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Prayers and Meditations — §807

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 807 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

يطًا، عَلَيْكَ يَا جَمَالَ اللّهِ ثَنَاءُ اللّهِ وَذِكْرُهُ وَبَهَاءُ اللّهِ وَنُورُهُ، أَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّ مَا رَأَتْ عَيْنُ الإِبْدَاعِ مَظْلُومًا شِبْهَكَ كُنْتَ فِي أَيّامِكَ فِي غَمَراتِ الْبَلَايَا، مَرَّةً كُنْتَ تَحْتَ السَّلَاسِلِ وَالْأَغْلَالِ وَمَرَّةً كُنْتَ تَحْتَ سُيُوفِ الْأَعْداءِ وَمَعَ كُلِّ ذَلِكَ أَمَرْتَ النَّاسَ بِمَا أُمِرْتَ مِنْ لَدنْ عَلِيمٍ حَكِيمٍ، رُوْحِيْ لِضُرِّكَ الْفِدَاءُ وَنَفْسِي

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The remembrance of God and His praise, and the glory of God and His splendor, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art His Beauty! I bear witness that the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. Thou wast immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one time Thou wast in chains and fetters; at another Thou wast threatened by the sword of Thine enemies. Yet, despite all this, Thou didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Translation Notes

عَلَيْكَ
ʿ-l-y → “upon Thee”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

يَا
y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

جَمَالَ
j-m-l → “His Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

اللّهِ
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

ثَنَاءُ
th-n-y → “His praise”

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

وَذِكْرُهُ
dh-k-r → “remembrance” Distinctive

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

وَبَهَاءُ
b-h-w → “glory”

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

وَنُورُهُ،
n-w-r → “His splendor” Distinctive

literal: light; illumination

أَشْهَدُ
sh-h-d → “I bear witness”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنَّ
ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مَا
m-ʾ → “that”

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

رَأَتْ
r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest” Distinctive

literal: see; to see; see/behold

عَيْنُ
ʿ-y-n → “eye”

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

الإِبْدَاعِ
b-d-ʿ → “creation”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

مَظْلُومًا
ẓ-l-m → “wronged”

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

شِبْهَكَ
sh-b-h → “like”

literal: doubt; uncertainty; suspicion; resemblance; semblance

كُنْتَ
k-w-n → “Thou wast”

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

فِي
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَيّامِكَ
y-w-m → “days”

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

غَمَراتِ
gh-m-r → “depths”

literal: to immerse; to submerge; depths; ocean

الْبَلَايَا،
b-l-w → “tribulations”

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

مَرَّةً
m-r-r → “At one time”

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

تَحْتَ
t-ḥ-t → “in” Distinctive

literal: under; under, beneath; beneath

السَّلَاسِلِ
s-l-s → “the chains”

literal: chain; links; succession

وَالْأَغْلَالِ
gh-l-l → “chained” Distinctive

literal: one who envies; envious; malicious

سُيُوفِ
s-y-f → “sword”

literal: sword

الْأَعْداءِ
ʿ-d-w → “Thine enemies”

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

وَمَعَ
m-ʿ → “notwithstanding”

literal: with; together with; alongside

كُلِّ
k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

ذَلِكَ
dh-l-k → “this”

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

أَمَرْتَ
ʾ-m-r → “Thou didst enjoin” Distinctive

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

النَّاسَ
n-ʾ-s → “men”

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

مِنْ
m-n

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

لَدنْ
l-d-n → “by”

literal: from; on the part of; from before; near

عَلِيمٍ
ʿ-l-m → “All-Knowing”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

حَكِيمٍ،
ḥ-k-m → “All-Wise”

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

رُوْحِيْ
r-w-ḥ

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

لِضُرِّكَ
ḍ-r-r

literal: harm; hardship; affliction

الْفِدَاءُ
f-d-y

literal: to sacrifice; to ransom; to redeem

وَنَفْسِي
n-f-s

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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