Prayers and Meditations — §41

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 41 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ يا إِلهِي تَرَى عَجْزِي وَفَقْرِي وَتَشْهَدُ ضُرِّيْ وَابْتِلائِي، إِلى مَ تَرَكْتَنِي بَيْنَ عِبادِكَ فَأَصْعِدْنِي إِلَيْكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ إِنَّ البَلايا أَحَاطَتْنِي عَلَى شَأْنٍ لا أَقْدِرُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَها تِلْقآءَ وَجْهِكَ وَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ أَحْصَيْتَها بِعِلْمِكَ، أَسْئَلُكَ يا مُؤْنِسِي فِيْ وَحْدَتِي

Shoghi Effendi Translation

All praise be to Thee, O my God! Thou beholdest my helplessness and poverty, and bearest witness unto my woes and trials. How long wilt Thou abandon me among Thy servants? Suffer me to ascend into Thy presence. The power of Thy might beareth me witness! Such are the tribulations with which I am encompassed that I am powerless to recount them before Thy face. Thou, alone, verily, hast through Thy knowledge reckoned them.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “All praise be to Thee” Distinctive

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

تَرَى

r-ʾ-y → “beholdest”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

عَجْزِي

ʿ-j-z → “helplessness”

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence

وَفَقْرِي

f-q-r → “poverty”

literal: poor; needy; the poor one; pauper

وَتَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “bearest witness”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

ضُرِّيْ

ḍ-r-r → “woes” Distinctive

literal: harm; damage; injury; detriment

وَابْتِلائِي،

b-l-w → “trials” Distinctive

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

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

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “among”

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

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

فَأَصْعِدْنِي

ṣ-ʿ-d → “Suffer me to ascend”

literal: ascend; ascent; ascension

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

أَنْ

ʾ-n → “that I am”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَحَاطَتْنِي

ḥ-w-ṭ → “encompassed”

literal: to surround, encompass, encircle, beset

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n → “Such are” Distinctive

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

أَقْدِرُ

q-d-r → “powerless”

literal: power; powerful; amount

أَذْكُرَها

dh-k-r → “recount”

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

تِلْقآءَ

l-q-y → “before”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards