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Prayers and Meditations — §750

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 750 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لِلْمُقَرَّبِينَ مِنْ أَصْفِيائِكَ وَالمُخْلِصِينَ مِنْ أُمَنآئِكَ، ثُمَّ ارْزُقْهُمْ مِنْ بَحْرِ الاطْمِئْنانِ ما يَسْكُنُ بِهِ اضْطِرابُهُمْ، وَبَدِّلِ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي ظُلْمَةَ أَوْهامِهِمْ، بِنُورِ اليَقِينِ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْهُمْ قَائِمِينَ مُسْتَقِيمِينَ عَلَى صِراطِكَ المُسْتَقِيمِ لِئَلاّ يَمْنَعَهُمُ الكِتابُ عَنْ مُنْزِلِهِ وَالأَسْمآءُ عَنْ خالِقِها وَرازِقِها ومَبْدَئِها وَسُلطانِها وَمُظْهِرِها وَمُهْلِكها وَمُعِزِّها وَمُذِلِّها وَالمُقْتَدِرِ عَليها وَالمُهَيْمِنِ عَلَى مُسَمَّياتِها، إِنَّكَ يا إِلهِي وَرَبِّي أَنْزَلْتَ الكِتابَ لإِظْهارِ أَمْرِيْ وَإِعْلآءِ كَلِمَتِي وَبِهِ أَخَذْتَ عَهْدَ نَفْسِيْ عَنْ كُلِّ ما خُلِقَ فِي مَمْلَكَتِكَ، وَتَرَى يا مَحْبُوبَ العالَمِ أَنَّ طُغاةَ خَلْقِكَ جَعَلُوهُ حِصْنًا لَهُمْ وَبِهِ أَعْرَضُوا عَنْ جَمالِكَ وَكَفَروا بِآياتِكَ، وَأَنْتَ الَّذِيْ يا إِلهِي وَصَّيْتَهُمْ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I beseech Thee, O God of bounty and King of all created things, to guard Thy servants from the imaginations which their hearts may devise. Raise them up, then, to such heights that their footsteps may slip not in the face of the evidences of Thy handiwork, which the manifold exigencies of Thy wisdom have ordained, and whose secrets Thou hast hid from the face of Thy people and Thy creatures. Withhold them not, O my Lord, from the ocean of Thy knowledge, neither do Thou deprive them of what Thou didst destine for such of Thy chosen ones as have near access to Thee, and those of Thy trusted ones as are wholly devoted to Thy Self. Supply them, then, from Thy sea of certainty with what will calm the agitation of their hearts. Turn, O Lord my God, the darkness of their fancies into the brightness of certitude, and cause them to arise, and to walk steadfastly in Thy straight Path, that haply Thy Book may not hinder them from recognizing Him Who is its Revealer, and Thy names from acknowledging the One Who is their Creator, and their Provider, and their Origin, and their King, and their Begetter, and their Destroyer, and their Glorifier, and their Abaser, and their Governor, and the Sovereign Protector of their Bearers.

Translation Notes

لِلْمُقَرَّبِينَ
lilmuqarrabín q-r-b “as have near access” Distinctive

literal: nearness; near; bring near

This form usually rendered as “nigh”, “favored”, “enjoy” (59 occurrences)

SE expanded to “as have near access”

عَليها
ʿalíhá ʿ-l-y

literal: on

SE rendered وَمُذِلِّها (wamudhillihá)وَالمُقْتَدِرِ (wálmuqtadir)عَليها (ʿalíhá)وَالمُهَيْمِنِ (wálmuhaymin)مُسَمَّياتِها، (musammayátihá،) as “their Abaser, their Governor, and the Sovereign Protector, of their Bearers”

aid 50% convulsed 50%
وَالمُهَيْمِنِ
wálmuhaymin h-m-n “and the sovereign protector” Distinctive

literal: guardian; guardian/protector; guardian, protector

This form usually rendered as “help”, “omnipotent”, “supreme” (43 occurrences)

SE expanded to “and the Sovereign Protector”

وَبِهِ
wabih b-h

literal: to; with it; with

SE rendered وَبِهِ (wabih)أَخَذْتَ (ʾakhadht)عَهْدَ (ʿahd)نَفْسِيْ (nafsí) as “Self”

unto 50% between 25% need 25%
وَتَرَى
watará r-ʾ-y

literal: see; to see; see/behold

SE rendered خُلِقَ (khuliq)مَمْلَكَتِكَ، (mamlakatika،)وَتَرَى (watará)مَحْبُوبَ (maḥbúb)العالَمِ (al-ʿálam) as “Thy creatures, King, knowledge”

thou 53% seest 16% beholdest 12% behold 6% wert 2% regard 2% seest?” 2% discover 2% dost 2% art 2%
مَحْبُوبَ
maḥbúb ḥ-b-b

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

SE rendered مَمْلَكَتِكَ، (mamlakatika،)وَتَرَى (watará)مَحْبُوبَ (maḥbúb)العالَمِ (al-ʿálam)طُغاةَ (ṭugháh) as “King, knowledge, such”

beloved 44% well-beloved 26% best-beloved 12% loved 6% prized 2% who 2% one 2% pleasing 1% god 1% new 1%
حِصْنًا
ḥiṣnan ḥ-ṣ-n

literal: fortress; fortified

SE rendered طُغاةَ (ṭugháh)خَلْقِكَ (khalqik)جَعَلُوهُ (jaʿalúh)حِصْنًا (ḥiṣnan)وَبِهِ (wabih)أَعْرَضُوا (ʾaʿraḍúá) as “such, created”

وَكَفَروا
wakafarúá k-f-r

literal: disbelieve; disbelieved; disbeliever

SE rendered جَمالِكَ (jamálik)وَكَفَروا (wakafarúá)بِآياتِكَ، (biáyátika،)وَأَنْتَ (waʾant) as “Thou”

بِآياتِكَ،
biáyátika، ʾ-y-y

literal: sign; signs; verse

SE rendered جَمالِكَ (jamálik)وَكَفَروا (wakafarúá)بِآياتِكَ، (biáyátika،)وَأَنْتَ (waʾant) as “Thou”

وَأَنْتَ
waʾant ʾ-n-t “thou”

literal: you

3 occurrences in corpus

وَصَّيْتَهُمْ
waṣṣaytahum w-ṣ-y

literal: enjoin; to admonish/enjoin; admonish, enjoin

SE rendered وَأَنْتَ (waʾant)إِلهِي (ʾilhí)وَصَّيْتَهُمْ (waṣṣaytahum) as “Thou”

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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