Prayers and Meditations — §669

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 669 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

فَيا إِلهِي وَمحْبُوبِيْ وَغايَةَ أَمَلِيْ افْعَلْ بِعِبادِكَ وَبَرِيَّتِكَ ما يَنْبَغِيْ لِجَمالِكَ وَعَظَمَتِكَ وَما يَلِيقُ لِكَرَمِكَ وَمَواهِبِكَ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الَّذِيْ سَبَقَتْ رَحْمَتُكَ العالَمِينَ وَأَحاط فَضْلُكَ مَنْ فِي السَّمواتِ وَالأَرَضِينَ، مَنِ الَّذِيْ ناداكَ وَما أَجَبْتَهُ؟ وَمَنِ الَّذِيْ أَقْبَلَ إِلَيْكَ وَما تَقَرَّبْتَ إِلَيْهِ؟ وَمَنِ الَّذِيْ تَوَجَّهَ بِوَجْهِهِ إِلى وَجْهِكَ وَما تَوَجَّهَتْ إِلَيْهِ لَحَظاتُ عِنايَتِكَ؟ أَشْهَدُ حِينَئِذٍ بِأَنَّ إِقْبالَكَ عِبادَكَ سَبَقَ إِقْبالَهُمْ إِيَّاكَ وَذِكْرَكَ إِيَّاهُمْ كانَ قَبْلَ ذِكْرِهِمْ إِيَّاكَ وَلَكَ الفَضْلُ يا مَنْ بِيَدِكَ مَلَكُوتُ العَطآءِ وَجَبَرُوتُ القَضآءِ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Deal Thou, therefore, O my God, my Beloved, my supreme Desire, with Thy servants and with all that were created by Thee as would beseem Thy beauty and Thy greatness, and would be worthy of Thy generosity and gifts. Thou art, in truth, He Whose mercy hath encompassed all the worlds, and Whose grace hath embraced all that dwell on earth and in heaven. Who is there that hath cried after Thee, and whose prayer hath remained unanswered? Where is he to be found who hath reached forth towards Thee, and whom Thou hast failed to approach? Who is he that can claim to have fixed his gaze upon Thee, and toward whom the eye of Thy loving-kindness hath not been directed? I bear witness that Thou hadst turned toward Thy servants ere they had turned toward Thee, and hadst remembered them ere they had remembered Thee. All grace is Thine, O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom of Divine gifts and the source of every irrevocable decree.

Translation Notes

فَيا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

وَمحْبُوبِيْ

ḥ-b-b → “Beloved”

literal: love; affection

وَغايَةَ

gh-w-y → “Desire”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

أَمَلِيْ

ʾ-m-l → “hope”

literal: hope; expectation; aspiration; desire; wish; to hope; to wish

افْعَلْ

f-ʿ-l → “Deal” Distinctive

literal: do; deed; do/act

بِعِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَبَرِيَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ → “creatures”

literal: to create; to create anew; to be free from; innocent; free from; clear of; to cure; to heal; to clear

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَنْبَغِيْ

n-b-gh → “behooveth”

literal: it is proper; it is fitting; it is necessary; it behooves

لِجَمالِكَ

j-m-l → “beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

وَعَظَمَتِكَ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “greatness” Distinctive

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

يَلِيقُ

l-y-q → “worthy”

literal: worthy, befitting, appropriate, suitable

لِكَرَمِكَ

k-r-m → “generosity”

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field; honor; generosity; nobility

وَمَواهِبِكَ،

w-h-b → “gifts”

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

سَبَقَتْ

s-b-q → “hath surpassed”

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

رَحْمَتُكَ

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

العالَمِينَ

ʿ-l-m → “worlds”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

وَأَحاط

ḥ-w-ṭ → “embraced” Distinctive

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

فَضْلُكَ

f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

مَنْ

m-n → “all” Distinctive

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

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

السَّمواتِ

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

وَالأَرَضِينَ،

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

ناداكَ

n-d-y → “cried after Thee”

literal: call; called; call, voice

أَجَبْتَهُ؟

j-w-b → “hath remained unanswered”

literal: answer; answerer; answer, reply

أَقْبَلَ

q-b-l → “reached forth towards Thee” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y

literal: one; a single

تَقَرَّبْتَ

q-r-b → “hast failed to approach”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

إِلَيْهِ؟

ʾ-l-y → “besmirch”

literal: one; a single

تَوَجَّهَ

w-j-h → “fixed his gaze upon Thee” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

لَحَظاتُ

l-ḥ-ẓ → “Consider” Distinctive

literal: to observe; to consider; to note; observation

عِنايَتِكَ؟

ʿ-n-y → “loving-kindness”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

أَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “bear witness”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

حِينَئِذٍ

ḥ-y-n → “moment”

literal: time; moment; while; season

بِأَنَّ

ʾ-n-n → “that Thou”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

إِيَّاكَ

ʾ-y-y → “verse” Distinctive

literal: beware (imperative); you; would that, I wish, if only (optative particle)

وَذِكْرَكَ

dh-k-r → “remembered” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

إِيَّاهُمْ

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: beware (imperative); you; would that, I wish, if only (optative particle)

كانَ

k-w-n

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

وَلَكَ

l → “His is”

literal: but; however; yet

بِيَدِكَ

y-d-y → “hand”

literal: it is necessary; it behooves; one must

مَلَكُوتُ

m-l-k → “kingdom”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

العَطآءِ

ʿ-ṭ-w → “bounty”

literal: bounty; gift; bestowal; grace; bountifulness

وَجَبَرُوتُ

j-b-r → “dominion”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

القَضآءِ.

q-ḍ-y → “irrevocable decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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