Prayers and Meditations — §747

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 747 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

كُلُّ ما يَمْنَعُ عِبادَكَ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلى جَبَرُوتِ عِرْفانِكَ وَمَلَكُوتِ آياتِكَ، فَيا إِلهِي وَإِلهَ الأَسْمآءِ وَفاطِرَ الأَرْضِ وَالسَّمآءِ هذا يَوْمٌ فِيهِ يُناجِيكَ مَنِ اشْتَعَلَ صَدْرُهُ مِنْ نارِ وَصْلِكَ، فَأَيْنَ الفَصْلُ يا إِلهِي لِيُعْرَفَ بِهِ الوَصْلُ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ نُورِ فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ وَبُرُوزِ إِشْراقِ شَمْسِ وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ يا إِلهِي عَنْ كُلِّ ذلِكَ وَعَنْ كُلِّ ما جَرى وَيَجْرِيْ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

My God, and the God of all things, and my King and the King of all things, and the Beloved of my soul, and the Goal of my desire! Thou knowest full well that I make mention of Thee, in this day, in the name of such of Thy creatures as have detached themselves from all except Thee, and I extol Thy virtues through the tongue of those of Thy people that have recognized Thy oneness, that haply there may pour out from the sighs which they utter in their love and their yearning for Thee what will melt away all that may hinder Thy servants from setting their faces towards the heaven of Thy knowledge and the kingdom of Thy signs.

Translation Notes

كُلُّ

k-l-l → “all that”

literal: for us; to us

ما

m-ʾ

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

يَمْنَعُ

m-n-ʿ → “hinder” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

عِبادَكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

التَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h → “setting their faces towards” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إِلى

ʾ-l-y

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

جَبَرُوتِ

j-b-r → “heaven”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

عِرْفانِكَ

ʿ-r-f → “Thy knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

وَمَلَكُوتِ

m-l-k → “and” Distinctive

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

آياتِكَ،

ʾ-y-y → “kingdom of Thy signs”

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

فَيا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

وَإِلهَ

ʾ-l-h → “and the God”

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

الأَسْمآءِ

s-m-w → “of all things” Distinctive

literal: heaven; sky

وَفاطِرَ

f-ṭ-r

literal: creator; the one who splits/creates

الأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

يَوْمٌ

y-w-m → “day”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

فِيهِ

f-y

literal: alas; woe; oh

يُناجِيكَ

n-j-w

literal: salvation; prayer; salvation/deliverance

مَنِ

m-n → “from”

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

اشْتَعَلَ

sh-ʿ-l

literal: to kindle, burn, be inflamed; to blaze

صَدْرُهُ

ṣ-d-r

literal: to issue, emanate, proceed; issued, emanating

نارِ

n-ʾ-r

literal: fire; blaze; flame

وَصْلِكَ،

w-ṣ-l

literal: reunion; union; meeting; connection

فَأَيْنَ

ʾ-y-n

literal: this; these

الفَصْلُ

f-ṣ-l

literal: detail; distinction; differentiation; to detail; to separate

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

نُورِ

n-w-r

literal: light; illumination

فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ

f-r-d → “Thy oneness”

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

وَبُرُوزِ

b-r-z

literal: appearance; manifestation; coming forth

إِشْراقِ

sh-r-q

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

شَمْسِ

sh-m-s

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ،

w-ḥ-d

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ

gh-f-r

literal: to forgive; forgiveness

ذلِكَ

dh-l-k

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

جَرى

j-r-y

literal: trade; commerce; business; to flow; to run; to be in effect; flowing

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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