Prayers and Meditations — §427

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 427 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ِهِمْ حُبًّا لِجَمَالِكَ، وَاهْتَزَّهُمْ أَرْياحُ شَوْقِكَ إِلى مَقامٍ انْقَطَعُوا عَنْ كُلِّ نِسْبَةٍ فِي سَبِيلِكَ، وَحارَبَهُمْ طُغَاةُ عِبادِكَ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَمْلَكَتِكَ، وَأَخْرَجُوهُمْ عَنْ كُلِّ الدِّيارِ وَجَعَلُوهُمْ أُسَارَى بِأَيادِي الفَجَرَةِ مِنْ عِبادِكَ وَالكَفَرَةِ مِنْ أَشْقِيآءِ أَهْلِ أَرْضِكَ، إِلى أَنْ أَدْخَلُوْهُمْ فِي هذا المَقامِ الَّذِيْ لَنْ يُوجَدَ أَرْدَى مِنْهُ فِي مَمْلَكَتِكَ، وَأَخَذَتْهُمُ البَلايا عَلَى شَأْنٍ يَبْكِي السَّحَابُ عَلَيهِمْ وَيَنُوحُ الرَّعْدُ لِلْقَضَايا الَّتِيْ مَسَّتْهُمْ فِي حُبِّكَ وَرِضَائِكَ، وَأَنْتَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

These, O my God, are Thy servants who, for love of Thy beauty, have forsaken their homes, and been so stirred up by the gentle winds of their desire for Thee that they have sundered every tie in Thy path. Such of Thy servants as dwell in Thy land and have transgressed against Thee have assailed them, and banished them from Thy cities, and made them captives, and delivered them into the hands of workers of iniquity among Thy people and the perverse amidst the wicked doers in Thy realm. And finally, they were made to abide in this place with which no other place, however loathsome, in all Thy dominion, can compare. They were seized with such trials that the clouds weep over them and the thunder groaneth by reason of the manifold tribulations that have afflicted them in their love for Thee and for the sake of Thy pleasure.

Translation Notes

ِهِمْ

h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

حُبًّا

ḥ-b-b → “for love of”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

لِجَمَالِكَ،

j-m-l → “Thy beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

وَاهْتَزَّهُمْ

h-z-z → “transports” Distinctive

literal: to shake, quiver, vibrate, tremble with emotion

أَرْياحُ

r-w-ḥ → “gentle winds”

literal: to throw; to cast; Aramaic/Persian proper name reference; to throw, cast, shoot; to pelt; to shoot

شَوْقِكَ

sh-w-q → “of their desire for Thee”

literal: to encourage; to incite; yearning; enthusiasm

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

انْقَطَعُوا

q-ṭ-ʿ → “they have sundered” Distinctive

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

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

نِسْبَةٍ

n-s-b → “tie”

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

سَبِيلِكَ،

s-b-l → “Thy path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

وَحارَبَهُمْ

ḥ-r-b → “contended” Distinctive

literal: warfare; combat; fighting; hostility

طُغَاةُ

ṭ-gh-y → “oppressors”

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

أَهْلِ

ʾ-h-l → “people”

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

مَمْلَكَتِكَ،

m-l-k

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

وَأَخْرَجُوهُمْ

kh-r-j → “and banished them”

literal: go out; exit; outside

الدِّيارِ

d-w-r → “far” Distinctive

literal: land; region; place; abode; dwelling

وَجَعَلُوهُمْ

j-ʿ-l → “and made them captives”

literal: make; made; to make

أُسَارَى

ʾ-s-r

literal: captive; captives; captive/prisoner

بِأَيادِي

y-d-y → “into the hands”

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

الفَجَرَةِ

f-j-r → “workers of iniquity”

literal: dawn; dayspring; to break (of dawn)

وَالكَفَرَةِ

k-f-r → “repudiated”

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

أَشْقِيآءِ

sh-q-y → “wicked doers”

literal: wretched ones; the miserable; the wicked

أَرْضِكَ،

ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

أَنْ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَدْخَلُوْهُمْ

d-kh-l → “enter” Distinctive

literal: enter; entered; entering

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

المَقامِ

q-w-m → “place” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “with which”

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

لَنْ

l-n → “neither”

literal: will not (negation of future)

يُوجَدَ

w-j-d → “being”

literal: existence; find; existent

أَرْدَى

r-d-y → “mantle” Distinctive

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

وَأَخَذَتْهُمُ

ʾ-kh-dh → “They were seized” Distinctive

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

البَلايا

b-l-w → “with such trials” Distinctive

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n → “that”

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

يَبْكِي

b-k-y → “weep”

literal: to wade; to plunge into; to engage in

السَّحَابُ

s-ḥ-b → “the clouds”

literal: cloud; clouds

عَلَيهِمْ

ʿ-l-y → “over them” Distinctive

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

وَيَنُوحُ

n-w-ḥ → “groaneth”

literal: to wail; to lament; lamentation

الرَّعْدُ

r-ʿ-d → “quake” Distinctive

literal: tremble; tremor/shaking; thunder

لِلْقَضَايا

q-ḍ-y → “decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “that” Distinctive

literal: who; which/that; which

مَسَّتْهُمْ

m-s-s → “touch” Distinctive

literal: touch; touch/afflict; touched

وَرِضَائِكَ،

r-ḍ-y → “Thy pleasure”

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

وَأَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t

literal: you (masculine singular)

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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