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Prayers and Meditations — §760

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 760 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

أَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْئَلُكَ بِالآيَةِ الكُبْرى وَظُهُورِ فَضْلِكَ بَيْنَ الوَرَى أَنْ لا تَطْرُدَنِي عَنْ بابِ مَدِينَةِ لِقائِكَ وَلا تُخَيِّبَنِي عَنْ ظُهُوراتِ فَضْلِكَ بَيْنَ خَلْقِكَ، تَرَانِي يا إِلهِي مُتَمَسِّكًا بِاسْمِكَ الأَقْدَسِ الأَنْوَرِ الأَعَزِّ الأَعْظَمِ العَلِيِّ الأَبْهى وَمُتَشَبِّثًا بِذَيْلٍ تَشَبَّثَ بِهِ مَنْ فِي الآخِرَةِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy mighty Sign, and by the revelation of Thy grace amongst men, to cast me not away from the gate of the city of Thy presence, and to disappoint not the hopes I have set on the manifestations of Thy grace amidst Thy creatures. Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung all in this world and in the world to come.

Translation Notes

أَللَّهُمَّ
ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

إِنِّيْ
ʾ-n-n → “I”

literal: I, verily; behold I

أَسْئَلُكَ
s-ʾ-l → “beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِالآيَةِ
ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

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

الكُبْرى
k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

وَظُهُورِ
ẓ-h-r → “by the revelation”

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

فَضْلِكَ
f-ḍ-l → “of Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

بَيْنَ
b-y-n → “amongst”

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

الوَرَى
w-r-y → “men”

literal: mankind; people; human beings; behind; after

أَنْ
ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَطْرُدَنِي
ṭ-r-d → “cast me”

literal: cast out; driven away; expelled

عَنْ
ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

بابِ
b-w-b → “gate” Distinctive

literal: door; gate; chapter; way; manner

مَدِينَةِ
m-d-n → “of the city”

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

لِقائِكَ
l-q-y → “of Thy presence”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

وَلا
w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

تُخَيِّبَنِي
kh-y-b → “withhold”

literal: to fail, be disappointed; disappointed, frustrated

خَلْقِكَ،
kh-l-q → “Thy creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

تَرَانِي
r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest me”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

يا
y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

مُتَمَسِّكًا
m-s-k → “holding”

literal: musk; to seize; grip; to hold fast; to cling to; to grasp

بِاسْمِكَ
s-m-w → “to Thy Name”

literal: to name, to nominate, to designate, to appoint; name; noun; to name, to appoint, to designate

الأَقْدَسِ
q-d-s → “the Most Holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

الأَنْوَرِ
n-w-r → “the Most Luminous”

literal: light; illumination

الأَعَزِّ
ʿ-z-z → “the Most Mighty”

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

الأَعْظَمِ
ʿ-ẓ-m → “the Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

العَلِيِّ
ʿ-l-w → “the Most Exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الأَبْهى
b-h-w → “the Most Glorious” Distinctive

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

وَمُتَشَبِّثًا
sh-b-th → “and clinging”

literal: to cling to; to grasp; to hold fast

بِذَيْلٍ
dh-y-l → “to the hem”

literal: hem; skirt; tail; border

بِهِ
b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

مَنْ
m-n → “all” Distinctive

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

فِي
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الآخِرَةِ
ʾ-kh-r → “the world to come”

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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