Prayers and Meditations — §521

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 521 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

الآفاقِ، أَيْ رَبِّ فَاخْرُقْ حُجُباتِهِمْ لِيَرَوْكَ مُشْرِقًا عَنْ أُفُقِ أَحَدِيَّتِكَ وَطالِعًا عَنْ فَجْرِ رُبوبِيَّتِكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ لَوْ وَجَدُوا حَلاوَةَ ذِكْرِكَ وَما يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِمْ عَنْ يَمِينِ عَرْشِ عَظَمَتِكَ لَيَضَعُونَ ما عِنْدَهُمْ وَيُسْرِعُونَ فِي بَيدآءِ الاشْتِياقِ لِيَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْهِمْ لَحَظاتُ أَعْيُنِ مَرْحَمَتِكَ وَيَتَجَلَّى عَلَيْهِمْ شَمْسُ جَمالِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ فَاجْذِبْ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Cleave asunder, O my Lord, the veils that shut them out from Thee, that they may behold Thee shining above the horizon of Thy oneness and shedding Thy radiance from the dawning-place of Thy sovereignty. By Thy glory! Were they to discover the sweetness of Thy remembrance and apprehend the excellence of the things that are sent down upon them from the right hand of the throne of Thy majesty, they would cast away all that they possess, and would rush forth into the wilderness of their longing after Thee, that the glance of Thy loving-kindness may be directed towards them and the radiance of the Daystar of Thy beauty may be shed upon them.

Translation Notes

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

فَاخْرُقْ

kh-r-q → “Cleave asunder”

literal: tear; pierce; tear/rend

حُجُباتِهِمْ

ḥ-j-b → “veils”

literal: to veil oneself, to be veiled

لِيَرَوْكَ

r-ʾ-y → “behold Thee”

literal: see; to see; see/behold

مُشْرِقًا

sh-r-q → “shining”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon, direction, region; horizon; sun

أَحَدِيَّتِكَ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “of Thy oneness”

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

وَطالِعًا

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

فَجْرِ

f-j-r → “dawning-place” Distinctive

literal: dawn; dayspring; to break (of dawn)

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “By Thy glory”

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

لَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

وَجَدُوا

w-j-d → “discover”

literal: existence; find; existent

حَلاوَةَ

ḥ-l-w → “sweetness”

literal: sweetest; most sweet; most pleasant

ذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “of Thy remembrance”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

وَما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَنْزِلُ

n-z-l → “are sent down” Distinctive

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عَلَيْهِمْ

ʿ-l-y → “upon them”

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

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

عَظَمَتِكَ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “of Thy majesty”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

لَيَضَعُونَ

w-ḍ-ʿ → “cast away”

literal: place; lowly; put down

عِنْدَهُمْ

ʿ-n-d → “they possess”

literal: vessel; container; circumstance; adroitness

وَيُسْرِعُونَ

s-r-ʿ → “would rush forth”

literal: hasten; hastened; hasten/hurry

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

بَيدآءِ

b-y-d → “must” Distinctive

literal: must; must, should; awake

الاشْتِياقِ

sh-w-q → “of their longing”

literal: peace; reconciliation; amity

لِيَرْتَدَّ

r-d-d → “reject” Distinctive

literal: rejection; rejected; refutation

إِلَيْهِمْ

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

لَحَظاتُ

l-ḥ-ẓ → “glance”

literal: to observe; to consider; to note; observation

أَعْيُنِ

literal: eye; eyes; appointed

مَرْحَمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “mercy” Distinctive

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَيَتَجَلَّى

literal: effulgence; manifestation; revelation; manifestation, revelation, appearance

شَمْسُ

sh-m-s → “Daystar”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

جَمالِكَ،

j-m-l → “of Thy beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

فَاجْذِبْ

j-dh-b → “attract”

literal: attract; attraction; attract, draw

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