Prayers and Meditations — §388

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 388 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

وَما أَعَزَّ قَضَائَكَ فِي نَفْسِيْ، عُدِمَتْ كيْنُونَةٌ تَفِرُّ مِنْ سَطْوَةِ المُلُوكَ حِفْظًا لِنَفْسِها فِي أَيَّامِكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ مَنْ شَرِبَ كَوْثَرَ عَطاياكَ لا تُجْزِعُهُ البَلايا فِي سَبِيلِكَ وَلا تَمْنَعُهُ الرَّزايا عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ، أَسْئَلُكَ يا مالِكَ البَهآءِ وَمَلِيك

Shoghi Effendi Translation

How sweet to my taste is the savor of woes sent by Thee, and how dear to my heart the dispositions of Thy providence! Perish the soul that fleeth from the threats of kings in its attempt to save itself in Thy days! I swear by Thy glory! Whoso hath quaffed the living waters of Thy favors can fear no trouble in Thy path, neither can he be deterred by any tribulation from remembering Thee or from celebrating Thy praise.

Translation Notes

وَما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

أَعَزَّ

ʿ-z-z → “glory” Distinctive

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

قَضَائَكَ

q-ḍ-y → “decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for

فِي

f-y → “in Thy”

literal: in; in-it; in it

نَفْسِيْ،

n-f-s → “my heart” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

عُدِمَتْ

ʿ-d-m → “Perish”

literal: nonexistent; void; nullified

كيْنُونَةٌ

k-w-n → “be” Distinctive

literal: be; was; to be

تَفِرُّ

f-r-r → “fleeth”

literal: to separate; to disperse; to divide; separation

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

سَطْوَةِ

s-ṭ-w → “dominion”

literal: might; force; severity; oppression; tyranny

المُلُوكَ

m-l-k → “kings”

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

حِفْظًا

ḥ-f-ẓ → “protect”

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

أَيَّامِكَ،

y-w-m → “days”

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

شَرِبَ

sh-r-b → “hath quaffed”

literal: to drink; to imbibe

كَوْثَرَ

k-w-th-r → “living waters”

literal: abundance; river of paradise; the Kawthar

عَطاياكَ

ʿ-ṭ-w → “of Thy favors”

literal: bounty; gift; giving

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تُجْزِعُهُ

j-z-ʿ → “fear”

literal: to grieve; to be dismayed; grief, dismay

البَلايا

b-l-w → “tribulations”

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

سَبِيلِكَ

s-b-l → “path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

وَلا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

تَمْنَعُهُ

m-n-ʿ → “be deterred” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

الرَّزايا

r-z-y → “the trials”

literal: calamity; disaster; affliction; misfortune

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from remembering”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

ذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “Thee or” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

وَثَنائِكَ،

th-n-y → “from celebrating Thy praise”

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

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

البَهآءِ

b-h-w

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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17 ¶

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5 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶