Prayers and Meditations — §823

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 823 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

يْ الَّتِيْ مَنَعَتْنِيْ عَنْ مُشَاهَدَةِ جَمَالِكَ وَنُورًا يَدُلُّنِيْ إِلَى بَحْرِ وِصَالِكَ. يَا مَقْصُوْدَ الْعَالَمِ وَمَحْبُوبَ الْأُمَمِ تَرَانِي مُقْبِلاً إِلَيكَ مُنْقَطِعًا عَمَّا سِوَاكَ مُتَمَسِّكًا بِحَبْلِكَ الَّذِي بِحَرَكَتِهِ تَحَرَّكَتِ الْمُمْكِنَاتُ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Maker of the heavens! I beseech Thee by them Who are the Daysprings of Thine invisible Essence, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, to make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, and a light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy Presence.

Translation Notes

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

مَنَعَتْنِيْ

m-n-ʿ → “have shut me out” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

مُشَاهَدَةِ

sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

جَمَالِكَ

j-m-l → “Thy beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

وَنُورًا

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

يَدُلُّنِيْ

d-l-l → “proof” Distinctive

literal: proof; indicating; evidence

إِلَى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

بَحْرِ

b-ḥ-r → “ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

وِصَالِكَ.

w-ṣ-l → “of Thy Presence”

literal: reunion; union; meeting; connection

يَا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

مَقْصُوْدَ

q-ṣ-d

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

الْعَالَمِ

ʿ-l-m

literal: world; universe; the worlds

وَمَحْبُوبَ

ḥ-b-b

literal: love; affection

الْأُمَمِ

ʾ-m-m

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

تَرَانِي

r-ʾ-y

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

مُقْبِلاً

q-b-l

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

مُنْقَطِعًا

q-ṭ-ʿ

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

سِوَاكَ

s-w-y

literal: other than; besides; except; equal; alike

مُتَمَسِّكًا

m-s-k

literal: musk; to seize; grip; to hold fast; to cling to; to grasp

بِحَبْلِكَ

ḥ-b-l

literal: cord; rope; bond; connection

الَّذِي

l-dh-y

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

بِحَرَكَتِهِ

ḥ-r-k

literal: movement; motion; trembling; activity; حراک is unusual; possible typo or dialectal. Standard Arabic would be حرك or اهتزاز for ‘trembling’

الْمُمْكِنَاتُ.

m-k-n

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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17 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶