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Prayers and Meditations — §333

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 333 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَسْئَلُكَ بِذِكْرِكَ العَلِيِّ الأَعْلَى الَّذِيْ أَظْهَرْتَهُ بِاسْمِكَ الأَبْهى بَيْنَ أَهْلِ الإِنْشآءِ، وَجَعَلْتَ مَشِيَّتَهُ ذاتَ مَشِيَّتِكَ وَنَفْسَهُ مَظْهَرَ نَفْسِكَ وَكَيْنُونَتَهُ مَطْلَعَ عِلْمِكَ وَقَلْبَهُ مَخْزَنَ إِلْهامِكَ وَفُؤادَهُ مَهْبَطَ وَحْيِكَ وَصَدْرَهُ مَشْرِقَ أَسْمائِكَ الحُسْنى وَصَفاتِكَ العُلْيا وَلِسانَهُ مَنْبَعَ كَوْثَرِ ثَنائِكَ وَسَلْسَبِيلِ حِكْمَتِكَ بِأَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنا ما يَجْعَلُنا أَغْنِيآءَ عَنْ دونِكَ وَمُقَدَّسيِنَ عَمَّا سِواكَ وَقاصِدينَ إِلى حَرَمِ رِضائِكَ وَآمِلِينَ ما قَدَّرْتَ لَنا بِتَقْدِيرِكَ، ثُمَّ اجْعَلْنا يا إِلهِي مُنْقَطِعِينَ عَنْ أَنْفُسِنا وَمُتَوَسِّلِينَ بِمَظْهَرِ نَفْسِكَ العَلِيِّ الأَعْلی، ثُمَّ ارْزُقْنا ما هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَنا، ثُمَّ اكْتُبْنا مِنْ عِبادِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَآمَنُوا بِنَفْسِكَ وَاسْتَقَرُّوا عَلَى سُرُرِ الإِيْقانِ عَلَى شَأْنٍ ما مَنَعَتْهُمْ إِشاراتُ الشَّيْطانِ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلى شَطْرِ اسْمِكَ الرَّحْمنِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Him Who is Thine exalted and supreme Remembrance, Whom Thou hast sent down unto all Thy creatures and invested with Thy name, the All-Glorious, Whose will Thou hast ordained to be Thine own will, Whose self Thou hast decreed to be the revealer of Thine own Self, and His essence the Dayspring of Thy wisdom, and His heart the treasury of Thine inspiration, and His breast the dawning-place of Thy most excellent attributes and most exalted titles, and His tongue the fountainhead of the waters of Thy praise and the wellspring of the soft-flowing streams of Thy wisdom, to send down upon us that which will enable us to dispense with all else except Thee, and will cause us to direct our steps towards the sanctuary of Thy pleasure and to aspire after the things Thou didst ordain for us according to Thine irrevocable decree. Empower us, then, O my God, to forsake ourselves and cleave steadfastly to Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self, the Most Exalted, the Most High. Supply us also with that which is best for us, and write us down with such of Thy servants as have repudiated the Idol (Mírzá Yaḥyá), and firmly believed in Thee, and been so established on the throne of certitude that the whisperings of the Evil One have been powerless to hinder them from turning their faces towards Thy name, the All-Merciful.

Translation Notes

الإِنْشآءِ،
an-nsháʾi، n-sh-ʾ

literal: creation; creation, origination; creation/origination

SE rendered الأَبْهى (al-ʾabhى), أَهْلِ (ʾahl), الإِنْشآءِ، (an-nsháʾi،), وَجَعَلْتَ (wajaʿalt), مَشِيَّتَهُ (mashíhatah), ذاتَ (dhát) as “the All-Glorious, creatures, hast ordained, Thine own will, self”

وَحْيِكَ
waḥyik w-ḥ-y

literal: revelation; revelation/inspiration; revelation, inspiration

SE rendered إِلْهامِكَ (ʾilhámik), وَفُؤادَهُ (wafuʾádah), مَهْبَطَ (mahbaṭ), وَحْيِكَ (waḥyik), وَصَدْرَهُ (waṣadrah), مَشْرِقَ (mashriq), أَسْمائِكَ (ʾasmáʾik) as “of Thine inspiration, His breast, the dawning-place, of Thy most, excellent attributes”

مَشْرِقَ
mashriq sh-r-q

literal: shining; east; shine

SE rendered مَهْبَطَ (mahbaṭ), وَحْيِكَ (waḥyik), وَصَدْرَهُ (waṣadrah), مَشْرِقَ (mashriq), أَسْمائِكَ (ʾasmáʾik) as “the dawning-place, of Thy most, excellent attributes”

الحُسْنى
al-ḥusnى ḥ-s-n

literal: best; beautiful; kindness

SE rendered وَصَدْرَهُ (waṣadrah), مَشْرِقَ (mashriq), أَسْمائِكَ (ʾasmáʾik), الحُسْنى (al-ḥusnى), وَصَفاتِكَ (waṣafátik), العُلْيا (al-ʿulyá), وَلِسانَهُ (walisánah) as “of Thy most, excellent attributes, most exalted, His tongue”

most 89% excellent 6% profit 6%
وَصَفاتِكَ
waṣafátik w-ṣ-f

literal: attributes; attribute

SE rendered أَسْمائِكَ (ʾasmáʾik), الحُسْنى (al-ḥusnى), وَصَفاتِكَ (waṣafátik), العُلْيا (al-ʿulyá), وَلِسانَهُ (walisánah), مَنْبَعَ (manbaʿ) as “excellent attributes, most exalted, His tongue, the fountainhead”

كَوْثَرِ
kawthar k-w-th-r

literal: abundance/fountain; abundance, fountain in paradise

SE rendered العُلْيا (al-ʿulyá), وَلِسانَهُ (walisánah), مَنْبَعَ (manbaʿ), كَوْثَرِ (kawthar), ثَنائِكَ (thanáʾik), وَسَلْسَبِيلِ (wasalsabíl) as “most exalted, His tongue, the fountainhead, Thy praise, and the wellspring”

وَسَلْسَبِيلِ
wasalsabíl s-l-s-b-y-l → “waters”

literal: pure-fountain; soft-flowing-stream

2 occurrences in corpus

وَمُقَدَّسيِنَ
wamuqaddasyin q-d-s

literal: holy

SE rendered أَغْنِيآءَ (ʾaghníáʾ), دونِكَ (dúnik), وَمُقَدَّسيِنَ (wamuqaddasyin), سِواكَ (siwák), وَقاصِدينَ (waqáṣidín) as “to dispense, else except Thee”

holy 50% blessed 25% such 25%
سِواكَ
siwák s-w-y

literal: other than; other-than; other than, except

SE rendered دونِكَ (dúnik), وَمُقَدَّسيِنَ (wamuqaddasyin), سِواكَ (siwák), وَقاصِدينَ (waqáṣidín), حَرَمِ (ḥaram), رِضائِكَ (riḍáʾik) as “else except Thee, the sanctuary, Thy pleasure”

all 35% any 21% aught 14% except 9% beside 5% save 5% anyone 5% everything 2% other 2% none 2%
وَقاصِدينَ
waqáṣidín q-ṣ-d

literal: intended; purpose; desired

SE rendered وَقاصِدينَ (waqáṣidín), حَرَمِ (ḥaram), رِضائِكَ (riḍáʾik) as “the sanctuary, Thy pleasure”

wayfarers 14% ye 14% have 14% whosoever 14% direct 14% such 14% all 14%
وَمُتَوَسِّلِينَ
wamutawassilín w-s-l

literal: beseech; means; means/instrument

SE rendered مُنْقَطِعِينَ (munqaṭiʿín), أَنْفُسِنا (ʾanfusiná), وَمُتَوَسِّلِينَ (wamutawassilín), بِمَظْهَرِ (bimaẓhar), نَفْسِكَ (nafsik), العَلِيِّ (al-ʿalíl) as “ourselves and, forsake, the Manifestation, Thy Self, Most Exalted”

holding 50% cleave 50%
بِالطَّاغُوتِ
biálṭṭághút ṭ-gh-w → “idol (mírzá yaḥyá)”

literal: idol; tyrant/idol

SE expanded to “Idol (Mírzá Yaḥyá)”

idol 67% rebellious 33%
سُرُرِ
surur s-r-r

literal: secret; secrets; secret, mystery

SE rendered بِنَفْسِكَ (binafsik), وَاسْتَقَرُّوا (wástaqarrúá), سُرُرِ (surur), الإِيْقانِ (al-ʾíqán), شَأْنٍ (shaʾanin) as “in Thee, been so established, certitude, that”

seats 67% throne 33%
شَأْنٍ
shaʾanin sh-ʾ-n → “that”

literal: manner

SE rendered سُرُرِ (surur), الإِيْقانِ (al-ʾíqán), شَأْنٍ (shaʾanin), مَنَعَتْهُمْ (manaʿathum), إِشاراتُ (ʾishárát) as “certitude, that, One have, the whisperings”

الشَّيْطانِ
ash-shayṭán sh-ṭ-n

literal: satanic; satan; devil

SE rendered مَنَعَتْهُمْ (manaʿathum), إِشاراتُ (ʾishárát), الشَّيْطانِ (ash-shayṭán), التَّوَجُّهِ (at-tawajjuh) as “One have, the whisperings”

evil 54% satan 38% satan-like 8%
التَّوَجُّهِ
at-tawajjuh w-j-h

literal: face; turning

SE rendered إِشاراتُ (ʾishárát), الشَّيْطانِ (ash-shayṭán), التَّوَجُّهِ (at-tawajjuh), شَطْرِ (shaṭr), اسْمِكَ (ismik) as “the whisperings, name”

turning 30% turn 16% set 13% setting 9% hath 9% turned 8% directing 5% proceeded 4% fix 4% visited 3%

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