Prayers and Meditations — §671

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 671 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِزَفَراتِ قُلُوبِ العاشِقِينَ وَدُمُوعِ عُيُونِ المُشْتاقِينَ بِأَنْ لا تَجْعَلَنِيْ مَحْرُومًا مِنْ نَفَحاتِ رَحْمانِيَّتِكَ فِي أَيَّامِكَ وَنَغَماتِ وَرْقآءِ وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ أَنْوارِ وَجْهِكَ، فَيا إِلهِي أَنَا المِسْكينُ قَدْ تَشَبَّثْتُ بِذَيْلِ اسْمِكَ الغَنِيِّ وَأَنَا الفانِي قَدْ تَمَسَّكْتُ بِحَبْلِ اسْمِكَ الباقِي، إِذًا أَسْئَلُكَ بِنَفْسِكَ العَلِيِّ الأَعْلى بِأَنْ لا تَدَعَنِي بِنَفْسِيْ وَهَوايَ، خُذْ يَدِي بِأَيادِي اقْتِدارِكَ وَخَلِّصْنِيْ عَنْ غَمَراتِ الظُّنُونِ وَالأَوْهامِ وَطَهِّرْنِيْ عَنْ كُلِّ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lauded and glorified art Thou, O my God! I entreat Thee by the sighing of Thy lovers and by the tears shed by them that long to behold Thee, not to withhold from me Thy tender mercies in Thy Day, nor to deprive me of the melodies of the Dove that extolleth Thy oneness before the light that shineth from Thy face. I am the one who is in misery, O God! Behold me cleaving fast to Thy Name, the All-Possessing. I am the one who is sure to perish; behold me clinging to Thy Name, the Imperishable. I implore Thee, therefore, by Thy Self, the Exalted, the Most High, not to abandon me unto mine own self and unto the desires of a corrupt inclination. Hold Thou my hand with the hand of Thy power, and deliver me from the depths of my fancies and idle imaginings, and cleanse me of all that is abhorrent unto Thee.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Lauded and glorified”

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

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I entreat Thee” Distinctive

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِزَفَراتِ

z-f-r → “by the sighing”

literal: sigh; sob; lamentation

قُلُوبِ

q-l-b → “of” Distinctive

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

العاشِقِينَ

ʿ-sh-q → “Thy lovers”

literal: lover; love; lovers

وَدُمُوعِ

d-m-ʿ → “and by the tears”

literal: tears

عُيُونِ

ʿ-y-n

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

المُشْتاقِينَ

sh-w-q → “long to behold Thee” Distinctive

literal: to encourage; to incite; yearning; enthusiasm

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “not to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَجْعَلَنِيْ

j-ʿ-l

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

مَحْرُومًا

ḥ-r-m → “withhold from me” Distinctive

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

مِنْ

m-n → “of”

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

نَفَحاتِ

n-f-ḥ → “fragrance”

literal: breeze; fragrance; whiff; breath; emanation

رَحْمانِيَّتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “Thy tender mercies” Distinctive

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَيَّامِكَ

y-w-m → “Thy Day”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

وَنَغَماتِ

n-gh-m → “melodies”

literal: melody; tone; note

وَرْقآءِ

w-r-q → “Dove”

literal: leaf, page, sheet, parchment, document

وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ

w-ḥ-d → “extolleth Thy oneness”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d → “before”

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

أَنْوارِ

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

وَجْهِكَ،

w-j-h → “from Thy face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

أَنَا

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

المِسْكينُ

m-s-k → “cleave” Distinctive

literal: stillness, rest, quietude, tranquility

قَدْ

q-d

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

تَشَبَّثْتُ

sh-b-th → “Behold me cleaving fast to” Distinctive

literal: cling; clinging; clinging/holding fast

بِذَيْلِ

dh-y-l

literal: hem; skirt; tail; border

اسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “Thy Name”

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

الغَنِيِّ

gh-n-y → “the All-Possessing”

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with; rich; wealthy; needless

الفانِي

f-n-y → “is sure to perish”

literal: annihilation; perishing; extinction; cessation; the threshold

بِحَبْلِ

ḥ-b-l

literal: cord; rope; bond; connection

الباقِي،

b-q-y → “the Imperishable” Distinctive

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

إِذًا

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

بِنَفْسِكَ

n-f-s → “by Thy Self” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

العَلِيِّ

ʿ-l-w → “the Exalted” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

تَدَعَنِي

w-d-ʿ → “abandon”

literal: call, invocation, summons; to call, invite, summon

وَهَوايَ،

h-w-y → “desires”

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

خُذْ

ʾ-kh-dh → “Hold Thou” Distinctive

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

يَدِي

y-d-y → “my hand”

literal: hand; power; action; possession

اقْتِدارِكَ

q-d-r → “of Thy power”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

وَخَلِّصْنِيْ

kh-l-ṣ → “wholly” Distinctive

literal: sincere; devoted; pure one

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

غَمَراتِ

gh-m-r → “depths”

literal: to immerse; to submerge; depths; ocean

الظُّنُونِ

ẓ-n-n → “of my fancies” Distinctive

literal: fancy; supposition; vain imagination; idle conjecture

وَالأَوْهامِ

w-h-m → “and idle imaginings” Distinctive

literal: to imagine, suppose; fancy, idle imagination

وَطَهِّرْنِيْ

ṭ-h-r → “and cleanse me”

literal: to purify; to cleanse

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

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