Prayers and Meditations — §476

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 476 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

أَيْ رَبِّ فَأَخْرِجْ مِنْ شَفَتَيْ مَشِيَّتِكَ كَلِمَةً وَسَخِّرْ بِها مَنْ عَلَى الأَرْضِ كُلِّها، إِلى مَتَى يا إِلهِي تَنْظُرُ وَتَصْبِرُ قَدْ أَخَذَتِ الظُّلْمَةُ كُلَّ الجِهاتِ وَكادَ أَنْ تَنْعَدِمَ آثارُكَ فِي

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Unseal the lips of Thy will, O my Lord, and let a word proceed therefrom that shall subject unto itself the world and all that is therein. How long shalt Thou behold these things and tarry, O my God? Darkness hath enveloped the whole earth, and Thy tokens are ready to be blotted out throughout Thy realm.

Translation Notes

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

فَأَخْرِجْ

kh-r-j → “banished” Distinctive

literal: go out; exit; outside

مِنْ

m-n → “of”

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

شَفَتَيْ

sh-f-h → “lips”

literal: lips; lip

مَشِيَّتِكَ

sh-y-ʾ → “will”

literal: thing; something

كَلِمَةً

k-l-m → “word”

literal: word; utterance; speech

وَسَخِّرْ

s-kh-r → “subdue” Distinctive

literal: to subdue, subject, render submissive; to harness

بِها

b-h-w → “All-Glorious” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

كُلِّها،

k-l-l → “and all that is therein”

literal: all; every; whole; entirety; entire; completely

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

يا

y-ʾ

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

تَنْظُرُ

n-ẓ-r → “behold”

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

وَتَصْبِرُ

ṣ-b-r → “tarry”

literal: patience; be patient; patient

قَدْ

q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

أَخَذَتِ

ʾ-kh-dh → “laid hold”

literal: to take; to seize; to affect

الظُّلْمَةُ

ẓ-l-m → “Darkness” Distinctive

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

الجِهاتِ

j-h-h

literal: direction; side; way; quarter

وَكادَ

k-w-d → “had almost” Distinctive

literal: almost; to almost; almost, nearly

أَنْ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَنْعَدِمَ

ʿ-d-m → “are” Distinctive

literal: non-existence; non-existent; nonexistent

آثارُكَ

ʾ-th-r → “tokens”

literal: effect; trace; influence; imprint

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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291 ¶

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17 ¶

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5 ¶

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶