Prayers and Meditations — §36

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 36 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ يا إِلهِي هذا عَبْدُكَ الَّذِيْ شَرِبَ خَمْرَ رَحْمَتِكَ مِنْ أَيادِي فَضْلِكَ وَذاقَ طَعْمَ حُبِّكَ فِيْ أَيَّامِكَ، أَسْئَلُكَ بِأَسْمائِكَ الَّتِيْ لا تَمْنَعُهَا الأَحْزانُ عَنِ الشَّغَفِ فِيْ حُبِّكَ وَالنَّظَرِ إِلى وَجْهِكَ، وَلا يَمْنَعُهُمْ جُنُودُ الغافِلِينَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ رِضائِكَ بِأَنْ تَرْزُقَهُ خَيْرَ ما عِنْدِكَ وَعَرِّجْهُ إِلى المَقامِ الَّذِيْ يَرَى الدُّنْيا كَظِلٍّ يَمُرُّ فِيْ أَقْرَبِ مِنْ لَمْحِ البَصَرِ، ثُمَّ احْفَظْهُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! This is Thy servant who hath quaffed from the hands of Thy grace the wine of Thy tender mercy, and tasted of the savor of Thy love in Thy days. I beseech Thee, by the embodiments of Thy names whom no grief can hinder from rejoicing in Thy love or from gazing on Thy face, and whom all the hosts of the heedless are powerless to cause to turn aside from the path of Thy pleasure, to supply him with the good things Thou dost possess, and to raise him up to such heights that he will regard the world even as a shadow that vanisheth swifter than the twinkling of an eye.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Praised be Thou”

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted; dawn; daybreak; morning

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “Lord my God”

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

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “This is”

literal: this; that

عَبْدُكَ

ʿ-b-d → “servant”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

شَرِبَ

sh-r-b → “hath quaffed”

literal: to drink; to imbibe

خَمْرَ

kh-m-r → “wine”

literal: wine; dough; wine/intoxication

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “Thy tender mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

مِنْ

m-n → “from the hands”

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

أَيادِي

y-d-y

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

فَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

وَذاقَ

dh-w-q → “tasted”

literal: to taste; taste, flavor

طَعْمَ

ṭ-ʿ-m → “food” Distinctive

literal: food; nourishment

حُبِّكَ

ḥ-b-b → “Thy love”

literal: love; affection

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَيَّامِكَ،

y-w-m → “Thy days”

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

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِأَسْمائِكَ

s-m-w → “embodiments of Thy names”

literal: to name, to nominate, to designate, to appoint; name; noun; to name, to appoint, to designate

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَمْنَعُهَا

m-n-ʿ → “hinder”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

الأَحْزانُ

ḥ-z-n

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish; to grieve; to sorrow; to be sad

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الشَّغَفِ

sh-gh-f → “rejoicing”

literal: passion; passionate love

وَالنَّظَرِ

n-ẓ-r → “Consider”

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “on” Distinctive

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

وَجْهِكَ،

w-j-h → “Thy face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

وَلا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

جُنُودُ

j-n-d → “all the hosts”

literal: hosts, armies, troops

الغافِلِينَ

gh-f-l → “heedless”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

سَبِيلِ

s-b-l → “path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

رِضائِكَ

r-ḍ-y → “Thy pleasure”

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction; satisfaction; pleasure; approval; contentment

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَرْزُقَهُ

r-z-q → “partake” Distinctive

literal: provide; sustenance; provided

خَيْرَ

kh-y-r → “good things”

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

ما

m-ʾ

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

عِنْدِكَ

ʿ-n-d → “Thou dost possess”

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

وَعَرِّجْهُ

ʿ-r-j → “to raise him up”

literal: to ascend, climb, mount

المَقامِ

q-w-m → “such heights” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

يَرَى

r-ʾ-y → “he will regard” Distinctive

literal: ability; capability; capacity

الدُّنْيا

d-n-w → “the world”

literal: this world; earthly life; temporal realm; lowest; base; mean; of little account; to know; to be acquainted with

كَظِلٍّ

ẓ-l-l → “as a shadow”

literal: to take shelter; to dwell in shadow

يَمُرُّ

m-r-r → “At one time” Distinctive

literal: matter; affair; thing

أَقْرَبِ

q-r-b → “nearness” Distinctive

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

لَمْحِ

l-m-ḥ → “twinkling”

literal: to glance; to glimpse; to perceive

البَصَرِ،

b-ṣ-r → “an eye”

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “and” Distinctive

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

احْفَظْهُ

ḥ-f-ẓ

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

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