Prayers and Meditations — §98

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 98 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

جَهْرَةً رِسالاتِكَ وَأَوامِرَكَ وَما أَرادَ فِيْ حِينٍ مِنَ الأَحْيانِ حِفْظَ نَفْسِهِ بَلْ حِفْظَ عِبادِكَ عَمَّا يَمْنَعُهُمْ عَنِ التَّقَرُّبِ إِلى مَلَكُوتِ قُرْبِكَ وَالتَّوجُّهِ إِلى أُفُقِ رِضائِكَ، يا إِلهِي تَراهُ تَحْتَ السَّيْفِ يَدْعُ الأُمَمَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

So highly didst Thou exalt Him that He openly delivered unto the kings Thy messages and commandments, and hath never for one moment sought His own protection, but striven to protect Thy servants from whatever might withhold them from approaching the kingdom of Thy nearness, and from setting their faces towards the horizon of Thy good pleasure.

Translation Notes

جَهْرَةً

j-h-r → “openly”

literal: to proclaim openly; manifest; public

رِسالاتِكَ

r-s-l → “Apostle” Distinctive

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

وَأَوامِرَكَ

ʾ-m-r → “commandments”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

وَما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

أَرادَ

r-y-d → “sought”

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

فِيْ

f-y → “for” Distinctive

literal: in; in-it; in it

حِينٍ

ḥ-y-n → “moment”

literal: time; moment; while; season

مِنَ

m-n

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

حِفْظَ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “protection”

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

نَفْسِهِ

n-f-s → “His own” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

بَلْ

b-l → “but striven to”

literal: rather; but; rather/nay

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

عَمَّا

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: with them; in their company

يَمْنَعُهُمْ

m-n-ʿ → “withhold”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

التَّقَرُّبِ

q-r-b → “approaching”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “the” Distinctive

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

مَلَكُوتِ

m-l-k → “kingdom”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

وَالتَّوجُّهِ

w-j-h → “from setting their faces” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

أُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

رِضائِكَ،

r-ḍ-y → “of Thy good pleasure”

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h

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

تَراهُ

r-ʾ-y

literal: way; path; road

تَحْتَ

t-ḥ-t

literal: under; under, beneath; beneath

السَّيْفِ

s-y-f

literal: sword

يَدْعُ

d-ʿ-w

literal: call; invitation; claim

الأُمَمَ

ʾ-m-m

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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160 ¶

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59 ¶