Prayers and Meditations — §794

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 794 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ُ المُتَعالِ العادِلُ الحَكِيمُ، سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي فَانْظُرْ هذا المَظْلُومَ الَّذِيْ ابْتُلِيَ بَيْنَ الظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ وَالمُشْرِكينَ مِنْ أَعْدائِكَ بَعْدَ الَّذِيْ ما تَنَفَّسَ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِكَ وَأَمْرِكَ، قَدْ كُنْتُ يا إِلهِي راقِدًا عَلَى المِهادِ وَمَرَّتْ عَلَيَّ أَرْياحُ فَضْلِكَ وَأَلْطافِكَ وَأَيْقَظْتَنِيْ بِها بِسُلْطانِكَ وَمَواهِبِكَ وَأَقَمْتَنِيْ بَيْنَ عِبادِكَ بِثَنآءِ نَفْسِكَ وَإِعْلآءِ كَلِمَتِكَ، إِذًا اعْتَرَضَ عَلَيَّ أَكثَرُ بَرِيَّتِكَ فَوَعِزَّتِكَ يا إِلهِي ما ظَنَنْتُ فِي حَقِّهِمْ ما ظَهَرَ مِنْهُمْ بَعْدَ الَّذِيْ إِنَّكَ بَشَّرْتَهُمْ بِهذا الظُّهُورِ فِي صَحائِفِ أَمْرِكَ وَأَلْواحِ قَضائِكَ وَما نَزَّلْتَ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ كَلِمَةً إِلاَّ وَقَدْ أَخَذْتَ بِها عَهْدَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Look Thou upon this wronged one, who hath been sorely afflicted by the oppressors among Thy creatures and the infidels among Thine enemies, though he himself hath refused to breathe a single breath but by Thy leave and at Thy bidding. I lay asleep on my couch, O my God, when lo, the gentle winds of Thy grace and Thy loving-kindness passed over me, and wakened me through the power of Thy sovereignty and Thy gifts, and bade me arise before Thy servants, and speak forth Thy praise, and glorify Thy word. Thereupon most of Thy people reviled me. I swear by Thy glory, O my God! I never thought that they would show forth such deeds, aware as I am that Thou hast Thyself announced this Revelation unto them in the Scrolls of Thy commandment and the Tablets of Thy decree, and hast covenanted with them concerning this youth in every word sent down by Thee unto Thy creatures and Thy people.

Translation Notes

العادِلُ

ʿ-d-l

literal: justice; equity

الحَكِيمُ،

ḥ-k-m

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

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glorified art Thou”

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted; dawn; daybreak; morning

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “O Lord my God”

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

فَانْظُرْ

n-ẓ-r → “Look Thou” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

المَظْلُومَ

ẓ-l-m → “wronged one”

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

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

ابْتُلِيَ

b-l-w → “sorely afflicted”

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “by” Distinctive

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

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

خَلْقِكَ

kh-l-q → “Thy creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

وَالمُشْرِكينَ

sh-r-k → “infidels”

literal: partner; associate; sharer; companion

أَعْدائِكَ

ʿ-d-w → “Thine enemies”

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

بَعْدَ

b-ʿ-d → “after”

literal: after; behind; distance

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

تَنَفَّسَ

n-f-s → “breathe”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “but” Distinctive

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

بِإِذْنِكَ

ʾ-dh-n → “by Thy leave”

literal: ear; permission; leave; to permit; to allow; to listen

وَأَمْرِكَ،

ʾ-m-r → “at Thy bidding” Distinctive

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

كُنْتُ

k-w-n → “I lay” Distinctive

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

راقِدًا

r-q-d → “asleep”

literal: to sleep; to slumber; sleeping

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “on my” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

المِهادِ

m-h-d → “couch”

literal: preparation; smoothing; paving the way; to prepare

وَمَرَّتْ

m-r-r → “passed”

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

أَرْياحُ

r-w-ḥ → “gentle winds”

literal: to throw; to cast; Aramaic/Persian proper name reference; to throw, cast, shoot; to pelt; to shoot

فَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “of Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

وَأَلْطافِكَ

l-ṭ-f → “Thy loving-kindness” Distinctive

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

وَأَيْقَظْتَنِيْ

y-q-ẓ → “wakened” Distinctive

literal: awakened; awakening; title of a work

بِها

b-h-w → “All-Glorious” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

بِسُلْطانِكَ

s-l-ṭ → “sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَمَواهِبِكَ

w-h-b → “Thy gifts”

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

وَأَقَمْتَنِيْ

q-w-m → “bade me arise” Distinctive

literal: station; people; place

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

بِثَنآءِ

th-n-y → “speak forth Thy praise”

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

كَلِمَتِكَ،

k-l-m → “word”

literal: words; utterances; locutions

إِذًا

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: ear; permission; leave; to permit; to allow; to listen

اعْتَرَضَ

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned away” Distinctive

literal: objection, protest, denial; cavil

أَكثَرُ

k-th-r → “most of”

literal: majority; multitude; abundance; multiplicity

بَرِيَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ → “Thy people”

literal: to create; to create anew; to be free from; innocent; free from; clear of; to cure; to heal; to clear

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

ظَنَنْتُ

ẓ-n-n → “thought” Distinctive

literal: conjecture; think; suppositions

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

حَقِّهِمْ

ḥ-q-q

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

ظَهَرَ

ẓ-h-r → “show forth” Distinctive

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

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

بَشَّرْتَهُمْ

b-sh-r → “announced”

literal: human; glad-tidings; herald

صَحائِفِ

ṣ-ḥ-f → “Scrolls”

literal: page; tablet; scroll; book

وَأَلْواحِ

l-w-ḥ → “Tablets”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

قَضائِكَ

q-ḍ-y → “Thy decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

نَزَّلْتَ

n-z-l → “sent down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عِنْدِكَ

ʿ-n-d → “Thee”

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

وَقَدْ

q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

أَخَذْتَ

ʾ-kh-dh → “laid hold”

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

عَهْدَ

ʿ-h-d

literal: covenant; testament; promise; command

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶