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Prayers and Meditations — §93

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 93 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي تَرانِي اليَوْمَ فِيْ السِّجْنِ بَيْنَ أَيْدِي أَعْدائِكَ وَالإِبْنَ عَلَى التُّرابِ أَمامَ وَجْهِكَ، أَيْ رَبِّ هذا عَبْدُكَ الَّذِيْ نَسَبْتَهُ إِلى مَطْلَعِ ذاتِكَ وَمَشْرِقِ أَمْرِكَ إِذا وُلِدَ ابْتُلِيَ بِالفِراقِ بِما جَرَى عَلَيْهِ حُكْمُ قَضائِكَ، و

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou seest me in this day shut up in my prison, and fallen into the hands of Thine adversaries, and beholdest my son (The Purest Branch) lying on the dust before Thy face. He is Thy servant, O my Lord, whom Thou hast caused to be related to Him Who is the Manifestation of Thyself and the Dayspring of Thy Cause.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ
s-b-ḥ → “Lauded”

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

اللَّهُمَّ
ʾ-l-h → “O Lord my God”

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

يا
y-ʾ

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

تَرانِي
r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest me”

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

اليَوْمَ
y-w-m → “this day”

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

فِيْ
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

السِّجْنِ
s-j-n → “my prison”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison

بَيْنَ
b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

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

أَيْدِي
y-d-y → “hands”

literal: hand; power; action; possession

أَعْدائِكَ
ʿ-d-w → “Thine adversaries”

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

وَالإِبْنَ
b-n-w → “my son”

literal: son

عَلَى
ʿ-l-w → “on” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

التُّرابِ
t-r-b → “the dust”

literal: dust; earth; soil

أَمامَ
ʾ-m-m → “before”

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

وَجْهِكَ،
w-j-h → “Thy face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

أَيْ
ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

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

رَبِّ
r-b-b → “O my Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

هذا
h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

عَبْدُكَ
ʿ-b-d → “Thy servant”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الَّذِيْ
l-dh-y → “which”

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

نَسَبْتَهُ
n-s-b → “hast caused to be related” Distinctive

literal: relation; relationship; connection; attribution; proportion

إِلى
ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

مَطْلَعِ
ṭ-l-ʿ → “Manifestation” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

ذاتِكَ
dh-w-t → “Thyself” Distinctive

literal: essence; self; being

وَمَشْرِقِ
sh-r-q → “Dayspring”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

أَمْرِكَ
ʾ-m-r → “Thy Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

إِذا
ʾ-dh-n

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

وُلِدَ
w-l-d

literal: to give birth; to be born; child, offspring

ابْتُلِيَ
b-l-w

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

بِالفِراقِ
f-r-q

literal: faction; sect; group; company

بِما
m-ʾ

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

جَرَى
j-r-y

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

عَلَيْهِ
ʿ-l-y

literal: upon; on; exalted

حُكْمُ
ḥ-k-m

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

قَضائِكَ،
q-ḍ-y

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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