Prayers and Meditations — §434

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 434 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ يا إِلهَ العَالَمِينَ وَمَحْبُوبَ العَارِفِينَ تَرَانِي جَالِسًا تَحْتَ سَيْفٍ عُلِّقَ بِخَيْطٍ، وَتَعْلَمُ بِأَنِّي فِي هذا الحَالِ ما قَصَّرْتُ فِي أَمْرِكَ وَبَلَّغْتُ ذِكْرَكَ وَثَنَائَكَ وَكُلَّ ما أَمَرْتَنِي بِهِ فِي أَلْواحِكَ، وَإِذًا تَحْتَ السَّيْفِ أَدْعُو أَحِبَّائَكَ بِكَلِماتِ الَّتِيْ تَنْجَذِبُ مِنْهَا القُلُوبُ إِلى أُفُقِ مَجْدِكَ وَكِبْرِيائِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ صَفِّ آذانَهُمْ لإِصْغَاءِ نَغَمَاتِ الَّتِيْ ارْتَفَعَتْ عَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glory to Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of all worlds, and the Beloved of all such as have recognized Thee! Thou seest me sitting under a sword hanging on a thread, and art well aware that in such a state I have not fallen short of my duty towards Thy Cause, nor failed to shed abroad Thy praise, and declare Thy virtues, and deliver all Thou hadst prescribed unto me in Thy Tablets. Though the sword be ready to fall on my head, I call Thy loved ones with such a calling that the hearts are carried away towards the horizon of Thy majesty and grandeur.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glory to Thee” Distinctive

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

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

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “Lord”

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

العَالَمِينَ

ʿ-l-m → “of all worlds”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

وَمَحْبُوبَ

ḥ-b-b → “Beloved”

literal: love; affection

العَارِفِينَ

ʿ-r-f → “all such as have recognized” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

تَرَانِي

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

جَالِسًا

j-l-s → “sitting”

literal: council; assembly; gathering; session

تَحْتَ

t-ḥ-t → “under”

literal: under; under, beneath; beneath

سَيْفٍ

s-y-f → “sword”

literal: sword

عُلِّقَ

ʿ-l-q → “hanging”

literal: attachment; connection; relationship

بِخَيْطٍ،

kh-y-ṭ → “on a thread”

literal: thread; thread, rope

بِأَنِّي

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

الحَالِ

ḥ-w-l → “state” Distinctive

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

ما

m-ʾ → “I”

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

قَصَّرْتُ

q-ṣ-r → “powerlessness” Distinctive

literal: shortcoming; negligence; falling short; to be deficient

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “my duty towards Thy Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وَبَلَّغْتُ

b-l-gh → “teach” Distinctive

literal: to reach; to attain; to deliver; to proclaim

ذِكْرَكَ

dh-k-r → “Thy praise”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

وَثَنَائَكَ

th-n-y → “declare Thy virtues”

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy; glorification; praise, commendation, eulogy

وَكُلَّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

بِهِ

b-h → “unto me”

literal: by it; by him; with it

أَلْواحِكَ،

l-w-ḥ → “Thy Tablets”

literal: description; tablet; manifesto

وَإِذًا

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

أَدْعُو

d-ʿ-w → “summoned”

literal: call; invitation; claim

بِكَلِماتِ

k-l-m → “words”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “that” Distinctive

literal: who; which/that; which

تَنْجَذِبُ

j-dh-b → “attract”

literal: to be drawn; to be attracted

مِنْهَا

m-n

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

القُلُوبُ

q-l-b → “the hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

مَجْدِكَ

m-j-d → “Thy majesty”

literal: glory; majesty; magnificence

وَكِبْرِيائِكَ،

k-b-r → “and grandeur”

literal: greatest; greater; grandeur

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

صَفِّ

ṣ-f-f

literal: rows; ranks; battalions; lines

آذانَهُمْ

ʾ-dh-n

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

لإِصْغَاءِ

ṣ-gh-y

literal: to listen, hear; to give ear

نَغَمَاتِ

n-gh-m

literal: melody; tone; note

ارْتَفَعَتْ

r-f-ʿ

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

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