Prayers and Meditations — §852

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 852 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

أَنْ بَلَغَ الزَّمانُ إِلَى الحِينِ وَوَرَدَ عَلَى أَصْفِيائِكَ فِي هذِهِ المُدَّةِ البَعِيْدَةِ ما لا يُحْصى بِالبَيانِ وَلا يُذْكَرُ بِاللِّسانِ، بِحَيْثُ ما وَجَدُوا مَوْطِنَ أَمْنٍ وَلا مَقْعَدَ صِدْقٍ، إِذًا يا إِلهِي بَدِّلْ خَوْفَهُمْ بِظُهُوراتِ أَمْنِكَ وَأَمانِكَ وَذُلَّهُمْ بِسُلْطانِ عِزِّكَ وَفَقْرَهُمْ بِمَلِيكَ غَنائِكَ وَاضْطِرابَهُمْ بِبَدائِعِ اسْتِقْرارِكَ، وَهُبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ نَسَماتِ عِزِّكَ وَرَحْمَتِكَ، ثُمَّ أَنْزِلْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ بِدائِعِ عِنايَتِكَ ما يُغْنِيْهِمْ عَنْ دُوْنِكَ وَيَنْقَطِعُهُمْ عَمَّا سِواكَ لِيَظْهَرَ سُلْطانُ أَحَدِيَّتِكَ وَمَلِيكُ فَضْلِكَ وَإِفْضالِكَ، أَما تَنْظُرُ يا إِلهِي عَلَى دُمُوعِ الَّتِيْ جَرَتْ عَلَى خُدُودِ أَحِبَّتِكَ؟

Shoghi Effendi Translation

All laud and honor to Thee, O my God! Thou well knowest the things which, for a score of years, have happened in Thy days, and have continued to happen until this hour. No man can reckon, nor can any tongue tell, what hath befallen Thy chosen ones during all this time. They could obtain no shelter, nor find any refuge in which they could abide in safety. Turn, then, O my God, their fear into the evidences of Thy peace and Thy security, and their abasement into the sovereignty of Thy glory, and their poverty into Thine all-sufficient riches, and their distress into the wonders of Thy perfect tranquility. Vouchsafe unto them the fragrances of Thy might and Thy mercy, and send down upon them, out of Thy marvelous loving-kindness, what will enable them to dispense with all except Thee, and will detach them from aught save Thyself, that the sovereignty of Thy oneness may be revealed and the supremacy of Thy grace and Thy bounty demonstrated.

Translation Notes

أَنْ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

بَلَغَ

b-l-gh → “teach” Distinctive

literal: to reach; to attain; to deliver; to proclaim

الزَّمانُ

z-m-n → “earth” Distinctive

literal: time; age; era; period

إِلَى

ʾ-l-y → “until”

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

الحِينِ

ḥ-y-n → “this hour”

literal: time; moment; while; season

وَوَرَدَ

w-r-d → “hath befallen” Distinctive

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

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أَصْفِيائِكَ

ṣ-f-w → “Thy chosen ones”

literal: pure one; chosen one; selected one; elite

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

هذِهِ

h-dh-ʾ

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

المُدَّةِ

m-d-d → “ink” Distinctive

literal: period; ink; extended

البَعِيْدَةِ

b-ʿ-d

literal: after; behind; distance

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يُحْصى

ḥ-ṣ-y → “reckon”

literal: count; enumerate; enumeration

بِالبَيانِ

b-y-n

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

وَلا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

يُذْكَرُ

dh-k-r → “mention” Distinctive

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

بِاللِّسانِ،

l-s-n → “any tongue”

literal: tongue; language

بِحَيْثُ

ḥ-y-th

literal: where; in which; inasmuch as; in such wise that; whereby; in that; respect, aspect

وَجَدُوا

w-j-d → “being” Distinctive

literal: existence; find; existent

مَوْطِنَ

w-ṭ-n → “country” Distinctive

literal: homeland; native country; dwelling place

أَمْنٍ

ʾ-m-n → “trustworthy” Distinctive

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

مَقْعَدَ

q-ʿ-d → “seat”

literal: rule; principle; foundation; basis

صِدْقٍ،

ṣ-d-q

literal: to confirm; to verify; to acknowledge; to testify to truth

إِذًا

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

بَدِّلْ

b-d-l

literal: in place of; instead of; to change; to alter (preposition or verb stem)

خَوْفَهُمْ

kh-w-f → “their fear”

literal: to fear; to be afraid; fear

بِظُهُوراتِ

ẓ-h-r → “evidences” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

وَذُلَّهُمْ

dh-l-l → “their abasement”

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

بِسُلْطانِ

s-l-ṭ → “sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

عِزِّكَ

ʿ-z-z → “Thy glory”

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

وَفَقْرَهُمْ

f-q-r → “their poverty”

literal: poor; needy; the poor one; pauper

بِمَلِيكَ

m-l-k → “Kingdom”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

وَاضْطِرابَهُمْ

ḍ-r-b → “tremble” Distinctive

literal: to be disturbed; to tremble; to be troubled; to be shaken

بِبَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wonders”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

اسْتِقْرارِكَ،

q-r-r → “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

وَهُبَّ

w-h-b → “gifts”

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

عَلَيْهِمْ

ʿ-l-y → “unto them” Distinctive

literal: exalted; highest; supreme; most high; upon you; on; over; Ali (name); upon

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

نَسَماتِ

n-s-m → “breeze”

literal: breeze; gentle wind; fragrance

وَرَحْمَتِكَ،

r-ḥ-m → “Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “and” Distinctive

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أَنْزِلْ

n-z-l → “send down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عِنايَتِكَ

ʿ-n-y

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

يُغْنِيْهِمْ

gh-n-y → “wealth” Distinctive

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with; rich; wealthy; needless

عَنْ

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

دُوْنِكَ

d-w-n → “with all except Thee”

literal: below; lower than; beneath

وَيَنْقَطِعُهُمْ

q-ṭ-ʿ → “will detach”

literal: to cease; to be cut off; to break off

سِواكَ

s-w-y → “from aught save Thyself” Distinctive

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

أَحَدِيَّتِكَ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “Thy oneness”

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

فَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

أَما

ʾ-m-m

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

تَنْظُرُ

n-ẓ-r

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

دُمُوعِ

d-m-ʿ

literal: tears

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

جَرَتْ

j-r-y

literal: trade; commerce; business; to flow; to run; to be in effect; flowing

خُدُودِ

kh-d-d

literal: cheeks

أَحِبَّتِكَ؟

ḥ-b-b

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

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50 ¶

Gleanings

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A compilation of 166 selections from Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets, spanning the Baghdad, Adrianople, and ‘Akká periods (1853–1892). George Townshend assisted with English refinement. Shoghi Effendi wrote that it gives the friends a splendid opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of the Faith.

729 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

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16 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

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The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

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Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

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Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

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Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶