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Prayers and Meditations — §72

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 72 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِهُبُوبِ أَرْياحِ فَضْلِكَ وَبِمَشارِقِ وَحْيِكَ وَمَطالِعِ إِلْهامِكَ بِأَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى مَنْ أَرادَ وَجْهَكَ ما يَنْبَغِي لِكَرَمِكَ وَإِحْسانِكَ وَما يَلِيقُ لِمَواهِبِكَ وَأَلْطافِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ أَنَا الفَقِيرُ فَأَدْخِلْنِي فِيْ لُجَّةِ غَنائِكَ وَأَنَا الظَّمْآنُ فَأَشْرِبْنِي كَوْثَرَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by the onrushing winds of Thy grace, and by them Who are the Daysprings of Thy purpose and the Dawning-Places of Thine inspiration, to send down upon me and upon all that have sought Thy face that which beseemeth Thy generosity and bountiful grace, and is worthy of Thy bestowals and favors. Poor and desolate I am, O my Lord! Immerse me in the ocean of Thy wealth; athirst, suffer me to drink from the living waters of Thy loving-kindness.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ
s-b-ḥ → “Glorified art Thou”

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

اللَّهُمَّ
ʾ-l-h → “O Lord” Distinctive

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

يا
y-ʾ

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

أَسْئَلُكَ
s-ʾ-l → “I implore Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِهُبُوبِ
h-b-b → “wafted” Distinctive

literal: blowing; onset; rushing of wind

أَرْياحِ
r-w-ḥ → “winds”

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

فَضْلِكَ
f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

وَبِمَشارِقِ
sh-r-q

literal: shining; east; shine

وَحْيِكَ
w-ḥ-y → “Revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

وَمَطالِعِ
ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dawning-Places” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

إِلْهامِكَ
l-h-m → “inspiration”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

بِأَنْ
ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُنَزِّلَ
n-z-l → “send down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عَلَيَّ
ʿ-l-w → “upon me” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

مَنْ
m-n → “all” Distinctive

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

أَرادَ
r-y-d → “have sought” Distinctive

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

وَجْهَكَ
w-j-h → “Thy face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

ما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَنْبَغِي
n-b-gh → “beseemeth”

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

لِكَرَمِكَ
k-r-m → “Thy generosity”

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

وَإِحْسانِكَ
ḥ-s-n → “and bountiful grace” Distinctive

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

يَلِيقُ
l-y-q → “is worthy”

literal: worthy, befitting, appropriate, suitable

لِمَواهِبِكَ
w-h-b → “bestowals” Distinctive

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

وَأَلْطافِكَ،
l-ṭ-f → “favors”

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

أَيْ
ʾ-y-y → “O”

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

رَبِّ
r-b-b → “my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

أَنَا
ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

الفَقِيرُ
f-q-r → “Poor”

literal: poor; needy; the poor one; pauper

فَأَدْخِلْنِي
d-kh-l → “enter”

literal: to enter; to admit; to bring in

فِيْ
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

لُجَّةِ
l-j-j → “ocean”

literal: ocean, sea; depths, abyss

غَنائِكَ
gh-n-y → “wealth”

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

الظَّمْآنُ
ẓ-m-ʾ → “one sore athirst”

literal: thirsty; thirst

فَأَشْرِبْنِي
sh-r-b → “suffer me to drink” Distinctive

literal: robe; garment of honor; investiture

كَوْثَرَ
k-w-th-r → “living waters”

literal: abundance; river of paradise; the Kawthar

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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