Prayers and Meditations — §8

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 8 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِاسْمِكَ الأَعْظَمِ الَّذِيْ ابْتُلِيَ بَيْنَ أَيْدِي المُشْرِكينَ مِنْ بَرِيَّتِكَ، وَأَحَاطَتْهُ الأَحْزانُ مِنْ كُلِّ الجِهاتِ عَلَى شَأْنٍ لا يُذْكَرُ بِالبَيانِ، بِأَنْ تُوَفِّقَنِي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ فِيْ هذِهِ الأَيَّامِ الَّتِي كُلٌّ أَعْرَضُوا عَنْ جَمالِكَ، وَاعْتَرَضُوا عَلَيْكَ، وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا عَلَى مَظْهَرِ أَمْرِكَ، أ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Him Who is Thy Most Great Name, Who hath been sorely afflicted by such of Thy creatures as have repudiated Thy truth, and Who hath been hemmed in by sorrows which no tongue can describe, to grant that I may remember Thee and celebrate Thy praise, in these days when all have turned away from Thy beauty, have disputed with Thee, and turned away disdainfully from Him Who is the Revealer of Thy Cause. None is there, O my Lord, to help Thee except Thine own Self, and no power to succor Thee save Thine own power.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glorified”

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

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “O Lord” Distinctive

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “beseech”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “Thy Most Great Name” Distinctive

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

الأَعْظَمِ

ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

ابْتُلِيَ

b-l-w → “afflicted”

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

بَيْنَ

b-y-n

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

أَيْدِي

y-d-y

literal: hand; power; action; possession

المُشْرِكينَ

sh-r-k → “infidels”

literal: partner; associate; sharer; companion

مِنْ

m-n

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

بَرِيَّتِكَ،

b-r-ʾ

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

وَأَحَاطَتْهُ

ḥ-w-ṭ → “encompassed”

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

الأَحْزانُ

ḥ-z-n → “sorrows”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish

كُلٌّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الجِهاتِ

j-h-h

literal: direction; aspect; side; regard

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “from” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n

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

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يُذْكَرُ

dh-k-r → “describe”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to grant that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُوَفِّقَنِي

w-f-q → “aid”

literal: accord, agreement, harmony; to agree, accord with

وَثَنائِكَ

th-n-y → “celebrate Thy praise”

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

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

هذِهِ

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; this (masculine); this (feminine)

الأَيَّامِ

y-w-m → “days”

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

الَّتِي

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

أَعْرَضُوا

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned away”

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

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

جَمالِكَ،

j-m-l → “beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

عَلَيْكَ،

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: greatest; greater; grandeur

مَظْهَرِ

ẓ-h-r → “Him Who is the Revealer”

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

أَمْرِكَ،

ʾ-m-r → “Thy Cause”

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