيْنا
ʿalayná ʿ-l-y

literal: upon; on

SE rendered حِكْمَتِكَ (ḥikmatik)تُنَزِّلَ (tunazzil)عَلَيْنا (ʿalayná)يَجْعَلُنا (yajʿaluná) as “wisdom, to send down upon us, will enable us”

upon 33% trials 33% against 33%
وَمُقَدَّسيِنَ
wamuqaddasyin q-d-s

literal: holy

SE rendered دونِكَ (dúnik)وَمُقَدَّسيِنَ (wamuqaddasyin)سِواكَ (siwák)وَقاصِدينَ (waqáṣidín) as “all else except Thee, direct our steps towards”

holy 50% blessed 25% such 25%
سِواكَ
siwák s-w-y

literal: other than; other-than; besides

SE rendered دونِكَ (dúnik)وَمُقَدَّسيِنَ (wamuqaddasyin)سِواكَ (siwák)وَقاصِدينَ (waqáṣidín)حَرَمِ (ḥaram)رِضائِكَ (riḍáʾik) as “all else except Thee, direct our steps towards, the sanctuary, of Thy pleasure”

except 29% all 15% any 12% aught 10% save 10% thee 10% beside 5% naught 5% besides 2% everything 2%
لَنا
laná l-n “neither”

literal: will not

2 occurrences in corpus

الَّذِينَ
adh-dhín l-dh-y “which”

literal: those who; who

SE rendered اكْتُبْنا (iktubná)عِبادِكَ (ʿibádik)الَّذِينَ (adh-dhín)كَفَرُوا (kafarúá)بِالطَّاغُوتِ (biálṭṭághút) as “write us down, with such of Thy servants, as, have repudiated, the Idol (Mírzá Yaḥyá)”

doubters 17% dependents 17% generations 17% unto 17% such 17% who 17%
بِالطَّاغُوتِ
biálṭṭághút ṭ-gh-w “idol (mírzá yaḥyá)”

literal: tyrant/idol; idol

SE expanded to “Idol (Mírzá Yaḥyá)”

idol 67% rebellious 33%
شَأْنٍ
shaʾanin sh-ʾ-n “that”

literal: state

SE rendered سُرُرِ (surur)الإِيْقانِ (al-ʾíqán)شَأْنٍ (shaʾanin)مَنَعَتْهُمْ (manaʿathum)إِشاراتُ (ʾishárát) as “the throne, of certitude, that, been powerless to hinder them, the whisperings”

such 24% station 18% honor 12% through 12% neither 6% people 6% glory 6% dignity 6% low 6% splendor 6%
شَطْرِ
shaṭr sh-ṭ-r

literal: direction; direction/side; direction, side

SE rendered الشَّيْطانِ (ash-shayṭán)التَّوَجُّهِ (at-tawajjuh)شَطْرِ (shaṭr)اسْمِكَ (ismik)الرَّحْمنِ (ar-raḥmn) as “of the Evil One, from turning their faces towards, Thy name, the All-Merciful”

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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