Prayers and Meditations — §749

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 749 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

أَسْئَلُكَ يا مالِكَ الجُودِ وَسُلْطانَ الوُجُودِ بِأَنْ تَحْفَظَ عِبادَكَ مِنْ خَطَراتِ قُلوبِهِمْ، ثُمَّ أَصْعِدْهُمْ إِلى مَقامٍ لا تَزِلُّ أَقْدامُهُمْ مِنْ ظُهُوراتِ فِعْلِكَ الَّتِيْ اقْتَضَتْها شُئُوناتُ حِكْمَتِكَ وَسَتَرْتَ أَسْرارَها عَنْ وَجْهِ بَرِيَّتِكَ وَخَلْقِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ لا تَمْنَعْهُمْ عَنْ بَحْرِ عِلْمِكَ وَلا تَحْرِمْهُمْ عَمّا قَدَّرْتَهُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I render Thee thanks, O Thou Who hast lighted Thy fire within my soul, and cast the beams of Thy light into my heart, that Thou hast taught Thy servants how to make mention of Thee, and revealed unto them the ways whereby they can supplicate Thee, through Thy most holy and exalted tongue, and Thy most august and precious speech. But for Thy leave, who is there that could venture to express Thy might and Thy grandeur; and were it not for Thine instruction, who is the man that could discover the ways of Thy pleasure in the kingdom of Thy creation?

Translation Notes

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

يا

y-ʾ

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

مالِكَ

m-l-k

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

الجُودِ

j-w-d

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

وَسُلْطانَ

s-l-ṭ

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

الوُجُودِ

w-j-d

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَحْفَظَ

ḥ-f-ẓ

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

عِبادَكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

مِنْ

m-n

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

خَطَراتِ

kh-ṭ-r

literal: danger; peril; risk; to cross the mind

قُلوبِهِمْ،

q-l-b → “heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ثُمَّ

th-m-m

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أَصْعِدْهُمْ

ṣ-ʿ-d

literal: ascent; ascension; rising; elevation

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

مَقامٍ

q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَزِلُّ

z-w-l

literal: for us; to us

أَقْدامُهُمْ

q-d-m

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

ظُهُوراتِ

ẓ-h-r → “revealed” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

فِعْلِكَ

f-ʿ-l

literal: to do, act, make; deed, action

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l

literal: who; which/that; which

اقْتَضَتْها

q-ḍ-y

literal: decree; decree/judgment; decreed

شُئُوناتُ

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

حِكْمَتِكَ

ḥ-k-m

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

وَسَتَرْتَ

s-t-r

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

أَسْرارَها

s-r-r

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

عَنْ

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from