Prayers and Meditations — §618

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 618 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

فَسُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِاسْمِكَ الَّذِيْ بِهِ اسْتَقَرَّ جَمالُكَ عَلَى عَرْشِ أَمْرِكَ، وَبِاسْمِكَ الَّذِيْ بِهِ تُبَدِّلُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَتَحْشُرُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَتَسْأَلُ عَنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَتَجْزِيْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَتَحْفَظُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَتَرْزُقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَتَرْفَعُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ بِأَنْ تَحْفَظَ هذِهِ الأَمَةَ الَّتِيْ لاذَتْ لِجِنابِكَ وَالْتَجَأَتْ بِمَظْهَرِ نَفْسِكَ وَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beg of Thee by Thy Name through which He Who is Thy Beauty hath been stablished upon the throne of Thy Cause, and by Thy Name through which Thou changest all things, and gatherest together all things, and callest to account all things, and rewardest all things, and preservest all things, and sustainest all things—I beg of Thee to guard this handmaiden who hath fled for refuge to Thee, and hath sought the shelter of Him in Whom Thou Thyself art manifest, and hath put her whole trust and confidence in Thee.

Translation Notes

فَسُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glory be to Thee” Distinctive

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

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “O Lord” Distinctive

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I beg of Thee” Distinctive

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “by Thy Name”

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

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “through which”

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

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

اسْتَقَرَّ

q-r-r → “hath been stablished” Distinctive

literal: to settle, to be established, to remain fixed

جَمالُكَ

j-m-l → “Thy Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “upon” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

عَرْشِ

ʿ-r-sh → “throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

أَمْرِكَ،

ʾ-m-r → “of Thy Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

تُبَدِّلُ

b-d-l → “Thou changest” Distinctive

literal: in place of; instead of; to change; to alter (preposition or verb stem)

كُلَّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

شَيْءٍ

sh-y-ʾ → “things”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

وَتَحْشُرُ

ḥ-sh-r → ““resurrection,”” Distinctive

literal: gather; gathered; gathering, resurrection

عَنْ

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

وَتَجْزِيْ

j-z-y → “recompense” Distinctive

literal: recompense; reward; reward/recompense

وَتَحْفَظُ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “and preservest” Distinctive

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

وَتَرْزُقُ

r-z-q → “partake” Distinctive

literal: provide; sustenance; provided

وَتَرْفَعُ

r-f-ʿ

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

هذِهِ

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; this (masculine); this (feminine)

الأَمَةَ

ʾ-m-y → “handmaiden”

literal: mother

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

لاذَتْ

l-w-dh → “refuge” Distinctive

literal: refuge; seeking refuge; haven

لِجِنابِكَ

j-н-b → “North and South” Distinctive

literal: to avoid; to shun; to keep away from

وَالْتَجَأَتْ

l-j-ʾ → “refuge” Distinctive

literal: refuge; haven/shelter; refuge, shelter

بِمَظْهَرِ

ẓ-h-r → “manifest”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

نَفْسِكَ

n-f-s → “Whom Thou Thyself”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence