Prayers and Meditations — §837

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 837 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ يا إِلهِي لَمَّا اسْتَوَيْتَ عَلَى كُرْسِيِّ عِزِّ فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ وَتَعَلَّيْتَ عَلَى عَرْشِ رَحْمَةِ وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ، يَنْبَغِيْ بِأَنْ تَمْحُوَ عَنْ قُلُوبِ المُمْكِناتِ ما يَمْنَعُهُمْ عَنِ الدُّخُولِ فِي حَرَمِ أَسْرارِ رُبُوبِيَّتِكَ، وَيَحْجُبُهُمْ عَنِ الوُرُودِ فِي سُرادِقِ أُلُوهِيَّتِكَ، لِيَجْعَلَ كُلَّ القُلُوبِ مِرْآةً لِجَمالِكَ وَمُدِلاًّ عَلَيْكَ وَحاكِيًا عَنْكَ، لِيَظْهَرَ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ آثارُ عِزِّ سَلْطَنَتِكَ وَإِشْراقُ أَنْوارِ قُدْسِ حُكُومَتِكَ، لِيُوَحِّدَكَ كُلُّ مَنْ فِي السَّمَواتِ وَالأَرْضِ بِما تَجَلَّيْتَ لَهُمْ بِهِمْ بِمَظْهَرِ تَفْرِيْدِكَ، ثُمَّ عَرِّ يا إِلهِي عِبادَكَ عَنْ قَمِيْصِ النَّفْسِ وَاله

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Since Thou hast, O my God, established Thyself upon the throne of Thy transcendent unity, and ascended the mercy seat of Thy oneness, it befitteth Thee to blot out from the hearts of all beings whatsoever may keep them back from gaining admittance into the sanctuary of Thy Divine mysteries, and may shut them out from the tabernacle of Thy Divinity, that all hearts may mirror Thy beauty, and may reveal Thee, and speak of Thee, and that all created things may show forth the tokens of Thy most august sovereignty, and shed the splendors of the light of Thy most holy governance, and that all who are in heaven and on earth may laud and magnify Thy unity, and give Thee glory, for having manifested Thy Self unto them through Him Who is the Revealer of Thy oneness.

Translation Notes

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my” Distinctive

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

لَمَّا

l-m-ʾ → “When”

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

اسْتَوَيْتَ

s-w-y → “established”

literal: level; equal; straight; upon a throne; resting upon; toward; to; direction of; other than; besides; except

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “upon” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

كُرْسِيِّ

k-r-s → “seat”

literal: throne, seat; chair

عِزِّ

ʿ-z-z → “of” Distinctive

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

فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ

f-r-d → “transcendent unity”

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

عَرْشِ

ʿ-r-sh → “throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

رَحْمَةِ

r-ḥ-m → “of Thy” Distinctive

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ،

w-ḥ-d → “oneness”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

يَنْبَغِيْ

n-b-gh → “it befitteth” Distinctive

literal: it is proper; it is fitting; it is necessary; it behooves

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَمْحُوَ

m-ḥ-w → “blot out”

literal: erasure; effaced; effacement

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

قُلُوبِ

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

المُمْكِناتِ

m-k-n → “all beings” Distinctive

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

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَمْنَعُهُمْ

m-n-ʿ → “may keep them back” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

الدُّخُولِ

d-kh-l → “enter”

literal: to enter; to admit; to bring in

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

حَرَمِ

ḥ-r-m → “sanctuary”

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

أَسْرارِ

s-r-r → “Divine mysteries”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

رُبُوبِيَّتِكَ،

r-b-b → “of Thy” Distinctive

literal: divine; of God; lordly

وَيَحْجُبُهُمْ

ḥ-j-b → “may shut them out”

literal: veil; veiled; veils

الوُرُودِ

w-r-d

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

سُرادِقِ

s-r-d-q → “tabernacle”

literal: pavilion; tabernacle; canopy; tent

أُلُوهِيَّتِكَ،

ʾ-l-h → “of Thy Divinity” Distinctive

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

لِيَجْعَلَ

j-ʿ-l → “make”

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “all created things”

literal: for us; to us

مِرْآةً

r-ʾ-y → “mirror”

literal: me; to me (Persian object pronoun); man; person; woman; wife

لِجَمالِكَ

j-m-l → “Thy beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

وَمُدِلاًّ

d-l-l → “proof” Distinctive

literal: to argue; to demonstrate; proof

عَلَيْكَ

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: upon; on; exalted

وَحاكِيًا

ḥ-k-y → “testify”

literal: telling; indicative; narrator; testifier; narrative; story; account; tale; to relate; one who relates; speaking of

لِيَظْهَرَ

ẓ-h-r → “may 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

شَيْءٍ

sh-y-ʾ

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

آثارُ

ʾ-th-r → “tokens” Distinctive

literal: effect; trace; influence; imprint; sign; mark; vestige

سَلْطَنَتِكَ

s-l-ṭ → “sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَإِشْراقُ

sh-r-q → “shed” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

أَنْوارِ

n-w-r → “splendors”

literal: light; illumination

قُدْسِ

q-d-s → “most holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

حُكُومَتِكَ،

ḥ-k-m → “governance”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

مَنْ

m-n → “who” Distinctive

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

السَّمَواتِ

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

وَالأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “on earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

تَجَلَّيْتَ

j-l-w → “revelation” Distinctive

literal: effulgence; manifestation; revelation; manifestation, revelation, appearance

لَهُمْ

l-h-m → “inspiration” Distinctive

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

بِهِمْ

h-m → “all”

literal: them (feminine or general); by them; through them

ثُمَّ

th-m-m

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

عَرِّ

ʿ-r-y

literal: strip; devoid; strip/rid

عِبادَكَ

ʿ-b-d

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

قَمِيْصِ

q-m-ṣ

literal: garment; shirt; tunic

النَّفْسِ

n-f-s → “Self”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَاله

ʾ-l-h

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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