Prayers and Meditations — §705

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 705 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

كردی، پروردگارا وجود كُلّ از جودت موجود از بحر كرمت محروم مفرما و از درياى رحمتت منع مكن در هر حال توفيق و تأييد ميطلبم و از سماء فضل بخشش قديمت را سائلم توئى مالك عطا و سلطان ملكوت بقا.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O Divine Providence! All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; deprive it not of the waters of Thy generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from the ocean of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times and under all conditions, and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient favor. Thou art, in truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the kingdom of eternity.

Translation Notes

پروردگارا

r-b-b → “O Divine Providence” Distinctive

literal: Lord; Sustainer; Provider; Creator

وجود

w-j-d → “All existence” Distinctive

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

كُلّ

k-l-l

literal: for us; to us

از

ʾ-z → “by” Distinctive

literal: from

جودت

j-w-d → “Thy bounty”

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

بحر

b-ḥ-r → “ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

كرمت

k-r-m → “Thy generosity” Distinctive

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

محروم

ḥ-r-m → “deprive it not”

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

مفرما

f-r-m → “saith” Distinctive

literal: to say; to decree; to ordain; to command

درياى

d-r-y → “know” Distinctive

literal: veiling; concealment; to have; to possess; to hold

رحمتت

r-ḥ-m → “Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

منع

m-n-ʿ → “withhold it”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

مكن

k-r-d → “made” Distinctive

literal: to do; to make; to perform; deed; action; conduct; behavior

در

d-r-r → “at” Distinctive

literal: in; in, at; radiant

هر

h-r → “every”

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

حال

ḥ-w-l → “under all conditions” Distinctive

literal: state; condition; circumstance

توفيق

w-f-q → “aid and assist”

literal: accord, agreement, harmony; to agree, accord with

تأييد

ʾ-y-d

literal: to support, assist, strengthen, confirm; to support; to assist; to strengthen; to aid; confirmation; support; strengthening

ميطلبم

ṭ-l-b → “I beseech”

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

سماء

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

فضل

f-ḍ-l → “Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

بخشش

b-kh-sh

literal: to grant; to give; to forgive; to bestow

قديمت

q-d-m → “Thine ancient favor”

literal: ancient; step; eternity

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

سائلم

s-ʾ-l

literal: question; problem; issue; matter; asking; petition; request

توئى

b-ود → “Thou art”

literal: thou, you (singular)

مالك

m-l-k → “Lord”

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

عطا

ʿ-ṭ-w → “of bounty” Distinctive

literal: bounty; gift; bestowal; grace; bountifulness

سلطان

s-l-ṭ → “Sovereign”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

بقا.

b-q-y → “of eternity”

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Gleanings

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Will and Testament

‘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 ¶