Prayers and Meditations — §379

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 379 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ي إِنَّ سِرَاجَكَ فِي هَيْكَلِ الإِنْسانِ يُنادِيكَ وَيَقُولُ أَيْ مَحْبُوبِي إِلى مَتى تَرَكْتَنِي فَارْفَعْنِي إِلَيْكَ، وَلَوْ أَنَّ ما أَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ لَمْ يَكُنْ إِلاَّ مِنْ لِسَانِ بَرِيَّتِكَ وَلكِنْ أَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ بِأَنِّي أُرِيْدُ أَنْ أَفْدِيَ نَفْسِيْ فِي سَبِيلِكَ وَإِنَّكَ جَعَلْتَ إِرادَتِي نَفْسَ إِرادَتِكَ وَمَشِيَّتِي ذاتَ مَشِيَّتِكَ، أَسئَلُكَ بِأَنْ تَحْفَظَ أَحِبَّائَكَ فِي ظِلِّ رَحْمَتِكَ الكُبْرَى لِئَلا تَمْنَعَهُمُ البَلايا عَنْ شَطْرِ اسْمِكَ العَزِيزِ الوَهَّابِ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I swear by Thy glory, O my God! Thy Lamp which Thou didst light within the tabernacle of man crieth out to Thee and saith: “O Thou the one alone Beloved! How long wilt Thou forsake me? Lift me up to Thee, I pray Thee. Though this wish of mine be the wish of a human creature, yet Thou knowest that my true wish is to sacrifice myself in Thy path. Thou art He Who hath made my desire to be the same as Thy desire, and my will the same as Thy will. Do Thou preserve Thy loved ones, I beseech Thee, in the shelter of Thy shadowing mercy which transcendeth all things, that haply the sufferings they bear may not deter them from turning in the direction of Thy name, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.”

Translation Notes

إِنَّ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

سِرَاجَكَ

s-r-j → “Thy Lamp”

literal: lamp; light; illuminator

فِي

f-y → “within the tabernacle of man”

literal: in; in-it; in it

هَيْكَلِ

h-y-k-l → “form”

literal: temple; structure; form; body

الإِنْسانِ

ʾ-n-s → “within the tabernacle of man”

literal: familiar; intimate; companionship; to be acquainted with; companion; intimate friend; to be intimate with; to keep company; to console

يُنادِيكَ

n-d-y → “crieth out to Thee”

literal: call; voice; cry; summons; to call; to proclaim; to cry out; to summon

وَيَقُولُ

q-w-l → “and saith”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

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

مَحْبُوبِي

ḥ-b-b → “one alone Beloved” Distinctive

literal: love; affection

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

تَرَكْتَنِي

t-r-k → “renounce” Distinctive

literal: leave; leave/abandon; abandon

فَارْفَعْنِي

r-f-ʿ → “Lift me up to Thee”

literal: raise; raised; elevation

وَلَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: were it not for; if not for; save for

ما

m-ʾ

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

أَتَكَلَّمُ

k-l-m

literal: word; words; speak

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

لَمْ

l-y-s

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

يَكُنْ

k-w-n

literal: is; to be (third person singular present); to be one; oneness; unity

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r

literal: end; hereafter; other

مِنْ

m-n → “of mine be the wish of”

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

لِسَانِ

l-s-n

literal: tongue; language

بَرِيَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ → “creatures”

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

وَلكِنْ

l-k-n → “yet” Distinctive

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

تَعْلَمُ

ʿ-l-m → “knowest”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بِأَنِّي

ʾ-n-n → “that my true wish”

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

أُرِيْدُ

r-y-d → “is to” Distinctive

literal: to will; to intend; to wish; will, volition, intention, desire

أَفْدِيَ

f-d-y → “sacrifice”

literal: to sacrifice; to ransom; to redeem; to sacrifice oneself for

نَفْسِيْ

n-f-s → “myself”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

سَبِيلِكَ

s-b-l → “Thy path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

وَإِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that” Distinctive

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

جَعَلْتَ

j-ʿ-l → “hath made” Distinctive

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

إِرادَتِكَ

r-w-d → “Thy desire” Distinctive

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

وَمَشِيَّتِي

sh-y-y → “Will”

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

ذاتَ

dh-w-t → “Essence”

literal: self; essence; being

مَشِيَّتِكَ،

sh-y-ʾ → “will”

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

أَسئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

تَحْفَظَ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “Thou preserve” Distinctive

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

ظِلِّ

ẓ-l-l → “shelter of” Distinctive

literal: to take shelter; to dwell in shadow

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “Thy shadowing mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

الكُبْرَى

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

لِئَلا

l-y-l → “night”

literal: night; darkness

تَمْنَعَهُمُ

m-n-ʿ → “deter” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

البَلايا

b-l-w → “tribulations”

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

شَطْرِ

sh-ṭ-r → “turning in the direction”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

اسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “of Thy name”

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

العَزِيزِ

ʿ-z-z → “the All-Glorious”

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

الوَهَّابِ.

w-h-b → “gifts” Distinctive

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

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