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Prayers and Meditations — §773

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 773 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

أَيْ رَبِّ أَسْئَلُكَ بِنَفْسِكَ وَبِآياتِكَ وَبَيِّناتِكَ وَإِشْراقِ أَنْوارِ شَمْسِ جَمالِكَ وَأَغْصانِكَ بِأَنْ تُكَفِّرَ جَرِيراتِ الَّذِيْنَ تَمَسَّكُوا بِأَحْكامِكَ وَعَمِلُوا بِما أُمِرُوا بِهِ فِي كِتابِكَ، تَرَانِي يا إِلهِي مُتَمَسِّكًا بِاسْمِكَ الأَقْدَسِ الأَنْوَرِ الأَعَزِّ الأَعْظَمِ العَلِيِّ الأَبْهى وَمُتَشَبِّثًا بِذَيْلٍ تَشَبَّثَ بِهِ مَنْ فِي الآخِرَةِ وَالأُولی.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thyself, and by Thy signs, and Thy clear tokens, and the shining light of the Daystar of Thy Beauty, and Thy Branches, to cancel the trespasses of those who have held fast to Thy laws, and have observed what Thou hast prescribed unto them in Thy Book. 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

أَيْ
ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

رَبِّ
r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

أَسْئَلُكَ
s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِنَفْسِكَ
n-f-s → “by Thyself”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَبِآياتِكَ
ʾ-y-y → “by Thy signs” Distinctive

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

وَبَيِّناتِكَ
b-y-n → “Thy clear tokens”

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

وَإِشْراقِ
sh-r-q → “shining”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

أَنْوارِ
n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

شَمْسِ
sh-m-s → “Daystar”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

جَمالِكَ
j-m-l → “Thy Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

وَأَغْصانِكَ
gh-ṣ-n → “Thy Branches”

literal: branch; twig

بِأَنْ
ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُكَفِّرَ
k-f-r → “cancel”

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

جَرِيراتِ
j-r-r → “trespasses”

literal: sin; transgression; crime; that which is drawn or dragged

الَّذِيْنَ
l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

تَمَسَّكُوا
m-s-k → “have held fast” Distinctive

literal: musk; to seize; grip

بِأَحْكامِكَ
ḥ-k-m → “Thy laws”

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

وَعَمِلُوا
ʿ-m-l → “have observed”

literal: to work; to act; to do; to perform

بِما
m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

أُمِرُوا
ʾ-m-r → “Thou hast prescribed”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

بِهِ
b-h → “unto them”

literal: by it; by him; with it

فِي
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

كِتابِكَ،
k-t-b → “Thy Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

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; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

إِلهِي
ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

بِاسْمِكَ
s-m-w → “Thy Name”

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

الأَقْدَسِ
q-d-s → “Most Holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

الأَعَزِّ
ʿ-z-z → “Most Mighty”

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

الأَعْظَمِ
ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

العَلِيِّ
ʿ-l-w → “Most Exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

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

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

وَمُتَشَبِّثًا
sh-b-th → “clinging”

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

بِذَيْلٍ
dh-y-l → “hem”

literal: hem; skirt; tail; border

مَنْ
m-n → “all” Distinctive

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

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

وَالأُولی.
ʾ-w-l → “this world”

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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