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Prayers and Meditations — §561

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 561 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ يا إِلهِي إِنِّيْ عَبْدٌ مِنْ عِبادِكَ آمَنْتُ بِكَ وَبِآياتِكَ وَتَرانِيْ يا إِلهِي مُقْبِلاً إِلى بابِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَشَطْرِ عِنايَتِكَ، أَسْئَلُكَ بِأَسْمائِكَ الحُسْنى وَصِفاتِكَ العُلْيا بِأَنْ تَفْتَحَ عَلَى وَجْهِيْ أَبْوابَ الخَيْراتِ، ثُمَّ وَفِّقْنِيْ عَلَى الحَسَناتِ يا مالِكَ الأَسْماءِ وَالصِّفاتِ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَنَا الفَقِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Praise be unto Thee, O my God! I am one of Thy servants, who hath believed on Thee and on Thy signs. Thou seest how I have set myself towards the door of Thy mercy, and turned my face in the direction of Thy loving-kindness. I beseech Thee, by Thy most excellent titles and Thy most exalted attributes, to open to my face the portals of Thy bestowals. Aid me, then, to do that which is good, O Thou Who art the Possessor of all names and attributes!

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ
s-b-ḥ → “Praise be unto Thee” Distinctive

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted

يا
y-ʾ

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

إِلهِي
ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

إِنِّيْ
ʾ-n-n → “that” Distinctive

literal: I, verily; behold I

عَبْدٌ
ʿ-b-d → “one”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

مِنْ
m-n → “of”

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

آمَنْتُ
ʾ-m-n → “who hath believed” Distinctive

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

وَبِآياتِكَ
ʾ-y-y → “and on Thy signs”

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

وَتَرانِيْ
r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest”

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

مُقْبِلاً
q-b-l → “towards”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

إِلى
ʾ-l-y

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

بابِ
b-w-b → “door”

literal: door; gate; chapter; way; manner

رَحْمَتِكَ
r-ḥ-m → “of Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَشَطْرِ
sh-ṭ-r → “direction”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

عِنايَتِكَ،
ʿ-n-y → “of Thy loving-kindness”

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

أَسْئَلُكَ
s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِأَسْمائِكَ
s-m-w → “by Thy” Distinctive

literal: to name, to nominate, to designate, to appoint; name; noun; to name, to appoint, to designate

الحُسْنى
ḥ-s-n → “most excellent titles”

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

وَصِفاتِكَ
w-ṣ-f → “and Thy” Distinctive

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

العُلْيا
ʿ-l-w → “most exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

بِأَنْ
ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: I, verily; behold I

تَفْتَحَ
f-t-ḥ → “open”

literal: opening; opening up; conquests; revelations; disclosure

وَجْهِيْ
w-j-h → “my face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

الخَيْراتِ،
kh-y-r → “of Thy bestowals”

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

ثُمَّ
th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

وَفِّقْنِيْ
w-f-q → “Aid me”

literal: accord, agreement, harmony; to agree, accord with

مالِكَ
m-l-k → “Possessor” Distinctive

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

أَيْ
ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

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

رَبِّ
r-b-b

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

أَنَا
ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

الفَقِ
f-q-r

literal: poor; poverty; matter

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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