Prayers and Meditations — §52

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 52 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهَ السَّماءِ زَيِّنْ رَأْسَ البَهآءِ بِتاجِ الشَّهادَةِ فِيْ سَبِيلِكَ، كما زَيَّنْتَ هَيْكَلَهُ بِطِرازِ البَلآءِ بَيْنَ أَهْلِ مَمْلَكَتِكَ، وَقَرِّبِ المُشْتاقِينَ إِلى أُفُقِ فَضْلِكَ الَّذِيْ أَشْرَقَ مِنْهُ شَمْسُ جَمالِكَ، ثُمَّ قَدِّرْ لَهُمْ ما يَجْعَلُهُمْ غَنِيًّا عَمَّا سِواكَ، وَمُنْقَطِعًا عَنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآياتِكَ،

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Magnified be Thy name, O God, the Lord of heaven! Attire my head with the crown of martyrdom, even as Thou didst attire my body with the ornament of tribulation before all that dwell in Thy land. Grant, moreover, that they whose hearts yearn over Thee may draw nigh unto the horizon of Thy grace, above which the Daystar of Thy beauty sheddeth its radiance. Ordain, also, for them what will make them rich enough to dispense with aught else except Thee, and rid them of all attachment to such as have repudiated Thy signs.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Magnified” Distinctive

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

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “O God”

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “Lord”

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

السَّماءِ

s-m-w → “of heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

زَيِّنْ

z-y-n → “Attire”

literal: to adorn; ornament; beauty

رَأْسَ

r-ʾ-s → “head”

literal: chief; leader; head; president; beginning

البَهآءِ

b-h-w → “my” Distinctive

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

بِتاجِ

t-w-j → “crowned”

literal: monarch; sovereign; crowned king

الشَّهادَةِ

sh-h-d → “of martyrdom”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

سَبِيلِكَ،

s-b-l

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

كما

k-m → “loss” Distinctive

literal: as; like; how much; lane; street; quarter; abode

هَيْكَلَهُ

h-y-k-l → “form”

literal: temple; structure; form; body

بِطِرازِ

ṭ-r-z → “ornament”

literal: ornament; adornment; embroidery; stripe

البَلآءِ

b-l-w → “of tribulation”

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “before” Distinctive

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

أَهْلِ

ʾ-h-l → “people”

literal: people; inhabitants; family; kin; worthy; deserving; my family; my people; my kin

مَمْلَكَتِكَ،

m-l-k → “Thy land”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

وَقَرِّبِ

q-r-b → “draw nigh” Distinctive

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

المُشْتاقِينَ

sh-w-q → “longing” Distinctive

literal: to encourage; to incite; yearning; enthusiasm

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

فَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

أَشْرَقَ

sh-r-q → “sheddeth” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

مِنْهُ

m-n

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

شَمْسُ

sh-m-s → “Daystar”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

جَمالِكَ،

j-m-l → “Thy beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

قَدِّرْ

q-d-r → “Ordain”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

لَهُمْ

l-h-m → “inspiration” Distinctive

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَجْعَلُهُمْ

j-ʿ-l → “make” Distinctive

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

غَنِيًّا

gh-n-y → “rich”

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with; rich; wealthy; needless

عَمَّا

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: with them; in their company

سِواكَ،

s-w-y → “aught else except Thee”

literal: other than; besides; except; equal; alike

وَمُنْقَطِعًا

q-ṭ-ʿ → “rid”

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

كَفَرُوا

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶