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Prayers and Meditations — §682

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 682 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

يا إِلهِي هَذا عَبْدُكَ وَابْنُ عَبْدِكَ الَّذِيْ آمَنَ بِكَ وَبِآياتِكَ وَتَوَجَّهَ إِلَيْكَ مُنْقَطِعًا عَنْ سِواكَ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ، أَسْئَلُكَ يا غَفَّارَ الذُّنُوبِ وَسَتَّارَ العُيُوبِ بِأَنْ تَعْمَلَ بِهِ ما يَنْبَغِيْ لِسَمآءِ جُودِكَ وَبَحْرِ إِفْضالِكَ وَتُدخِلَهُ فِي جِوارِ رَحْمَتِكَ الكُبْرى الَّتِيْ سَبَقَتِ الأَرْضَ وَالسَّمآءَ لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ الغَفُورُ الْكَرِيمُ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O my God! This is Thy servant and the son of Thy servant who hath believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and set his face towards Thee, wholly detached from all except Thee. Thou art, verily, of those who show mercy the most merciful. Deal with him, O Thou Who forgivest the sins of men and concealest their faults, as beseemeth the heaven of Thy bounty and the ocean of Thy grace. Grant him admission within the precincts of Thy transcendent mercy that was before the foundation of earth and heaven.

Translation Notes

يا
y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهِي
ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

هَذا
h-dh-ʾ → “This is”

literal: this; that

عَبْدُكَ
ʿ-b-d → “Thy servant”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَابْنُ
b-n-y → “and the son”

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

الَّذِيْ
l-dh-y → “which”

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

آمَنَ
ʾ-m-n → “believed”

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

وَبِآياتِكَ
ʾ-y-y → “and in Thy signs”

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

وَتَوَجَّهَ
w-j-h → “and set” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلَيْكَ
ʾ-l-y → “towards Thee” Distinctive

literal: one; a single

مُنْقَطِعًا
q-ṭ-ʿ → “wholly detached”

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

عَنْ
ʿ-n → “from all”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

سِواكَ
s-w-y → “except Thee”

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

إِنَّكَ
ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ
ʾ-n-t

literal: you (masculine singular)

أَرْحَمُ
r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

أَسْئَلُكَ
s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

غَفَّارَ
gh-f-r → “O Thou Who forgivest” Distinctive

literal: to forgive; forgiveness

الذُّنُوبِ
dh-n-b → “the sins of men”

literal: sin; crime; offense; fault

وَسَتَّارَ
s-t-r → “and concealest” Distinctive

literal: to veil; to conceal; to cover; veil; covering

العُيُوبِ
ʿ-y-b → “their faults”

literal: defect; fault; flaw

بِأَنْ
ʾ-n-n → “as” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَعْمَلَ
ʿ-m-l

literal: deed; deeds; work

بِهِ
b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

ما
m-ʾ

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

يَنْبَغِيْ
n-b-gh → “beseemeth”

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

لِسَمآءِ
s-m-w → “heaven of”

literal: heaven; sky

جُودِكَ
j-w-d → “Thy bounty”

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

وَبَحْرِ
b-ḥ-r → “and the ocean of”

literal: sea; ocean

إِفْضالِكَ
f-ḍ-l → “Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

وَتُدخِلَهُ
d-kh-l → “enter”

literal: enter; entered; entering

فِي
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

جِوارِ
j-w-r → “precincts of”

literal: to neighbor; to adjoin; to dwell near

الكُبْرى
k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

الَّتِيْ
ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

سَبَقَتِ
s-b-q → “hath surpassed”

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

الأَرْضَ
ʾ-r-ḍ → “the foundation of earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

لا
l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

إِلهَ
ʾ-l-h

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

إِلاَّ
ʾ-kh-r

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

الْكَرِيمُ.
k-r-m

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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