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Prayers and Meditations — §480

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 480 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ يا إِلهِي تَرَى ضَعْفَ أَحِبَّائِكَ وَقُدْرَةَ أَعْدائِكَ وَذِلَّةَ أَصْفِيائِكَ وَعِزَّةَ الَّذِينَ جَحَدُوا أَمْرَكَ وَكَفَرُوا بِآياتِكَ، إِنَّهُمْ يُنْكِرُونَ آياتِكَ بِمَا أَعْطَيْتَهُمْ مِنَ النِّعَمِ الفَانِيَةِ وَهؤُلآءِ يَشْكُرُونَكَ بِمَا وَرَدَ عَلَيْهِمْ ابْتِغآءَ ما عِنْدَكَ مِنَ النِّعَمِ البَاقِيَةِ وَما أَحْلى ذِكْرَكَ فِي الشِّدَّةِ وَالبَل

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Praised be Thou, O my God! Thou beholdest both the helplessness of Thy dear ones and the ascendancy of Thy foes, both the wretchedness of Thy chosen ones and the glory of them who gainsaid Thy Cause and repudiated Thy signs. The latter deny Thy tokens, and fail to repay Thee for the temporal benefits Thou didst bestow upon them, while the former yield Thee thanks for what hath befallen them in their eagerness to partake of the everlasting gifts Thou dost possess.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ
s-b-ḥ → “Praised be Thou”

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

يا
y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي
ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

تَرَى
r-ʾ-y → “Thou beholdest”

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

ضَعْفَ
ḍ-ʿ-f → “weakness”

literal: weak; feeble; imperfect

أَحِبَّائِكَ
ḥ-b-b → “Thy dear ones” Distinctive

literal: love; affection

وَقُدْرَةَ
q-d-r → “power”

literal: and indeed; and already; conjunction indicating completed action

أَعْدائِكَ
ʿ-d-w → “Thy foes” Distinctive

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

وَذِلَّةَ
dh-l-l → “wretchedness”

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

أَصْفِيائِكَ
ṣ-f-w → “Thy chosen ones”

literal: pure one; chosen one; selected one; elite

وَعِزَّةَ
ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

الَّذِينَ
l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

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

جَحَدُوا
j-ḥ-d → “gainsaid”

literal: to deny; to reject; to disown

أَمْرَكَ
ʾ-m-r → “Thy Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

وَكَفَرُوا
k-f-r → “repudiated”

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

بِآياتِكَ،
ʾ-y-y → “Thy signs”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

إِنَّهُمْ
ʾ-n-n → “latter” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

يُنْكِرُونَ
n-k-r → “deny”

literal: deny; denial; deniers

بِمَا
m-ʾ → “for” Distinctive

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

أَعْطَيْتَهُمْ
ʿ-ṭ-y → “of Thy bounty” Distinctive

literal: giver; give; bounty

مِنَ
m-n → “for” Distinctive

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

النِّعَمِ
n-ʿ-m → “favor”

literal: bliss; bounty; grace; comfort; felicity

الفَانِيَةِ
f-n-y

literal: annihilation; perishing; extinction; cessation; the threshold

وَهؤُلآءِ
h-ʾ-l → “these”

literal: these

يَشْكُرُونَكَ
sh-k-r → “yield Thee thanks”

literal: thank; thankful; thanks

وَرَدَ
w-r-d → “hath befallen”

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

عَلَيْهِمْ
ʿ-l-y → “them” Distinctive

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

ابْتِغآءَ
b-gh-y → “becometh” Distinctive

literal: to seek; to desire; to rebel; to transgress

عِنْدَكَ
ʿ-n-d → “Thou dost possess”

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

البَاقِيَةِ
b-q-y

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

أَحْلى
ḥ-l-w

literal: sweetest; most sweet; most pleasant

ذِكْرَكَ
dh-k-r

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

فِي
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

الشِّدَّةِ
sh-d-d

literal: strong; severe; intense; violent

وَالبَل
b-l-w

literal: tribulation; affliction; trial

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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