Prayers and Meditations — §713

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 713 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لى أَخَذَ جَذْبُ النِّدآءِ مَنْ فِي مَلَكُوتِ الأَسْمآءِ وَالمَلأِ الأَعْلی، وَبِهِ مَرَّ عَرْفُ قَمِيصِ ظُهُورِكَ عَلَى العاشِقِينَ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ وَالمُشْتاقِينَ مِنْ بَرِيَّتِكَ، قامُوا وَسَرُعُوا إِلى بَحْرِ وِصالِكَ وَأُفُقِ جَمالِكَ وَخِباءِ ظُهُورِكَ وَمَجْدِكَ وَفُسْطاطِ عِزِّكَ وَلِقائِكَ، وَأَسْكَرَهُمْ رَحِيقُ الوِصالِ عَلَى شَأْنٍ انْقَطَعُوا عَمَّا عِنْدَهُمْ وَما عِنْدَ النَّاسِ، أُولئِكَ عِبادٌ ما مَنَعَتْهُمْ سَطْوَةُ الفَراعِنَةِ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلى سُرادِقِ عَظَمَتِكَ وَما خَوَّفَتْهُمْ جُنُودُ الجَبابِرَةِ عَنِ النَّظَرِ إِلى مَشْرِقِ آياتِكَ وَمَطْلَعِ بَيَّناتِكَ، وَعِزَّتِكَ يا إِلهَ الوُجُودِ وَمُرَبِّيَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thou art He, O my God, Who hath unlocked the gate of heaven with the key of Thy Name, the Ever-Blessed, the All-Powerful, the All-Glorious, the Most Great, and hast summoned all mankind to the ocean of Thy presence. No sooner had Thy most sweet voice been raised, than all the inmates of the Kingdom of Names and the Concourse on high were stirred up. By Thy call the fragrance of the raiment of Thy Revelation was wafted over such of Thy creatures as have loved Thee, and such of Thy people as have yearned towards Thee. They rose up and rushed forth to attain the Ocean of Thy meeting, and the Horizon of Thy beauty, and the Tabernacle of Thy Revelation and Thy majesty, and the Sanctuary of Thy Presence and Thy glory. They were so inebriated with the wine of their reunion with Thee, that they rid themselves of all attachment to whatever they themselves and others possessed.

Translation Notes

لى

ʿ-l-y

literal: for us; to us

أَخَذَ

ʾ-kh-dh → “arrested”

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

جَذْبُ

j-dh-b

literal: to draw, attract, pull; to be enraptured

النِّدآءِ

n-d-y → “call” Distinctive

literal: call; voice; proclamation; forty; forty years

مَنْ

m-n → “all the inmates” Distinctive

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

فِي

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

مَلَكُوتِ

m-l-k → “Kingdom”

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

الأَسْمآءِ

s-m-w → “Names”

literal: heaven; sky

وَالمَلأِ

m-l-ʾ → “Concourse”

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

الأَعْلی،

ʿ-l-w → “on high”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

وَبِهِ

b-h → “By Thy” Distinctive

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

مَرَّ

m-r-r → “was wafted” Distinctive

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

عَرْفُ

ʿ-r-f → “fragrance”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

قَمِيصِ

q-m-ṣ → “raiment”

literal: garment; shirt; tunic

ظُهُورِكَ

ẓ-h-r → “Thy Revelation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

العاشِقِينَ

ʿ-sh-q → “love”

literal: lover; love; lovers

خَلْقِكَ

kh-l-q

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

وَالمُشْتاقِينَ

sh-w-q → “longing” Distinctive

literal: to encourage; to incite; yearning; enthusiasm

بَرِيَّتِكَ،

b-r-ʾ

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

قامُوا

q-w-m → “They rose” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

وَسَرُعُوا

s-r-ʿ → “rushed forth” Distinctive

literal: speed; swiftness; haste

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “to”

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

بَحْرِ

b-ḥ-r → “Ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

وِصالِكَ

w-ṣ-l → “attain” Distinctive

literal: reunion; union; meeting; connection

وَأُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “Horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

جَمالِكَ

j-m-l → “Thy beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

وَخِباءِ

kh-b-w → “been put out” Distinctive

literal: to hide; to conceal; tent; pavilion; chamber; tabernacle; hiding place

وَمَجْدِكَ

m-j-d → “Thy majesty”

literal: glory; majesty; magnificence

وَفُسْطاطِ

f-s-ṭ → “Tabernacle”

literal: tent; pavilion; canopy

عِزِّكَ

ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

وَلِقائِكَ،

l-q-y → “Presence”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

وَأَسْكَرَهُمْ

s-க-r → “were so inebriated”

literal: intoxicated/inebriated

رَحِيقُ

r-ḥ-q → “wine”

literal: wine; pure drink; choice beverage (metaphorical for divine knowledge and love)

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

انْقَطَعُوا

q-ṭ-ʿ → “they rid” Distinctive

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

عَمَّا

ʿ-n

literal: with them; in their company

عِنْدَهُمْ

ʿ-n-d → “they themselves” Distinctive

literal: vessel; container; circumstance; adroitness

وَما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

النَّاسِ،

n-ʾ-s → “men”

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

أُولئِكَ

ʾ-w-l

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

عِبادٌ

ʿ-b-d

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

مَنَعَتْهُمْ

m-n-ʿ

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

سَطْوَةُ

s-ṭ-w

literal: might; force; severity; oppression; tyranny

الفَراعِنَةِ

f-r-ʿ

literal: branch; offshoot; to branch off

التَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

سُرادِقِ

s-r-d-q

literal: pavilion; tabernacle; canopy; tent

عَظَمَتِكَ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great” Distinctive

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

خَوَّفَتْهُمْ

kh-w-f

literal: fear; fearful; to fear

جُنُودُ

j-n-d

literal: hosts, armies, troops

الجَبابِرَةِ

j-b-r

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

النَّظَرِ

n-ẓ-r

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

مَشْرِقِ

sh-r-q

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

آياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y

literal: sign; verse; miracle; token; verses; signs; proofs

وَمَطْلَعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

بَيَّناتِكَ،

b-y-n

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

الوُجُودِ

w-j-d

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

وَمُرَبِّيَ

r-b-b

literal: father; paternal

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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