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Prayers and Meditations — §62

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 62 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ يا مَنْ تَرَى وَلا تُرَى تَسْمَعُ ضَجِيجَ أَحِبَّتِكَ عَنْ كُلِّ الأَقْطارِ وَصَرِيخَ أَهْلِ وِلايَتِكَ مِنْ كُلِّ الأَشْطارِ، لَوْ يُسْأَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ بِأَيِّ جِهَةٍ ظَلَمْتُمْ هؤُلآءِ وَجَعَلْتُمُوهُمْ أُسارى فِيْ الزَّوْرآءِ وَدِيارٍ أُخْرى، هَلْ ظَلَمُوا فِيْ الأَرضِ وَهَلْ خانُوا مَعَ أَهْلِها وَهَلْ سَفَكُوا الدِّماءَ أَوْ غارُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lauded be Thy name, O Thou Who beholdest all things and art hidden from all things! From every land Thou hearest the lamentations of them that love Thee, and from every direction Thou hearkenest unto the cries of such as have recognized Thy sovereignty. Were their oppressors to be asked: “Wherefore have ye oppressed them and held them in bondage in Baghdád and elsewhere? What injustice have they committed? Whom have they betrayed? Whose blood have they spilled, and whose property have they plundered?” they would know not what to answer.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ
s-b-ḥ → “Lauded be Thy name”

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted

يا
y-ʾ → “O”

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

مَنْ
m-n → “Thou Who” Distinctive

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

تَرَى
r-ʾ-y → “beholdest all things” Distinctive

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

وَلا
w-l-y → “and”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَسْمَعُ
s-m-ʿ → “Thou hearest”

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

ضَجِيجَ
ḍ-j-j → “sighing”

literal: clamor; outcry; noise; tumult

أَحِبَّتِكَ
ḥ-b-b → “of them that love” Distinctive

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

عَنْ
ʿ-n → “From every”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

كُلِّ
k-l-l

literal: for us; to us

الأَقْطارِ
q-ṭ-r → “land”

literal: drop; region; country; rainfall

وَصَرِيخَ
ṣ-r-kh → “cry”

literal: cry; outcry; clamour; to cry out

أَهْلِ
ʾ-h-l → “people”

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

الأَشْطارِ،
sh-ṭ-r → “direction”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

لَوْ
l-w → “to be” Distinctive

literal: if; would that; O that

يُسْأَلُ
s-ʾ-l → “asked”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

الظَّالِمُونَ
ẓ-l-m → “their oppressors”

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

بِأَيِّ
ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

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

جِهَةٍ
j-h-h

literal: direction; side; way; quarter; aspect

هؤُلآءِ
h-ʾ-l → “these”

literal: these

وَجَعَلْتُمُوهُمْ
j-ʿ-l

literal: make; made; to make

أُسارى
ʾ-s-r → “from his chains” Distinctive

literal: captive; captives; captive/prisoner

فِيْ
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الزَّوْرآءِ
z-w-r → “visit”

literal: falsification; distortion; forgery

وَدِيارٍ
d-w-r → “and”

literal: land; region; place; abode; dwelling

أُخْرى،
ʾ-kh-r → “end” Distinctive

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

هَلْ
h-l → “people” Distinctive

literal: interrogative particle; whether; is it that

الأَرضِ
ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

خانُوا
kh-w-n → “disloyalty” Distinctive

literal: blood; betray; betrayal, disloyalty

مَعَ
m-ʿ

literal: with; together with; alongside

أَهْلِها
ʾ-h-l

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

سَفَكُوا
s-f-k → “shed”

literal: to shed; to spill; bloodshed

الدِّماءَ
d-m-y

literal: blood

أَوْ
h-w-w → “is”

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

غارُ
gh-w-r → “plunder”

literal: plunder; spoliation; robbery; pillage

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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