Prayers and Meditations — §385

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 385 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

نُورِكَ يا مالِكَ المُلُوكِ وَبَلَغَ الأَمْرُ إِلى مَقَامٍ جَعَلوا أَهْلِيْ وَأَحِبَّتِيْ أُسارَى فِي أَرْضِك ومَنَعُوا أَحِبَّائَكَ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلى وَجْهِكَ وَالإِقْبالِ إِلى شَطْرِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَبِما فَعَلُوا ما سَكنَتْ نارُ أَنْفُسِهِمْ إِلى أَنْ جَعَلُوا مَظْهَرَ جَمَالِكَ وَمُنْزِلَ آياتِكَ أَسِيرًا وَأَدْخَلُوهُ فِي حِصْنِ العَكَّا وَمَنَعُوهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ، وَلكِنَّ الغُلامَ ما مُنِعَ عَمَّا أُمِرَ بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ، وَمِنْ أُفُقِ البَلآءِ يَنْطِقُ وَيُنادِي مَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَالسَّمآءِ، وَيَدْعُوهُمْ إِلى سَمآءِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَشَطْرِ عِنايَتِكَ، وَيُنَزِّلُ فِي اللَّيالِي وَالأَيَّامِ آياتِ قُدْرَتِكَ وَبَيِّناتِ عَظَمَتِكَ، لِيَنْجَذِبَ بِها أَفْئِدَةُ بَرِيَّتِكَ لِيُقْبِلُنَّ مُنْقَطِعًا عَنْ أَنْفُسِهِم ْ إِلَيْكَ، وَيَهْرُبُنَّ مِنْ افْتِقَارِهِمْ إِلى سُرادِقِ غَنائِكَ، وَيُسْرِعُنَّ مِنْ ذُلِّهِمْ إِلى فِنآءِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Hostility waxed so intense that my kindred and my loved ones were made captives in Thy land, and they that are dear to Thee were hindered from gazing on Thy beauty and from turning in the direction of Thy mercy. This hostility failed to cause the fire that burned within them to subside. The enemy finally carried away as captive Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy beauty and the Revealer of Thy signs, and confined Him in the fortress-town of ‘Akká, and sought to hinder Him from remembering Thee and from magnifying Thy name. Thy servant, however, could not be restrained from carrying out what Thou hadst bidden Him fulfill. Above the horizon of tribulation He hath lifted up His voice and He crieth out, summoning all the inmates of heaven and all the inhabitants of the earth to the immensity of Thy mercy and the court of Thy grace. Day and night He sendeth down the signs of Thine omnipotent power and revealeth the clear tokens of Thy majesty, so that the souls of Thy creatures may be drawn towards Thee, that they may forsake themselves and turn unto Thee, and may flee from their misery and seek the tabernacle of Thy riches, and may haste away from their wretchedness into the court of Thy majesty and glory.

Translation Notes

نُورِكَ

n-w-r

literal: light; illumination

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

مالِكَ

m-l-k

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

وَبَلَغَ

b-l-gh → “teach” Distinctive

literal: to reach; to attain; to deliver; to proclaim

الأَمْرُ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

مَقَامٍ

q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

جَعَلوا

j-ʿ-l → “made captives” Distinctive

literal: make; made; to make

أَهْلِيْ

ʾ-h-l → “people” Distinctive

literal: people; inhabitants; family; kin; worthy; deserving; my family; my people; my kin

وَأَحِبَّتِيْ

ḥ-b-b → “my loved ones”

literal: love; affection

أُسارَى

ʾ-s-r

literal: captive; captives; captive/prisoner

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَرْضِك

ʾ-r-ḍ → “Thy land” Distinctive

literal: earth; land; ground; country

ومَنَعُوا

m-n-ʿ → “were hindered”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from gazing on”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

التَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h → “turning”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

وَالإِقْبالِ

q-b-l

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

شَطْرِ

sh-ṭ-r → “direction”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “of Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَبِما

m-w-h → “water” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

فَعَلُوا

f-ʿ-l

literal: to do, act, make; deed, action

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

سَكنَتْ

s-k-n → “inmates” Distinctive

literal: stillness, rest, quietude, tranquility

نارُ

n-ʾ-r → “fire”

literal: fire; blaze; flame

أَنْفُسِهِمْ

n-f-s → “within them” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

أَنْ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مَظْهَرَ

ẓ-h-r → “Manifestation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

جَمَالِكَ

j-m-l → “Thy beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

وَمُنْزِلَ

n-z-l → “Revealer”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

آياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “Thy signs”

literal: sign; verse; miracle; token; verses; signs; proofs

أَسِيرًا

ʾ-s-r

literal: captive; captives; captive/prisoner

وَأَدْخَلُوهُ

d-kh-l → “enter”

literal: enter; entered; entering

حِصْنِ

ḥ-ṣ-n → “stronghold”

literal: fortress, stronghold, fortified place

ذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “remembering” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

وَثَنائِكَ،

th-n-y → “praise”

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy; glorification; praise, commendation, eulogy

وَلكِنَّ

l-k-n → “however”

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

الغُلامَ

gh-l-m → “Youth”

literal: youth; boy; servant; the Youth (Bahá’u’lláh)

أُمِرَ

ʾ-m-r → “bidden” Distinctive

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

بِهِ

b-h

literal: to; with it; with

عِنْدِكَ،

ʿ-n-d → “Thee”

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

وَمِنْ

m-n → “Above”

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

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

البَلآءِ

b-l-w → “of tribulation”

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

يَنْطِقُ

n-ṭ-q → “hath lifted up His voice” Distinctive

literal: to speak; to utter; to pronounce; to articulate

وَيُنادِي

n-d-y → “He crieth out, summoning” Distinctive

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

وَالسَّمآءِ،

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

وَيَدْعُوهُمْ

d-ʿ-w

literal: call; invitation; claim

عِنايَتِكَ،

ʿ-n-y → “of Thy grace” Distinctive

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

اللَّيالِي

l-y-l → “night”

literal: night; darkness

وَالأَيَّامِ

y-w-m → “Day”

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

قُدْرَتِكَ

q-d-r → “omnipotent power” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

وَبَيِّناتِ

b-y-n → “clear tokens”

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

عَظَمَتِكَ،

ʿ-ẓ-m → “of Thy majesty”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

لِيَنْجَذِبَ

j-dh-b → “be drawn”

literal: attract; attraction; attract, draw

بِها

b-h-w

literal: glory; most glorious; most-glorious

أَفْئِدَةُ

f-ʾ-d → “souls”

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind; heart; inner consciousness; mind; one who benefits; advantageous

بَرِيَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ → “of Thy creatures”

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

مُنْقَطِعًا

q-ṭ-ʿ → “forsake themselves” Distinctive

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

وَيَهْرُبُنَّ

h-r-b → “flee”

literal: flee; fleeing; fled

افْتِقَارِهِمْ

f-q-r → “poor” Distinctive

literal: poor; poverty; matter

سُرادِقِ

s-r-d-q → “tabernacle”

literal: pavilion; tabernacle; canopy; tent

غَنائِكَ،

gh-n-y → “of Thy riches”

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

وَيُسْرِعُنَّ

s-r-ʿ → “may haste away”

literal: hasten; hastened; hasten/hurry

ذُلِّهِمْ

dh-l-l → “their wretchedness”

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

فِنآءِ

f-n-y → “shall perish” Distinctive

literal: to annihilate; to disappear; annihilation

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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291 ¶

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17 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶