Prayers and Meditations — §395

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 395 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ يا إِلهِي قَدْ اسْتَظَلَّتْ فِي ظِلِّ سِدرَةِ وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ أَمَةٌ مِنْ إِمَائِكَ الَّتِيْ آمَنَتْ بِكَ وَبِآياتِكَ، يا إِلهِي فَأَشْرِبْها رَحِيْقَكَ المَخْتُومَ بِاسْمِكَ الظَّاهِرِ المَكْنُونِ لِيأْخُذَها عَنْ نَفْسِهَا وَيَجْعَلَهَا خالِصَةً لِذِكْرِكَ وَمُنْقَطِعَةً

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glory to Thee, O my God! One of Thy handmaidens, who hath believed in Thee and in Thy signs, hath entered beneath the shadow of the tree of Thy oneness. Give her to quaff, O my God, by Thy Name, the Manifest and the Hidden, of Thy choice sealed Wine that it may take her away from her own self, and make her to be entirely devoted to Thy remembrance, and wholly detached from any one beside Thee.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glory to Thee” Distinctive

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

قَدْ

q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

اسْتَظَلَّتْ

ẓ-l-l → “hath entered”

literal: to take shelter; to dwell in shadow

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

سِدرَةِ

s-d-r → “tree”

literal: lote-tree; divine tree

وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ

w-ḥ-d → “Thy oneness”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

أَمَةٌ

ʾ-m-m → “before” Distinctive

literal: mother

مِنْ

m-n → “of”

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

إِمَائِكَ

ʾ-m-y → “Thy handmaidens”

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

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

آمَنَتْ

ʾ-m-n → “believed”

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

وَبِآياتِكَ،

ʾ-y-y → “and in Thy signs”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

فَأَشْرِبْها

sh-r-b → “Give her to quaff”

literal: to drink; to imbibe

رَحِيْقَكَ

r-ḥ-q → “Thy choice sealed Wine”

literal: wine; pure drink; choice beverage (metaphorical for divine knowledge and love)

المَخْتُومَ

kh-t-m

literal: to seal; to conclude; to end; seal

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “by Thy Name”

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

الظَّاهِرِ

ẓ-h-r → “the Manifest”

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

المَكْنُونِ

k-n-n → “the Hidden”

literal: to do; to make; to perform

لِيأْخُذَها

ʾ-kh-dh → “laid hold” Distinctive

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

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

نَفْسِهَا

n-f-s → “her own self” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَيَجْعَلَهَا

j-ʿ-l → “and make”

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

خالِصَةً

kh-l-ṣ → “entirely devoted” Distinctive

literal: sincere; devoted; pure one

لِذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “to Thy remembrance”

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

وَمُنْقَطِعَةً

q-ṭ-ʿ → “and wholly detached”

literal: point; dot; spot; region; area

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶