Prayers and Meditations — §484

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 484 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

وَأُنادِي مَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ يا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلا تَحْرِمُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ مِنْ هذا الرَّحِيقِ الَّذِيْ جَرَى عَنْ يَمِينِ عَرْشِ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّكُمُ الرَّحْمنِ، تَاللَّهِ ما عِنْدَهُ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ عَمَّا عِنْدَكُمْ وَعَمَّا أَرَدْتُمْ وَتُرِيدُونَهُ فِي الحَيوةِ البَاطِلَةِ، دَعُوا الدُّنْيا وَتَوَجَّهُوا إِلى الأُفُقِ الأَعْلَی، إِنَّ الَّذِيْ شَرِبَ خَمْرَ ذِكْرِهِ يَغْفُلُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ ما سِواهُ وَالَّذِيْ عَرَفَهُ يَنْقَطِعُ عَنِ الدُّنْيا وَما فِيها، يا إِلهِي

Shoghi Effendi Translation

To all that dwell on earth I cry aloud and say: “Fear ye God, O ye servants of God, and suffer not yourselves to be kept back from this pure Wine that hath flowed from the right hand of the throne of the mercy of your Lord, the Most Merciful. I swear by God! Better for you is what He possesseth than the things ye yourselves possess and the things ye have sought and are now seeking in this vain and empty life. Forsake the world, and set your faces towards the all-glorious Horizon. Whoso hath partaken of the wine of His remembrance will forget every other remembrance, and whoso hath recognized Him will rid himself of all attachment to this life and to all that pertaineth unto it.”

Translation Notes

وَأُنادِي

n-d-y → “I cry aloud”

literal: call; called; call, voice

مَنْ

m-n → “all that dwell” Distinctive

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

فِي

f-y → “on” Distinctive

literal: in it; in them

الأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

عِبَادَ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

اللَّهِ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

اتَّقُوا

w-q-y → ““Fear”

literal: to fear; to frighten; afraid

وَلا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَحْرِمُوا

ḥ-r-m → “deprived” Distinctive

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

أَنْفُسَكُمْ

n-f-s → “yourselves”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this pure”

literal: this; that

الرَّحِيقِ

r-ḥ-q → “Wine”

literal: wine; pure drink; choice beverage (metaphorical for divine knowledge and love)

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “that” Distinctive

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

جَرَى

j-r-y → “hath flowed” Distinctive

literal: trade; commerce; business; to flow; to run; to be in effect; flowing

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

يَمِينِ

y-m-n → “right hand”

literal: right hand; oath; right side

عَرْشِ

ʿ-r-sh → “throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

رَحْمَةِ

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

رَبِّكُمُ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: Lord; Master; Sustainer; Cherisher

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

عِنْدَهُ

ʿ-n-d → “possesseth” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

خَيْرٌ

kh-y-r → “Better”

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

لَكُمْ

l-k-m → “for you”

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

أَرَدْتُمْ

r-y-d → “have sought”

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

الحَيوةِ

ḥ-y-w → “life”

literal: life; life, living; animal

البَاطِلَةِ،

b-ṭ-l → “vain and empty”

literal: falsehood, false; vain, null

دَعُوا

w-d-ʿ → “entrusted” Distinctive

literal: call, invocation, summons; to call, invite, summon

الدُّنْيا

d-n-w → “world”

literal: this world; earthly life; temporal realm; lowest; base; mean; of little account; to know; to be acquainted with

وَتَوَجَّهُوا

w-j-h → “set your faces towards”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلى

ʾ-l-y

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

الأُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “Horizon”

literal: horizons; regions; quarters; skylines

الأَعْلَی،

ʿ-l-w → “the all-glorious” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

إِنَّ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

شَرِبَ

sh-r-b → “quaffed”

literal: to drink; to imbibe

خَمْرَ

kh-m-r → “wine”

literal: wine; dough; wine/intoxication

ذِكْرِهِ

dh-k-r → “His remembrance” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

يَغْفُلُ

gh-f-l → “heedless” Distinctive

literal: heedless; heedlessness; neglect

سِواهُ

s-w-y

literal: other than; other-than; besides

وَالَّذِيْ

dh-w-y → “and” Distinctive

literal: who; which; that which

عَرَفَهُ

ʿ-r-f → “recognized”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

يَنْقَطِعُ

q-ṭ-ʿ → “will rid himself” Distinctive

literal: to cease; to be cut off; to break off

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