Prayers and Meditations — §358

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 358 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

يا إِلهِي هذِهِ أَيَّامٌ فِيها فَرَضْتَ الصِّيامَ عَلَى عِبادِكَ، وَبِهِ طَرَّزْتَ دِيباجَ كِتابِ أَوامِرِكَ بَيْنَ بَرِيَّتِكَ، وَزَيَّنْتَ صَحائِفَ أَحْكَامِكَ لِمَنْ فِي أَرْضِكَ وَسَمائِكَ، وَاخْتَصَصْتَ كُلَّ ساعَةٍ مِنْها بِفَضِيلَةٍ لَمْ يُحِطْ بِها إِلاَّ عِلْمُكَ الَّذِيْ أَحَاطَ الأَشْيآءَ كُلَّها، وَقَدَّرْتَ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ مِنْها نَصِيبًا فِي لَوْحِ قَضائِكَ وَزُبُرِ تَقْدِيرِكَ، وَاخْتَصَصْتَ كُلَّ وَرَقَةٍ مِنْها بِحِزْبٍ مِنَ الأَحْزابِ، وَقَدَّرْتَ لِلْعُشَّاقِ كَأْسَ ذِكْرِكَ فِي الأَسْحارِ يا رَبَّ الأَرْبابِ، أْولئِكَ عِبادٌ أَخَذَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst enjoin Thy servants to observe the Fast. With it Thou didst adorn the preamble of the Book of Thy Laws revealed unto Thy creatures, and didst deck forth the Repositories of Thy commandments in the sight of all who are in Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth. Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee, Whose knowledge embraceth all created things. Thou hast, also, assigned unto every soul a portion of this virtue in accordance with the Tablet of Thy decree and the Scriptures of Thine irrevocable judgment. Every leaf of these Books and Scriptures Thou hast, moreover, allotted to each one of the peoples and kindreds of the earth.

Translation Notes

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

هذِهِ

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; this (masculine); this (feminine)

أَيَّامٌ

y-w-m → “days”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

فِيها

f-y → “whereon” Distinctive

literal: in it; in them

فَرَضْتَ

f-r-ḍ → “hast bidden”

literal: obligatory; incumbent; imposed; prescribed; fixed

الصِّيامَ

ṣ-w-m → “the Fast”

literal: fasting; to abstain from food

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

عِبادِكَ،

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَبِهِ

b-h → “as”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

طَرَّزْتَ

ṭ-r-z → “with the ornament” Distinctive

literal: ornament; adornment; ornament/embroidery

دِيباجَ

d-b-j → “preamble”

literal: brocade; silk; preamble; adornment

كِتابِ

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

أَوامِرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Thy Laws” Distinctive

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “revealed unto” Distinctive

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

بَرِيَّتِكَ،

b-r-ʾ → “Thy creatures”

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

وَزَيَّنْتَ

z-y-n → “didst deck forth” Distinctive

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

صَحائِفَ

ṣ-ḥ-f → “Scriptures” Distinctive

literal: page; tablet; scroll; book

أَحْكَامِكَ

ḥ-k-m → “Thy commandments” Distinctive

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

لِمَنْ

m-n → “all who” Distinctive

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

أَرْضِكَ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “Thy earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

وَسَمائِكَ،

s-m-w → “Thy heaven”

literal: name; heaven; names

وَاخْتَصَصْتَ

kh-ṣ-ṣ → “singled out”

literal: special; particular; specific

كُلَّ

k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

ساعَةٍ

s-w-ʿ → “hour”

literal: hour; moment

بِفَضِيلَةٍ

f-ḍ-l → “grace” Distinctive

literal: grace; grace/favor; grace, favor

لَمْ

l-y-s

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

يُحِطْ

ḥ-y-ṭ → “embraceth all things” Distinctive

literal: encompassing; encompass; encompassed

بِها

b-h-w

literal: by it; by him; with it

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

عِلْمُكَ

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

أَحَاطَ

ḥ-w-ṭ → “encompassed”

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

الأَشْيآءَ

sh-y-ʾ → “created things”

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

وَقَدَّرْتَ

q-d-r → “Thou hast” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

نَفْسٍ

n-f-s → “soul”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

نَصِيبًا

n-ṣ-b → “portion”

literal: share; portion; lot; fate

لَوْحِ

l-w-ḥ → “Tablet”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

قَضائِكَ

q-ḍ-y → “Thy decree”

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

وَزُبُرِ

z-b-r → “Scriptures”

literal: writing; inscription; divine writ

وَرَقَةٍ

w-r-q → “leaf”

literal: leaf, page, sheet, parchment, document

بِحِزْبٍ

ḥ-z-b → “peoples”

literal: party; people; community

لِلْعُشَّاقِ

ʿ-sh-q

literal: lover; love; lovers

كَأْسَ

k-ʾ-s

literal: cup; chalice; goblet

ذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

الأَسْحارِ

s-ḥ-r

literal: dawn, daybreak; morning hour

رَبَّ

r-b-b

literal: divine; of God; lordly

أْولئِكَ

ʾ-w-l

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

أَخَذَ

ʾ-kh-dh

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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