Prayers and Meditations — §413

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 413 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

اجْتَذَبْتَ قُلُوبَ الأَصْفِيآءِ عَلَى شَأْنٍ انْقَطَعُوا فِي حُبِّكَ عَمَّا سِواكَ، وَأَنْفَقُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَرْواحَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِكَ وَحَمَلُوا فِي حُبِّكَ ما لا حَمَلَهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ بَرِيَّتِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَنَا أَمَةٌ مِنْ إِمائِكَ تَوَجَّهْتُ إِلى مَدْيَنِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَرَدْتُ بَدائِعَ أَلْطَاف

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thou art He Who, through a word of Thy mouth, hath so enravished the hearts of Thy chosen ones that they have, in their love for Thee, detached themselves from all except Thyself, and laid down their lives and sacrificed their souls in Thy path, and borne, for Thy sake, what none of Thy creatures hath borne.

Translation Notes

اجْتَذَبْتَ

j-dh-b → “enravished”

literal: to draw, attract, pull; to be enraptured

قُلُوبَ

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

الأَصْفِيآءِ

ṣ-f-w → “chosen ones”

literal: pure one; chosen one; selected one; elite

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n → “that they”

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

انْقَطَعُوا

q-ṭ-ʿ → “detached themselves”

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

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

حُبِّكَ

ḥ-b-b → “love for Thee”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

عَمَّا

ʿ-n

literal: with them; in their company

سِواكَ،

s-w-y → “except Thyself”

literal: other than; besides; except; equal; alike

وَأَنْفَقُوا

n-f-q → “sacrificed”

literal: hypocrisy; spend; spending

أَنْفُسَهُمْ

n-f-s → “their lives” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche

وَأَرْواحَهُمْ

r-w-ḥ → “their souls”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

سَبِيلِكَ

s-b-l → “path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

وَحَمَلُوا

ḥ-m-l → “borne”

literal: to bear; to endure; to carry; to tolerate

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

أَحَدٌ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “none”

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

مِنْ

m-n → “of Thy”

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

بَرِيَّتِكَ،

b-r-ʾ → “creatures”

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

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b

literal: Lord; lord; divine

أَنَا

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَمَةٌ

ʾ-m-m

literal: mother

إِمائِكَ

ʾ-m-y

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

تَوَجَّهْتُ

w-j-h

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلى

ʾ-l-y

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

مَدْيَنِ

m-d-n

literal: city; cities; civilization

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَأَرَدْتُ

r-y-d

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

بَدائِعَ

b-d-ʿ

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

أَلْطَاف

l-ṭ-f

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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