Prayers and Meditations — §788

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 788 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، وَكَمْ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ يا إِلهِي كُنْتُ فَرِيْدًا بَيْنَ المُذْنِبِينَ مِنْ عِبادِكَ، وَكَمْ مِنْ لَيالٍ يا مَحْبُوبِي كُنْتُ أَسِيرًا بَيْنَ الغافِلِينَ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، وَفِي مَوارِدِ البَأْسآءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ كُنْتُ ناطِقًا بِثَناءِ نَفْسِكَ بَيْنَ سَمائِكَ وَأَرْضِكَ وذاكرًا بِبَدائِعِ ذِكْرِكَ فِي مَلَكُوتِ أَمْرِكَ وَخَلْقِكَ، وَلَوْ أَنَّ كُلَّ ما ظَهَرَ مِنِّيْ لا يَنْبَغِيْ لِسُلْطانِ عِزِّ وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ وَلا يَلِيْقُ لِشَأْنِكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

How many the days, O my God, which I have spent in utter loneliness with the transgressors amongst Thy servants, and how many the nights, O my Best-Beloved, during which I lay a captive in the hands of the wayward amidst Thy creatures! In the midst of my troubles and tribulations I have continued to celebrate Thy praise before all who are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, and have not ceased to extol Thy wondrous glory in the kingdoms of Thy Revelation and of Thy creation, though all that I have been capable of showing forth hath fallen short of the greatness and the majesty of Thy oneness, and is unworthy of Thine exaltation and of Thine omnipotence.

Translation Notes

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

خَلْقِكَ،

kh-l-q → “creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

وَكَمْ

k-m-m → “and how many”

literal: how many; how much

أَيَّامٍ

y-w-m → “days”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

كُنْتُ

k-w-n → “have spent” Distinctive

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

فَرِيْدًا

f-r-d → “Thy oneness” Distinctive

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “with” Distinctive

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

المُذْنِبِينَ

dh-n-b → “sin”

literal: sin; sins; sinner

عِبادِكَ،

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

لَيالٍ

l-y-l → “nights”

literal: night; nights; the nights

مَحْبُوبِي

ḥ-b-b → “my Best-Beloved”

literal: love; affection

أَسِيرًا

ʾ-s-r → “captives” Distinctive

literal: captives; captive; captive/prisoner

الغافِلِينَ

gh-f-l → “the wayward”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

وَفِي

f-y → “in”

literal: faithfulness; loyalty; fulfillment; fidelity; to be faithful; faithful, loyal

مَوارِدِ

w-r-d

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

البَأْسآءِ

b-ʾ-s → “Wretched” Distinctive

literal: worst; evil; bad; other than; besides; save; except

وَالضَّرَّاءِ

ḍ-r-r → “harm” Distinctive

literal: harm; damage; injury; detriment

ناطِقًا

n-ṭ-q → “spoken” Distinctive

literal: to speak; to utter; to pronounce; to articulate

بِثَناءِ

th-n-y → “Thy praise”

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy; glorification; praise, commendation, eulogy

نَفْسِكَ

n-f-s

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

سَمائِكَ

s-m-w → “Thy heaven”

literal: name; heaven; names

وَأَرْضِكَ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “on Thy earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

وذاكرًا

dh-k-r → “ceased to extol” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

بِبَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “Thy wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

مَلَكُوتِ

m-l-k → “kingdoms”

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

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Thy Revelation” Distinctive

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

وَلَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: were it not for; if not for; save for

أَنَّ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

كُلَّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

ظَهَرَ

ẓ-h-r → “showing forth” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَنْبَغِيْ

n-b-gh

literal: it is proper; it is fitting; it is necessary; it behooves

لِسُلْطانِ

s-l-ṭ → “sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

عِزِّ

ʿ-z-z

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

وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ

w-ḥ-d → “of Thy oneness”

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

وَلا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

يَلِيْقُ

l-y-q

literal: worthy, befitting, appropriate, suitable

لِشَأْنِكَ

sh-ʾ-n → “in such wise” Distinctive

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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