Prayers and Meditations — §426

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 426 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

َرْيَاحُ القَضَاءِ وَتَمْطُرُ مِنَ السَّحَابِ سِهَامُ الافْتِتَانِ وَمِنْ سَمَاءِ القَدَرِ رِماحُ الامْتِحَانِ، أَيْ رَبِّ تَرَى عِبَادَكَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِكَ وَبِآياتِكَ كَيْفَ وَقَعُوا بَيْنَ مَخالِيبِ أَعْدائِكَ وَسَدُّوا عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ أَبْوابَ الرَّخَآءِ وَتَرَكُوهُمْ فِي هذا الحِصْنِ الَّذِيْ مُنِعَ عَنْهُ الرَّاحَةُ وَالرَّجآءُ، وَوَرَدَ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِكَ ما لا وَرَدَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ قَبلُ، وَيَشْهَدُ بِذلِكَ سُكَّانُ العَرْشِ وَالثَّرى وَأَهْلُ مَلإِ الأَعْلی، فَيَا إِلهِي هؤُلآءِ عِبادٌ الَّذِينَ انْقَطَعُوا عَنْ دِيار

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thou seest, O my Lord, how Thy servants, who have believed on Thee and acknowledged Thy signs, have fallen into the clutches of Thine enemies, how the doors of ease and comfort have been shut against them, how they languish in the Fortress wherein neither pleasantness nor hope can be found. They have suffered in Thy path what no man before them hath suffered. To this bear witness they who abide around Thy throne, and the dwellers of the earth, and the Concourse on high.

Translation Notes

َرْيَاحُ

r-y-ḥ

literal: rest; ease; comfort; tranquility; wind; breeze; spirit; fragrance; scent; aroma

القَضَاءِ

q-ḍ-y

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for

وَتَمْطُرُ

m-ṭ-r

literal: rain

مِنَ

m-n

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

السَّحَابِ

s-ḥ-b

literal: cloud; clouds

سِهَامُ

s-h-m

literal: arrow; dart; shaft; portion; share

الافْتِتَانِ

f-t-n

literal: to give a legal judgment; to decree; to issue a fatwa

سَمَاءِ

s-m-w

literal: heaven; sky

القَدَرِ

q-d-r

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

رِماحُ

r-m-ḥ

literal: spears; spear, lance; spear

الامْتِحَانِ،

m-ḥ-n

literal: trial; tribulation; affliction; test

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O my” Distinctive

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

تَرَى

r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest”

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

عِبَادَكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

آمَنُوا

ʾ-m-n → “have believed”

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

وَبِآياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “and acknowledged Thy signs”

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

كَيْفَ

k-y-f → “how”

literal: how; in what manner

وَقَعُوا

w-q-ʿ → “occurred” Distinctive

literal: to fall, to occur, to happen; incident, event

بَيْنَ

b-y-n

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

مَخالِيبِ

kh-l-b → “clutches”

literal: claws; claw, talon; talon

أَعْدائِكَ

ʿ-d-w → “Thine enemies”

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

وَسَدُّوا

s-d-d → “closed” Distinctive

literal: closed; barrier; blocked

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “against them” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

وُجُوهِهِمْ

w-j-h

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

أَبْوابَ

b-w-b → “doors”

literal: door; gate; chapter; way; manner

الرَّخَآءِ

r-kh-y → “the affluence”

literal: ease; plenty; comfort; affluence

وَتَرَكُوهُمْ

t-r-k → “renounce” Distinctive

literal: leave; leave/abandon; abandon

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

الحِصْنِ

ḥ-ṣ-n

literal: fortress, stronghold, fortified place

مُنِعَ

m-n-ʿ → “can be found” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

عَنْهُ

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الرَّاحَةُ

r-w-ḥ → “spirit” Distinctive

literal: rest; ease; comfort; tranquility; wind; breeze; spirit; fragrance; scent; aroma

وَالرَّجآءُ،

r-j-w → “hope”

literal: hope; expectation

وَوَرَدَ

w-r-d → “have suffered” Distinctive

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

عَلَيْهِمْ

ʿ-l-y

literal: exalted; highest; supreme; most high; upon you; on; over; Ali (name); upon

سَبِيلِكَ

s-b-l → “Thy path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

لا

l-ʾ → “no”

literal: no; not; negation particle

أَحَدٍ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “man” Distinctive

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

قَبلُ،

q-b-l → “before”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

وَيَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “bear witness” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِذلِكَ

dh-l-k → “To this”

literal: that; this; it; by that

سُكَّانُ

s-k-n → “abide” Distinctive

literal: stillness, rest, quietude, tranquility

العَرْشِ

ʿ-r-sh → “Thy throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

وَالثَّرى

th-r-y → “dwellers of the earth”

literal: earth; dust; earth/dust

وَأَهْلُ

ʾ-h-l

literal: people; inhabitants; family; kin; worthy; deserving; my family; my people; my kin

مَلإِ

m-l-ʾ → “Concourse”

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

فَيَا

y-ʾ

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h

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

هؤُلآءِ

h-ʾ-l

literal: these

انْقَطَعُوا

q-ṭ-ʿ

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

دِيار

d-w-r

literal: land; region; place; abode; dwelling

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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