Prayers and Meditations — §630

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 630 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

يا إِلهِي لَكَ الحَمْدُ بِما أَخَذَنِيْ عَرْفُ عِنايَتِكَ وَقَلَّبَتْنِيْ نَفَحاتُ رَحْمَتِكَ إِلى شَطْرِ أَلْطافِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَشْرِبْنِي مِنْ أَنامِلِ عَطائِكَ الكَوْثَرَ الَّذِيْ مَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ انْقَطَعَ عَمَّا سِواكَ طائِرًا فِي هَوآءِ انْقِطاعِكَ وَناظِرًا إِلى شَطْرِ رَأْفَتِكَ وَمَواهِبِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ فَاجْعَلْنِيْ فِي كُلِّ الأَحْوالِ مُسْتَعِدًّا

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I give praise to Thee, O my God, that the fragrance of Thy loving-kindness hath enraptured me, and the gentle winds of Thy mercy have inclined me in the direction of Thy bountiful favors. Make me to quaff, O my Lord, from the fingers of Thy bounteousness the living waters which have enabled every one that hath partaken of them to rid himself of all attachment to any one save Thee, and to soar into the atmosphere of detachment from all Thy creatures, and to fix his gaze upon Thy loving providence and Thy manifold gifts.

Translation Notes

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

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

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

لَكَ

l → “His is”

literal: for us; to us

الحَمْدُ

ḥ-m-d → “praise”

literal: praise; to praise

بِما

m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

أَخَذَنِيْ

ʾ-kh-dh → “laid hold” Distinctive

literal: take; take/seize; seize

عَرْفُ

ʿ-r-f → “fragrance”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

عِنايَتِكَ

ʿ-n-y → “loving-kindness”

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

وَقَلَّبَتْنِيْ

q-l-b → “hearts” Distinctive

literal: heart; hearts; turn

نَفَحاتُ

n-f-ḥ → “fragrance”

literal: breeze; fragrance; whiff; breath; emanation

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “in the” Distinctive

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

شَطْرِ

sh-ṭ-r → “direction”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

أَلْطافِكَ،

l-ṭ-f → “bountiful favors”

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

أَشْرِبْنِي

sh-r-b → “Make me to quaff”

literal: to drink; to imbibe

مِنْ

m-n → “from the”

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

أَنامِلِ

n-m-l → “fingers”

literal: people; mankind; human beings

عَطائِكَ

ʿ-ṭ-w → “bounty”

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

الكَوْثَرَ

k-w-th-r → “the living waters”

literal: abundance; river of paradise; the Kawthar

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

انْقَطَعَ

q-ṭ-ʿ → “to rid himself” Distinctive

literal: to be uprooted; to be overturned

عَمَّا

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: with them; in their company

سِواكَ

s-w-y → “save Thee” Distinctive

literal: other than; besides; except; equal; alike

طائِرًا

ṭ-y-r → “to soar”

literal: bird; fly; flight

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

هَوآءِ

h-w-y → “atmosphere”

literal: air; atmosphere; void

وَناظِرًا

n-ẓ-r → “to fix his gaze”

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

رَأْفَتِكَ

r-ʾ-f → “meekness” Distinctive

literal: compassion; tenderness; mercy

وَمَواهِبِكَ،

w-h-b → “Thy manifold gifts”

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

فَاجْعَلْنِيْ

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الأَحْوالِ

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

مُسْتَعِدًّا

literal: numbered; number; capacity

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