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Prayers and Meditations — §4

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 4 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِآياتِكَ الَّتِي أَحاطَتِ المُمْكِناتِ، وَبِنُورِ وَجْهِكَ الَّذِيْ مِنْهُ أَشْرَقَتِ الأَرَضُونَ وَالسَّمواتُ، وَبِرَحْمَتِكَ الَّتِيْ سَبَقَتِ المَوْجُوداتِ، وَفَضْلِكَ الَّذِيْ أَحاطَ الكائِنَاتِ بِأَنْ تَخْرُقَ لِي حُجُباتِ المَنْعِ لأَسْرُعَ إِلى مَنْبَعِ عِزِّ إِلْهامِكَ وَمَطْلَعِ وَحْيِكَ وَإِفْضالِكَ وَأَنْغَمِسَ فِيْ بَحْرِ قُرْبِكَ وَرِضائِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ لا

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Unto Thee be praise, O Lord my God! I entreat Thee, by Thy signs that have encompassed the entire creation, and by the light of Thy countenance that hath illuminated all that are in heaven and on earth, and by Thy mercy that hath surpassed all created things, and by Thy grace that hath suffused the whole universe, to rend asunder the veils that shut me out from Thee, that I may hasten unto the Fountainhead of Thy mighty inspiration, and to the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and bountiful favors, and may be immersed beneath the ocean of Thy nearness and pleasure.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ
s-b-ḥ → “Unto Thee be praise” Distinctive

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

اللَّهُمَّ
ʾ-l-h → “O Lord” Distinctive

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

يا
y-ʾ

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

أَسْئَلُكَ
s-ʾ-l → “I entreat Thee” Distinctive

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِآياتِكَ
ʾ-y-y → “by Thy signs”

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

الَّتِي
ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

أَحاطَتِ
ḥ-w-ṭ → “encompassed”

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

المُمْكِناتِ،
m-k-n → “the entire creation”

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

وَبِنُورِ
n-w-r → “and by the light”

literal: light; illumination

وَجْهِكَ
w-j-h → “of Thy countenance”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

الَّذِيْ
l-dh-y → “that hath” Distinctive

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

مِنْهُ
m-n

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

أَشْرَقَتِ
sh-r-q → “Dayspring” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

الأَرَضُونَ
ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

وَالسَّمواتُ،
s-m-w → “heaven and”

literal: heaven; sky

وَبِرَحْمَتِكَ
r-ḥ-m → “and by Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

سَبَقَتِ
s-b-q → “surpassed”

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

المَوْجُوداتِ،
w-j-d → “all created things”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

وَفَضْلِكَ
f-ḍ-l → “and by Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

الكائِنَاتِ
k-w-n → “the whole universe” Distinctive

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

بِأَنْ
ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَخْرُقَ
kh-r-q → “rend asunder”

literal: tear; pierce; tear/rend

لِي
ʿ-l-y

literal: for us; to us

حُجُباتِ
ḥ-j-b → “veils”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

المَنْعِ
m-n-ʿ

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

لأَسْرُعَ
s-r-ʿ → “that I may hasten”

literal: hasten; hastened; hasten/hurry

إِلى
ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

مَنْبَعِ
n-b-ʿ → “Source”

literal: to not be; non-existence; there is not

عِزِّ
ʿ-z-z → “of Thy mighty” Distinctive

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

إِلْهامِكَ
l-h-m → “inspiration”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

وَمَطْلَعِ
ṭ-l-ʿ → “and to the Dayspring”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

وَحْيِكَ
w-ḥ-y → “of Thy Revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

وَأَنْغَمِسَ
gh-m-s → “immerse”

literal: immerse; submerged; immersed

فِيْ
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

بَحْرِ
b-ḥ-r → “ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

قُرْبِكَ
q-r-b → “of Thy nearness”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

وَرِضائِكَ،
r-ḍ-y → “and pleasure”

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

أَيْ
ʾ-y-y

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

رَبِّ
r-b-b

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

لا
l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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