Prayers and Meditations — §96

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 96 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِالَّذِينَ طافُوا حَوْلَ عَرْشِ مَشِيَّتِكَ وَطارُوا فِيْ هَوآءِ إِرادَتِكَ وَأَقْبَلُوا بِقُلُوبِهِمْ إِلى أُفُقِ وَحْيِكَ وَمَشْرِقِ إِلْهامِكَ وَمَطْلَعِ أَسْمائِكَ بِأَنْ تُوَفِّقَ عِبادَكَ عَلَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Praised be Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by them who have circled round the throne of Thy will, and soared in the atmosphere of Thy good pleasure, and turned with all their affections towards the Horizon of Thy Revelation and the Dayspring of Thine inspiration, and the Dawning-Place of Thy names, to aid Thy servants to observe what Thou hast commanded them in Thy days—commandments through which the sacredness of Thy Cause will be demonstrated unto Thy servants and the affairs of Thy creatures and of Thy realm will be set aright.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Praised be Thou”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِالَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

طافُوا

ṭ-w-f → “have circled”

literal: circle; circling; circumambulate

حَوْلَ

ḥ-w-l → “round”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

عَرْشِ

ʿ-r-sh → “throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

مَشِيَّتِكَ

sh-y-ʾ → “of Thy will”

literal: thing; something

وَطارُوا

ṭ-y-r → “and soared”

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

هَوآءِ

h-w-y → “atmosphere”

literal: air; atmosphere; void

إِرادَتِكَ

r-w-d → “desire” Distinctive

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

وَأَقْبَلُوا

q-b-l → “and turned”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

بِقُلُوبِهِمْ

q-l-b → “with all their affections” Distinctive

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “Horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

وَحْيِكَ

w-ḥ-y → “of Thy Revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

وَمَشْرِقِ

sh-r-q → “and the Dayspring”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

إِلْهامِكَ

l-h-m → “of Thine inspiration”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

وَمَطْلَعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “and the Dawning-Place”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

أَسْمائِكَ

s-m-w → “of Thy names”

literal: name; title; designation

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُوَفِّقَ

w-f-q → “aid”

literal: accord, agreement, harmony; to agree, accord with

عِبادَكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

عَلَ

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; upon; exalted

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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