Prayers and Meditations — §503

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 503 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

وَتَسْتَنِيرُ بِهِ وُجُوهُهُمْ وَتُسَرُّ بِهِ ذَواتُهُمْ، وَأَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ يا إِلهِي أَنَّ فَرَحَهُمْ فِي اسْتِعْلآءِ أَمْرِكَ وَإِعْلآءِ كَلِمَتِكَ فَأَظْهِرْ يا إِلهِي ما تَقَرُّ بِهِ عُيُونُهُمْ وَقَدِّرْ لَهُمْ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيا وَالآخِرَةِ إِنَّكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Send, therefore, unto my loved ones, O my God, what will cheer their hearts, and illumine their faces, and delight their souls. Thou knowest, O my Lord, that their joy is to behold the exaltation of Thy Cause and the glorification of Thy word. Do Thou unveil, therefore, O my God, what will gladden their eyes, and ordain for them the good of this world and of the world which is to come.

Translation Notes

وَتَسْتَنِيرُ

n-w-r → “illumine”

literal: light; lights; luminous

بِهِ

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

وُجُوهُهُمْ

w-j-h → “faces”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

وَتُسَرُّ

s-r-r → “mysteries” Distinctive

literal: secret; secrets; secret, mystery

ذَواتُهُمْ،

dh-w-t → “Essence” Distinctive

literal: essence; essence, self; essence/self

وَأَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

تَعْلَمُ

ʿ-l-m → “knowest”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

أَنَّ

ʾ-n → “that their”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

فَرَحَهُمْ

f-r-ḥ → “joy”

literal: to rejoice; to be glad; joy

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

اسْتِعْلآءِ

ʿ-l-w → “exaltation of”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Thy Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

كَلِمَتِكَ

k-l-m → “Thy word”

literal: words; utterances; locutions

فَأَظْهِرْ

ẓ-h-r → “Do Thou unveil” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

تَقَرُّ

q-r-r → “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: abode; place; established

عُيُونُهُمْ

ʿ-y-n → “eyes”

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence

وَقَدِّرْ

q-d-r → “ordain”

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

لَهُمْ

l-h-m → “inspiration” Distinctive

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

خَيْرَ

kh-y-r → “good”

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

الدُّنْيا

d-n-w → “of this world”

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

وَالآخِرَةِ

ʾ-kh-r → “and of the world” Distinctive

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; indeed; verily

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