Prayers and Meditations — §750

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 750 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لِلْمُقَرَّبِينَ مِنْ أَصْفِيائِكَ وَالمُخْلِصِينَ مِنْ أُمَنآئِكَ، ثُمَّ ارْزُقْهُمْ مِنْ بَحْرِ الاطْمِئْنانِ ما يَسْكُنُ بِهِ اضْطِرابُهُمْ، وَبَدِّلِ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي ظُلْمَةَ أَوْهامِهِمْ، بِنُورِ اليَقِينِ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْهُمْ قَائِمِينَ مُسْتَقِيمِينَ عَلَى صِراطِكَ المُسْتَقِيمِ لِئَلاّ يَمْنَعَهُمُ الكِتابُ عَنْ مُنْزِلِهِ وَالأَسْمآءُ عَنْ خالِقِها وَرازِقِها ومَبْدَئِها وَسُلطانِها وَمُظْهِرِها وَمُهْلِكها وَمُعِزِّها وَمُذِلِّها وَالمُقْتَدِرِ عَليها وَالمُهَيْمِنِ عَلَى مُسَمَّياتِها، إِنَّكَ يا إِلهِي وَرَبِّي أَنْزَلْتَ الكِتابَ لإِظْهارِ أَمْرِيْ وَإِعْلآءِ كَلِمَتِي وَبِهِ أَخَذْتَ عَهْدَ نَفْسِيْ عَنْ كُلِّ ما خُلِقَ فِي مَمْلَكَتِكَ، وَتَرَى يا مَحْبُوبَ العالَمِ أَنَّ طُغاةَ خَلْقِكَ جَعَلُوهُ حِصْنًا لَهُمْ وَبِهِ أَعْرَضُوا عَنْ جَمالِكَ وَكَفَروا بِآياتِكَ، وَأَنْتَ الَّذِيْ يا إِلهِي وَصَّيْتَهُمْ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I beseech Thee, O God of bounty and King of all created things, to guard Thy servants from the imaginations which their hearts may devise. Raise them up, then, to such heights that their footsteps may slip not in the face of the evidences of Thy handiwork, which the manifold exigencies of Thy wisdom have ordained, and whose secrets Thou hast hid from the face of Thy people and Thy creatures. Withhold them not, O my Lord, from the ocean of Thy knowledge, neither do Thou deprive them of what Thou didst destine for such of Thy chosen ones as have near access to Thee, and those of Thy trusted ones as are wholly devoted to Thy Self. Supply them, then, from Thy sea of certainty with what will calm the agitation of their hearts. Turn, O Lord my God, the darkness of their fancies into the brightness of certitude, and cause them to arise, and to walk steadfastly in Thy straight Path, that haply Thy Book may not hinder them from recognizing Him Who is its Revealer, and Thy names from acknowledging the One Who is their Creator, and their Provider, and their Origin, and their King, and their Begetter, and their Destroyer, and their Glorifier, and their Abaser, and their Governor, and the Sovereign Protector of their Bearers.

Translation Notes

لِلْمُقَرَّبِينَ

q-r-b → “as have near access”

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

مِنْ

m-n → “of”

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

أَصْفِيائِكَ

ṣ-f-w → “Thy chosen ones”

literal: pure one; chosen one; selected one; elite; purity; clarity; sincerity; pure; sincere

وَالمُخْلِصِينَ

kh-l-ṣ → “are wholly devoted”

literal: sincere; devoted; pure one

أُمَنآئِكَ،

ʾ-m-n → “trustworthy” Distinctive

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

ارْزُقْهُمْ

r-z-q → “Supply”

literal: provide; sustenance; provided

بَحْرِ

b-ḥ-r → “Thy sea” Distinctive

literal: sea; ocean

الاطْمِئْنانِ

ṭ-m-n → “confidence”

literal: to be at peace; to be reassured; to settle down

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَسْكُنُ

s-k-n → “inmates” Distinctive

literal: stillness, rest, quietude, tranquility

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

اضْطِرابُهُمْ،

ḍ-r-b → “tremble” Distinctive

literal: to be disturbed; to tremble; to be troubled; to be shaken

وَبَدِّلِ

b-d-l → “Turn”

literal: in place of; instead of; to change; to alter (preposition or verb stem)

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “O Lord my God”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

ظُلْمَةَ

ẓ-l-m → “darkness” Distinctive

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

أَوْهامِهِمْ،

w-h-m → “of their fancies”

literal: to imagine, suppose; fancy, idle imagination

بِنُورِ

n-w-r → “into the brightness” Distinctive

literal: light; illumination

اليَقِينِ

y-q-n → “of certitude”

literal: certainty; certitude; conviction; faith

اجْعَلْهُمْ

j-ʿ-l → “cause” Distinctive

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

قَائِمِينَ

q-w-m → “arise”

literal: rising; standing; resurrection; uprising; establishment

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “in” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

صِراطِكَ

ṣ-r-ṭ → “Thy straight”

literal: path, way, straight path

لِئَلاّ

l-y-l → “night”

literal: night; darkness

يَمْنَعَهُمُ

m-n-ʿ → “hinder”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

الكِتابُ

k-t-b → “Thy Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from recognizing Him Who is”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

مُنْزِلِهِ

n-z-l → “its Revealer”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

وَالأَسْمآءُ

s-m-w → “Thy names”

literal: name

خالِقِها

kh-l-q → “their Creator”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

ومَبْدَئِها

b-d-ʾ → “begin” Distinctive

literal: beginning; source, origin; source/beginning

وَسُلطانِها

s-l-ṭ → “their King”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَمُظْهِرِها

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation” Distinctive

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

وَمُهْلِكها

h-l-k → “consumed” Distinctive

literal: to destroy; to ruin; to cause to perish; perishing; destroyer; lost

وَمُعِزِّها

ʿ-z-z → “glory” Distinctive

literal: glory; mighty; might

وَمُذِلِّها

dh-l-l → “abasement” Distinctive

literal: humiliation; abasement; abasement, humiliation

وَالمُقْتَدِرِ

q-d-r → “power”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

عَليها

ʿ-l-y

literal: upon; on; exalted

وَالمُهَيْمِنِ

h-m-n → “and the Sovereign Protector” Distinctive

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian; inspiration; revelation; intuition

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

وَرَبِّي

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: divine; of God; lordly

أَمْرِيْ

ʾ-m-r

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

كَلِمَتِي

k-l-m

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

أَخَذْتَ

ʾ-kh-dh

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

عَهْدَ

ʿ-h-d

literal: covenant; testament; promise; command

نَفْسِيْ

n-f-s → “Self”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

فِي

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

مَمْلَكَتِكَ،

m-l-k → “King” Distinctive

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

وَتَرَى

r-ʾ-y

literal: standard; banner; flag; ensign; opinion; counsel; judgment; to see; to view; to perceive

مَحْبُوبَ

ḥ-b-b

literal: love; affection

العالَمِ

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

أَنَّ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

طُغاةَ

ṭ-gh-y → “oppressors”

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

حِصْنًا

ḥ-ṣ-n

literal: fortress, stronghold, fortified place

لَهُمْ

l-h-m

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

أَعْرَضُوا

ʿ-r-ḍ

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

جَمالِكَ

j-m-l

literal: beauty; comeliness

وَكَفَروا

k-f-r

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

بِآياتِكَ،

ʾ-y-y

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

وَأَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

وَصَّيْتَهُمْ

w-ṣ-y

literal: counsel; commandment; bequest; will; testament; admonition; command

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶