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Prayers and Meditations — §678

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 678 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

مِنْ أَنْهارِ كافُورِ صَمَدِيَّتِكَ فَأَشْرِبْنِيْ يا إِلهِيْ، وَمِنْ أَثْمارِ شَجَرَةِ كَيْنُونَتِكَ فَأَطْعِمْنِيْ يا رَجائي، وَمِنْ زُلالِ عُيُونِ مَحَبَّتِكَ فَاسْقِنِي يا بَهآئِي، وَفِي ظِلِّ عُطُوفَةِ أَزَلِيَّتِكَ فَأَسْكِنِّيْ يا سَنائِي، وَفِي رِياضِ القُرْبِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ سَيِّرْنِي يا مَحْبُوبِي، وَعَنْ يَمِينِ عَرْشِ رَحْمَتِكَ فَأَجْلِسْنِي يا مَقْصُودِيْ، وَمِنْ أَرْياحِ طِيْبِ بَهْجَتِكَ فَأَرْسِلْنِيْ يا مَطْلُوبِي، وَفِي عُلُوِّ جَنَّةِ هُوِيَّتِكَ فَأَدْخِلْنِيْ يا مَعْبُودِيْ، وَمِنْ نَغَماتِ وَرْقآءِ الأَحَدِيَّةِ فَأَسمِعْنِيْ يا مَشْهُودِيْ، وَبِرُوحِ القُوَّةِ وَالقُدْرَةِ فَأَحْيِنِي يا رازِقي، وَعَلَى رُوحِ مَحَبَّتِكَ فَاسْتَقِمْنِيْ يا ناصِرِيْ، وَعَلَى سَبِيْلِ مَرْضاتِكَ ثَبِّتْنِيْ يا خَالِقِي، وَفِي رِضْوانِ الخُلُودِ عِنْدَ طَلْعَتِكَ فَأَخْلِدْنِيْ يا راحِمِيْ، وَعَلَى كُرْسِيِّ عِزِّكَ مَكِّنِّيْ يا صاحِبِيْ، وَإِلى سَمآءِ عِنايَتِكَ عَرِّجْنِيْ يا باعِثي وَإِلى شَمْسِ هِدايَتِكَ فَاهْدِنِيْ يا جاذِبِيْ، وَعِنْدَ ظُهُوراتِ غَيْبِ أَحَدِيَّتِكَ فَأَحْضِرْنِيْ يا مَبْدَئِيْ وَمُنايَ، وَإِلى صِرْفِ كافُورِ الجَمالِ فِي مَنْ تُظْهِرَنَّهُ فَأَرْجِعْنِيْ يا إِلهِيْ، لأنَّكَ أَنْتَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire! From the fragrant breezes of Thy joy let a breath pass over me, O my Goal, and into the heights of the paradise of Thy reality let me gain admission, O my Adored One! To the melodies of the dove of Thy oneness suffer me to hearken, O Resplendent One, and through the spirit of Thy power and Thy might quicken me, O my Provider! In the spirit of Thy love keep me steadfast, O my Succorer, and in the path of Thy good pleasure set firm my steps, O my Maker! Within the garden of Thine immortality, before Thy countenance, let me abide for ever, O Thou Who art merciful unto me, and upon the seat of Thy glory stablish me, O Thou Who art my Possessor! To the heaven of Thy loving-kindness lift me up, O my Quickener, and unto the Daystar of Thy guidance lead me, O Thou my Attractor! Before the revelations of Thine invisible spirit summon me to be present, O Thou Who art my Origin and my Highest Wish, and unto the essence of the fragrance of Thy beauty, which Thou wilt manifest, cause me to return, O Thou Who art my God!

Translation Notes

مِنْ

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

أَنْهارِ

literal: river; to flow

كافُورِ
k-f-r “repudiated” Distinctive

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

صَمَدِيَّتِكَ

literal: eternal; eternal, absolute; eternal, everlasting

فَأَشْرِبْنِيْ

literal: robe; garment of honor; investiture

يا

literal: O; or

إِلهِيْ،

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

أَثْمارِ

literal: fruit; the fruit

شَجَرَةِ

literal: tree

كَيْنُونَتِكَ
k-w-n “be” Distinctive

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

فَأَطْعِمْنِيْ
ṭ-ʿ-m “food” Distinctive

literal: food; feed; taste

رَجائي،

literal: hope; expectation

زُلالِ

literal: to slip; to stumble; to fall

عُيُونِ

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

مَحَبَّتِكَ

literal: love; affection

فَاسْقِنِي
s-q-y “partake” Distinctive

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

بَهآئِي،

literal: Bahá’í; of Bahá; splendor; glory; splendor, glory, radiance, majesty; Bahá (the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh)

وَفِي

literal: faithfulness; loyalty; fulfillment; fidelity; to be faithful; faithful, loyal

ظِلِّ

literal: to take shelter; to dwell in shadow

عُطُوفَةِ

literal: compassionate; kindness/compassion; kindness

أَزَلِيَّتِكَ

literal: eternity; eternities; eternal

فَأَسْكِنِّيْ

literal: dwelling; inhabitants; dwell

سَنائِي،
s-n-w “years” Distinctive

literal: year; most-exalted; most exalted

رِياضِ

literal: garden; meadow; enclosed garden

القُرْبِ

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

بَيْنَ
b-y-n “before Thy” Distinctive

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

يَدَيْكَ

literal: hand; power; action; possession

سَيِّرْنِي
s-y-r “journeying” Distinctive

literal: journey; other; conduct

وَعَنْ

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

يَمِينِ

literal: right hand; oath; right side

عَرْشِ

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

رَحْمَتِكَ

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

فَأَجْلِسْنِي
j-l-s “seated” Distinctive

literal: sitting; assembly; sitting, seated

مَقْصُودِيْ،

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

أَرْياحِ
r-w-ḥ “breezes” Distinctive

literal: to throw; to cast; Aramaic/Persian proper name reference; to throw, cast, shoot; to pelt; to shoot

طِيْبِ

literal: happiness; blessedness; felicity

بَهْجَتِكَ

literal: joy; splendor; beauty; radiance; delight

فَأَرْسِلْنِيْ
r-s-l “Apostle” Distinctive

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

مَطْلُوبِي،
ṭ-l-b “theme” Distinctive

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

عُلُوِّ
ʿ-l-w “heights” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

جَنَّةِ

literal: garden; paradise; heaven

هُوِيَّتِكَ
h-w-y “desires” Distinctive

literal: desire; air; passion

فَأَدْخِلْنِيْ

literal: to enter; to admit; to bring in

مَعْبُودِيْ،

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

نَغَماتِ

literal: melody; tone; note

وَرْقآءِ

literal: leaf, page, sheet, parchment, document

الأَحَدِيَّةِ
ʾ-ḥ-d “oneness” Distinctive

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

فَأَسمِعْنِيْ

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

مَشْهُودِيْ،
sh-h-d “witness” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

القُوَّةِ

literal: power; strength; force

وَالقُدْرَةِ
q-d-r “might” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

فَأَحْيِنِي
ḥ-y-y “life” Distinctive

literal: life; living; shame

رازِقي،
r-z-q “partake” Distinctive

literal: provide; sustenance; provided

فَاسْتَقِمْنِيْ

literal: station; people; place

ناصِرِيْ،

literal: aid, help, succor, victory, support

سَبِيْلِ

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

مَرْضاتِكَ

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction

ثَبِّتْنِيْ

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed

خَالِقِي،
kh-l-q “Thy creatures” Distinctive

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

الخُلُودِ

literal: eternity; immortality; make-eternal

عِنْدَ

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

طَلْعَتِكَ

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

كُرْسِيِّ

literal: throne, seat; chair

عِزِّكَ

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

مَكِّنِّيْ

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

صاحِبِيْ،
ṣ-ḥ-b “companions” Distinctive

literal: possessor; those who have; companion; followers

وَإِلى
w-l-y “To” Distinctive

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

سَمآءِ

literal: heaven; sky

عِنايَتِكَ

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

عَرِّجْنِيْ

literal: ascension; ascend; ascents

باعِثي
b-ʿ-th “sent down” Distinctive

literal: sent; send; resurrection

شَمْسِ

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

هِدايَتِكَ

literal: guidance; to guide; direction; leading rightly; this; this one

جاذِبِيْ،

literal: attract; attraction; attract, draw

ظُهُوراتِ

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

غَيْبِ

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

فَأَحْضِرْنِيْ
ḥ-ḍ-r “His Majesty” Distinctive

literal: presence; present; presence, majesty

مَبْدَئِيْ
b-d-ʾ “begin” Distinctive

literal: beginning; source, origin; source/beginning

وَمُنايَ،

literal: wish/desire; desire; wish

صِرْفِ

literal: pure; absolute; to turn away; to expend

الجَمالِ

literal: beauty; comeliness

فَأَرْجِعْنِيْ

literal: return; reference; place of return; resort

لأنَّكَ

literal: you; your (suffix pronoun)

أَنْتَ

literal: you (masculine singular)

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

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Gleanings

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A compilation of 166 selections from Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets, spanning the Baghdad, Adrianople, and ‘Akká periods (1853–1892). George Townshend assisted with English refinement. Shoghi Effendi wrote that it gives the friends a splendid opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of the Faith.

729 ¶

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The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

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The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

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Tablet of Aḥmad

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Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

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Tablet of Carmel

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Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

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Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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57 ¶

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Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

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‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶