Prayers and Meditations — §347

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 347 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سْمِكَ الأَبْهى الَّذِيْ بِهِ زَيَّنْتَ مَنْ فِي مَلَكُوتِ أَمْرِكَ وَجَبَرُوْتِ مَشيَّتِكَ بِأَنْ تَجْذِبَنِيْ مِنْ نَغَماتِ وَرْقآءِ أَحَدِيَّتِكَ الَّتِيْ تَغَنُّ عَلَى أَفْنانِ سِدْرَةِ قَضائِكَ بِأَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، أَيْ رَبِّ طَهِّرْنِي بِمِياهِ رَحْمَتِكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I implore Thee by Thine All-Glorious Name, wherewith Thou didst adorn all the denizens of the kingdom of Thy revelation and the inmates of the heaven of Thy will, to grant that my soul may be attracted by the sweetness of the melody of the Bird of Heaven that chanteth amidst the branches of the tree of Thy decree that Thou art God, that there is none other God beside Thee.

Translation Notes

سْمِكَ

s-m-w → “Thine All-Glorious Name”

literal: name; heaven; names

الأَبْهى

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

بِهِ

b-h → “by” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

زَيَّنْتَ

z-y-n → “adorn”

literal: to adorn; ornament; beauty; adornment; embellishment; decoration

مَنْ

m-n → “all the denizens” Distinctive

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

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

مَلَكُوتِ

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “revelation” Distinctive

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

وَجَبَرُوْتِ

j-b-r → “inmates of the heaven”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

مَشيَّتِكَ

sh-y-ʾ → “will”

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

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to grant that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَجْذِبَنِيْ

j-dh-b → “attracted”

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

نَغَماتِ

n-gh-m → “melody” Distinctive

literal: melody; tone; note

وَرْقآءِ

w-r-q → “Bird of Heaven”

literal: leaf, page, sheet, parchment, document

أَحَدِيَّتِكَ

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “that” Distinctive

literal: who; which/that; which

تَغَنُّ

gh-n-y → “wealth” Distinctive

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with; rich; wealthy; needless

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أَفْنانِ

f-n-n → “branches”

literal: twigs; branches

سِدْرَةِ

s-d-r → “tree”

literal: lote-tree; divine tree

قَضائِكَ

q-ḍ-y → “Thy decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

بِأَنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

اللَّهُ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

أَيْ

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

رَبِّ

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

طَهِّرْنِي

literal: to purify; to cleanse

بِمِياهِ

literal: water; waters

رَحْمَتِكَ

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “and” Distinctive

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

اجْعَلْنِي

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

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