Prayers and Meditations — §829

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 829 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

إِلَهِي إِلَهِي عَفْوُكَ شَجَّعَنِي وَرَحْمَتُكَ قَوَّتْنِي وَنِدَاؤُكَ أَيْقَظَنِي وَفَضْلُكَ أَقَامَنِي وَهَدَانِي إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَّا مَالِي وَشَأْنِي لِأَقُوْمَ لَدَى بَابِ مَدْيَنِ قُرْبِكَ أَوْ أَتَوَجَّهَ إِلَى الْأَنْوَارِ الْمُشْرِقَةِ مِنْ أُفُقِ سَمَاءِ إِرَادَتِكَ. أَيْ رَبِّ تَرَى الْمِسْكِيْنَ يَقْرَعُ بَابَ فَضْلِكَ وَالْفَانِي يُرِيدُ كَوْثَرَ الْبَقَاءِ مِنْ أَيَادِي جُوْدِكَ لَكَ الْأَمْرُ في كُلِّ الْأَحْوَالِ يَا مَوْلَى الْأَسْمَاءِ وَلِي التَّسْلِيْمُ وَالرِّضَاءُ يَا فَاطِرَ السَّمَاءِ. اللهُ أَعْظمُ مِنْ كُلِّ عَظِيمٍ. سُبْحَانَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَصْعَدَ إِلَى سَمَاءِ قُرْبِكَ أَذْكَارُ الْمُقَرَّبِيْنَ أَوْ أَنْ تَصِلَ إِلَى

Shoghi Effendi Translation

There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful. There is no God but Thee, the Ordainer, both in the beginning and in the end. O God, my God! Thy forgiveness hath emboldened me, and Thy mercy hath strengthened me, and Thy call hath awakened me, and Thy grace hath raised me up and led me unto Thee. Who, otherwise, am I that I should dare to stand at the gate of the city of Thy nearness, or set my face toward the lights that are shining from the heaven of Thy will? Thou seest, O my Lord, this wretched creature knocking at the door of Thy grace, and this evanescent soul seeking the river of everlasting life from the hands of Thy bounty. Thine is the command at all times, O Thou Who art the Lord of all names; and mine is resignation and willing submission to Thy will, O Creator of the heavens!

Translation Notes

إِلَهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O God”

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

عَفْوُكَ

ʿ-f-w → “Thy forgiveness”

literal: to pardon; to efface; to forgive

شَجَّعَنِي

sh-j-ʿ → “hath emboldened me”

literal: to embolden; to encourage; to make brave

وَرَحْمَتُكَ

r-ḥ-m → “Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

قَوَّتْنِي

q-w-y → “hath strengthened me”

literal: strength; power; strong

وَنِدَاؤُكَ

n-d-y → “Thy call”

literal: call; called; call, voice

أَيْقَظَنِي

y-q-ẓ → “hath awakened me”

literal: awakened; awakening; title of a work

وَفَضْلُكَ

f-ḍ-l → “Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

أَقَامَنِي

q-w-m → “hath raised me up”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

وَهَدَانِي

h-d-y → “guidance” Distinctive

literal: guidance; guide; guided

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y → “towards” Distinctive

literal: one; a single

وَإِلَّا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

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

مَالِي

m-w-l → “substance” Distinctive

literal: filled; full; replete; possession, property, ownership

وَشَأْنِي

sh-ʾ-n → “that I” 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

لَدَى

l-d-y → “at”

literal: with; in the presence of; from; by

بَابِ

b-w-b → “gate” Distinctive

literal: door; gate; chapter; way; manner

مَدْيَنِ

m-d-n → “city”

literal: city; cities; civilization

قُرْبِكَ

q-r-b → “of Thy nearness”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

أَوْ

h-w-w → “or” Distinctive

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

أَتَوَجَّهَ

w-j-h → “set my face toward” Distinctive

literal: face; attention; turning

الْأَنْوَارِ

n-w-r → “the lights”

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

الْمُشْرِقَةِ

sh-r-q → “that are shining”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “heaven” Distinctive

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

سَمَاءِ

s-m-w → “of” Distinctive

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

إِرَادَتِكَ.

r-w-d → “Thy will”

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O”

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

تَرَى

r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest”

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

الْمِسْكِيْنَ

m-s-k → “cleave” Distinctive

literal: stillness, rest, quietude, tranquility

يَقْرَعُ

q-r-ʿ → “knocking”

literal: knock

وَالْفَانِي

f-n-y → “shall perish” Distinctive

literal: annihilation; perishing; extinction; cessation; the threshold

يُرِيدُ

r-y-d → “seeking” Distinctive

literal: will; intention; to will; to intend; to wish

كَوْثَرَ

k-w-th-r → “river”

literal: abundance; river of paradise; the Kawthar

الْبَقَاءِ

b-q-y → “of everlasting life” Distinctive

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal

أَيَادِي

y-d-y → “hands”

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

جُوْدِكَ

j-w-d → “of Thy bounty”

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

لَكَ

l → “Thine” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

الْأَمْرُ

ʾ-m-r → “is the command” Distinctive

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

في

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

كُلِّ

k-l-l

literal: for us; to us

الْأَحْوَالِ

ḥ-w-l → “at all times”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

يَا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

التَّسْلِيْمُ

s-l-m → “is resignation”

literal: resignation; submission; surrender; submissiveness

وَالرِّضَاءُ

r-ḍ-y → “Thy pleasure” Distinctive

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction; satisfaction; pleasure; approval; contentment

فَاطِرَ

f-ṭ-r → “Creator”

literal: creator; the one who splits/creates

أَعْظمُ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Almighty” Distinctive

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ

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

أَنْ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَصْعَدَ

ṣ-ʿ-d

literal: ascend; ascent; ascension

أَذْكَارُ

dh-k-r

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

تَصِلَ

w-ṣ-l

literal: and; union; reach

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶