Prayers and Meditations — §458

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 458 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

َنْتَ وَقَصْدِيْ أَنْتَ وَأَمَلِي أَنْتَ وَمَقْصَدِي أَنْتَ وَبَيْتِي أَنْتَ وَكَعْبَتِي أَنْتَ وَمَطْلَبِي جَمَالَكَ المُشْرِقَ العَزِيزَ المَحْمُودَ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَسْئَلُكَ بِمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ بِأَنْ تُرْسِلَ عَنْ يَمِينِ قُدْرَتِكَ ما تُعَزِّزُ بِهِ أَحِبَّائَكَ وَتَخْذُلُ بِهِ أَعْدَائَكَ،

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Be Thou, O my Lord, my sole Desire, my Goal, mine only Hope, my constant Aim, my Habitation and my Sanctuary. Let the object of mine ardent quest be Thy most resplendent, Thine adorable, and ever-blessed Beauty. I implore Thee, O my Lord, by whatsoever is of Thee, to send, from the right hand of Thy might, that which will exalt Thy loved ones and abase Thine enemies.

Translation Notes

وَقَصْدِيْ

q-ṣ-d → “my Goal”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

وَأَمَلِي

ʾ-m-l → “mine only Hope”

literal: hope; expectation; aspiration; desire; wish; to hope; to wish

وَبَيْتِي

b-y-t → “my Habitation”

literal: house; household; family; verse

وَكَعْبَتِي

k-ʿ-b → “my Sanctuary”

literal: Kaaba; cube/Kaaba; Kaaba/lodestar

وَمَطْلَبِي

ṭ-l-b → “theme” Distinctive

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

جَمَالَكَ

j-m-l → “Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

المُشْرِقَ

sh-r-q → “most resplendent” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

العَزِيزَ

ʿ-z-z → “glory” Distinctive

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

المَحْمُودَ،

ḥ-m-d → “thanks” Distinctive

literal: praise; to praise

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I implore”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِمَا

m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

عَلَيْهِ

ʿ-l-y

literal: highest; most high; supreme

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُرْسِلَ

r-s-l → “send”

literal: messenger; send; messengers

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

يَمِينِ

y-m-n → “right hand”

literal: right hand; oath; right side

قُدْرَتِكَ

q-d-r → “of Thy might”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

أَحِبَّائَكَ

ḥ-b-b → “Thy loved ones”

literal: love; affection

وَتَخْذُلُ

kh-dh-l → “and abase”

literal: abandon; forsake; abandoned

أَعْدَائَكَ،

ʿ-d-w → “Thine enemies”

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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