Prayers and Meditations — §575

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 575 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

الأَرْضِ وَالسَّمآءِ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَسْئَلُكَ بِاسْمِكَ الأَعْظَمِ بِأَنْ تُؤَيِّدَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِكَ وَبِآياتِكَ عَلَى الاسْتِقامَةِ عَلَى حُبِّكَ وَالتَّوَجُّهِ إِلى مَطْلِعِ شَمْسِ عِنايَتِكَ، فَأَلْهِمْهُمْ يا إِلهِي بِما يُنْطِقُهُمْ بِذِكْرِكَ وَيُقَرِّبُهُمْ إِلَيْكَ فِي الدُّنْيا وَالآخِرَةِ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I pray Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, to aid all them that have believed on Thee and on Thy signs to be steadfast in Thy love and to set themselves towards the Dawning-Place of the Daystar of Thy loving-kindness. Inspire them, then, O my God, with what will unloose their tongue to praise Thee, and will draw them nigh unto Thee in the life that now is and the life that is to come.

Translation Notes

الأَرْضِ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

أَيْ

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

رَبِّ

literal: love; affection

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I pray Thee” Distinctive

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “by Thy”

literal: heaven; sky

الأَعْظَمِ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُؤَيِّدَ

ʾ-y-d → “inspired” Distinctive

literal: to grant; to give; to bestow; to support, aid

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “that”

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

آمَنُوا

ʾ-m-n → “have believed”

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

وَبِآياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “on Thy signs” Distinctive

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

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الاسْتِقامَةِ

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

حُبِّكَ

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

وَالتَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h → “to set themselves towards” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

مَطْلِعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dawning-Place”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

شَمْسِ

sh-m-s → “Daystar”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

عِنايَتِكَ،

ʿ-n-y → “Thy loving-kindness”

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

فَأَلْهِمْهُمْ

l-h-m → “Inspire them”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

يا

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

بِما

m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

يُنْطِقُهُمْ

n-ṭ-q → “spoken” Distinctive

literal: to speak; to utter; to pronounce; to articulate

بِذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “to praise Thee”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

وَيُقَرِّبُهُمْ

q-r-b → “will draw them nigh”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y → “towards” Distinctive

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

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الدُّنْيا

d-n-w → “the life that now is” Distinctive

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

وَالآخِرَةِ،

ʾ-kh-r → “life that is to come” Distinctive

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

إِنَّكَ

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

literal: you (masculine singular)

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