Prayers and Meditations — §649

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 649 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

إِلهِي إِلهِي فَرِّجْ هَمِّي بِجُودِكَ وَعَطائِكَ وَأَزِلْ كُرْبَتِي بِسَلْطَنَتِكَ وَاقْتِدارِكَ، تَرَاني يا إِلهِي مُقْبِلاً إِلَيْكَ حِينَ إِذْ أَحاطَتْ بِيَ الأَحْزانُ مِنْ كُلِّ الجِهاتِ، أَسْئَلُكَ يا مالِكَ الوُجُودِ وَالمُهَيْمِنُ عَلَى الغَيْبِ وَالشُّهُودِ بِاسْمِكَ الَّذِيْ بِهِ سَخَّرْتَ الأَفْئِدَةَ وَالقُلُوبَ وَبِأَمْواجِ بَحْرِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَإِشْراقاتِ أَنْوارِ نَيِّرِ عَطائِكَ، أَنْ تَجْعَلَنِي مِنَ الَّذِينَ ما مَنَعَهُمْ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الأَشْياءِ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلَيْكَ يا مَوْلَى الأَسْمآءِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Dispel my grief by Thy bounty and Thy generosity, O God, my God, and banish mine anguish through Thy sovereignty and Thy might. Thou seest me, O my God, with my face set towards Thee at a time when sorrows have compassed me on every side. I implore Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of all being, and overshadowest all things visible and invisible, by Thy Name whereby Thou hast subdued the hearts and the souls of men, and by the billows of the Ocean of Thy mercy and the splendors of the Daystar of Thy bounty, to number me with them whom nothing whatsoever hath deterred from setting their faces toward Thee, O Thou Lord of all names and Maker of the heavens!

Translation Notes

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O”

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

فَرِّجْ

f-r-j → “joy”

literal: relief; opening; distinction

هَمِّي

h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

بِجُودِكَ

j-w-d → “by Thy bounty”

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

وَعَطائِكَ

ʿ-ṭ-w → “and Thy generosity”

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

وَأَزِلْ

z-w-l → “at all times” Distinctive

literal: eternity; pre-eternity; without beginning; eternal; everlasting; from eternity

كُرْبَتِي

k-r-b → “Cherubim” Distinctive

literal: anguish; distress; sorrow

بِسَلْطَنَتِكَ

s-l-ṭ → “through Thy sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَاقْتِدارِكَ،

q-d-r → “and Thy might”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

تَرَاني

r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest me”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

مُقْبِلاً

q-b-l → “set towards”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y → “towards” Distinctive

literal: one; a single

حِينَ

ḥ-y-n → “at a time”

literal: time; moment; while; season

إِذْ

ʾ-dh-dh → “whilst”

literal: when; since

أَحاطَتْ

ḥ-w-ṭ → “compassed”

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

بِيَ

b-y → “me”

literal: without; is; to

الأَحْزانُ

ḥ-z-n → “sorrows”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish

مِنْ

m-n → “on” Distinctive

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

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

الجِهاتِ،

j-h-h → “side”

literal: direction; aspect; side; regard

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I implore Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

مالِكَ

m-l-k → “Lord”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

الوُجُودِ

w-j-d → “of all being”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

وَالمُهَيْمِنُ

h-m-n → “Help in Peril”

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian; inspiration; revelation; intuition

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الغَيْبِ

gh-y-b → “invisible”

literal: the unseen; the invisible; the hidden; the unknowable; stranger; foreign; alien; separated

وَالشُّهُودِ

sh-h-d → “all things visible”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “by Thy Name”

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

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

سَخَّرْتَ

s-kh-r → “hast subdued”

literal: to subdue, subject, render submissive; to harness

الأَفْئِدَةَ

f-ʾ-d → “the hearts”

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind; heart; inner consciousness; mind; one who benefits; advantageous

وَالقُلُوبَ

q-l-b → “and the souls” Distinctive

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

وَبِأَمْواجِ

m-w-j → “by the billows”

literal: wave; billows; surge

بَحْرِ

b-ḥ-r → “of the Ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “of Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَإِشْراقاتِ

sh-r-q → “and the splendors”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

أَنْوارِ

n-w-r → “of the” Distinctive

literal: light; illumination

أَنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَجْعَلَنِي

j-ʿ-l → “number”

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

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

مَنَعَهُمْ

m-n-ʿ → “hath deterred” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

شَيْءٌ

sh-y-ʾ → “whatsoever”

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

عَنِ

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

التَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h → “setting” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

مَوْلَى

w-l-y → “Lord”

literal: friend; lord; guardian

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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