A Supplication of Bahá’u’lláh, "Thou seest me in the maw of the serpent..."
A Provisional Translation
This post contains a provisional translation; it is solely an individual effort and reflects only my personal understanding of the original language conveyed in English. If shared outside the context of this post please ensure that it is clearly designated as a provisional translation by this author. Any comments on the accuracy of the translation are welcome below.
The following is a provisional translation of a short duʿāʾ , or supplication, on protection from affliction revealed in Arabic by Bahá’u’lláh. It can be found as part of the collection Majmū'ah āthār Qalam a'la, volume 1 and in the collection La'ali al-Hikmah, volume 3. This Tablet is given the identifier BH10527 according to Steven Phelp's Partial Inventory.
According to Mr. Faruq Izadinia, this Tablet was revealed for a man named Siyyid Mehdi, an inhabitant of Khomeyn.
"He is the All-Glorious!
O my God! Thou seest me in the maw of the serpent [1], and dost witness how its fang pierceth me at every instant! Wilt Thou not deliver me aid, whilst I hold fast to the hem of Thy Blessings? Wilt Thou not have mercy upon me, O my Best-Beloved, as I cling to the Robe of Thy transcendent Grace and cleave to the revelations of Thy decree? Therefore, O my God, do Thou assist me and preserve me from this affliction, O Thou in Whose hands lieth the world of creation! Thy knowledge embraceth all things." [provisional translation]
- from a Tablet of Baha'u'llah, Majmū'ah Athar Qalam-i-A'la vol 1, p. 32-33, provisional translation by Aaron JR Ferguson [2], last revised 4/15/24
[1] Alternatively, dragon, in a more mythological sense. See also Bahá'u'lláh's Ishráqát: “This Wronged One findeth himself in the maw of the serpent, yet He faileth not to make mention of the loved ones of God.” Expressive use of animal imagery is a hallmark of Bahá'u'lláh's style.
[2] I am indebted to Faruq Izadinia for his helpful rendering in Persian that helped convey the Arabic, and for the review and suggestions of Adib Masumian.
Text in the original Arabic and transliteration below, any errors are mine and mine alone:
هُوَ العزیز الهی ترانی فی فَم الثُّعبان و تشهدُ کَیفَ یَلدَغَنی فی کلّ حین و حان. أ ما تنصُرُنی یا الهی بعد الّذی تمسّکتُ بِذَیلِ عطایاک. أ ما ترحَمَنی یا محبوبی بعد الّذی تشبّثتُ برداء عزّ افضالکَ و قضایاک. إذاً یا الهی فَانصُرْنی بسلطانِ نصرک ثُمَّ ٱحفَظنی عن هذَا البلاء یا مَن بِیَدِکَ ملکوتُ الإنشاء و أنتَ بکلّ شیءٍ علیم. (- ب ه ممجموعه آثار قلم اعلی)
"huwa al-'aziz ilāhī tarāni fi fam ath-thu'bān wa tashhadu kayfa yaldaghani fi kull ḥīn wa ḥān 'A mā tansurunī, yā ilāhī ba'da al-ladhī tamassaktu bidhayli 'atāyāk 'A mā tarḥamanī yā maḥbūbī ba'da al-ladhī tashabbathtu biredā'a 'izz afdālaka wa qaḍāyāk 'idhān yā ilāhī fānsurnī bi-sulṭāni naṣrik, thumma aḥfaẓnī 'an hadhā al-balā' yā man bi-yadika mulkūtu al-inshā' wa 'anta bi-kulli shay'in 'aleem"