Prayers and Meditations — §122

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 122 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحانَكَ يا إِلهِي قَدْ أَخَذَتْنِي نَفَحاتُ وَصْلِكَ عَلَى شَأْنٍ نَسِيْتُ نَفْسِيْ وَما عِنْدِي، إِنْ هذا إِلاَّ مِنْ بَدائِعِ فَضْلِكَ وَمَواهِبِكَ، لَكَ الحَمْدُ يا إِلهِي عَلَى ما اصْطَفَيْتَنِيْ بَيْنَ بَرِيَّتِكَ وَجَعَلْتَنِيْ مَطْلَعَ قُوَّتِكَ وَمَظْهَرَ قُدْرَتِكَ وَأَظْهَرْتَ مِنِّيْ مِنْ آياتِكَ وَشُئُوناتِ عَظَمَتِكَ وَاقْتِدارِكَ ما عَجِزَ عَنْها مَنْ فِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lauded be Thy name, O my God! I am so carried away by the breezes blowing from Thy presence that I have forgotten my self and all that I possess. This is but a sign of the wonders of Thy grace and bountiful favors vouchsafed unto me. I give praise to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast chosen me out of all Thy creatures, and made me to be the Dayspring of Thy strength and the Manifestation of Thy might, and empowered me to reveal such of Thy signs and such tokens of Thy majesty and power as none, whether in Thy heaven or on Thy earth, can produce.

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Lauded be Thy name”

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

قَدْ

q-d

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

أَخَذَتْنِي

ʾ-kh-dh → “seized” Distinctive

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

نَفَحاتُ

n-f-ḥ → “breezes”

literal: breeze; fragrance; whiff; breath; emanation

وَصْلِكَ

w-ṣ-l → “from Thy presence”

literal: reunion; union; meeting; connection

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n → “that I” Distinctive

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

نَسِيْتُ

n-s-y → “have forgotten”

literal: forget; forgot; forgetfulness

نَفْسِيْ

n-f-s → “my self” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

عِنْدِي،

ʿ-n-d → “and all that I possess” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

إِنْ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “This”

literal: this; that

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

مِنْ

m-n

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

بَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wonders”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

فَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “of Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

وَمَواهِبِكَ،

w-h-b → “and bountiful favors”

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

لَكَ

literal: for; for you; for him

الحَمْدُ

ḥ-m-d → “I give praise”

literal: praise; to praise

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

اصْطَفَيْتَنِيْ

ṣ-f-w → “Thou hast chosen me”

literal: chosen ones; chosen-ones; purity

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “out of all” Distinctive

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

بَرِيَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ → “Thy creatures”

literal: to create; to create anew; to be free from; innocent; free from; clear of; to cure; to heal; to clear

وَجَعَلْتَنِيْ

j-ʿ-l → “and made me”

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

مَطْلَعَ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “to be the Dayspring”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

قُوَّتِكَ

q-w-y → “of Thy strength” Distinctive

literal: strength; power; might

وَمَظْهَرَ

ẓ-h-r → “and the Manifestation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

قُدْرَتِكَ

q-d-r → “of Thy might”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

آياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “such of Thy signs”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof

وَشُئُوناتِ

sh-ʾ-n → “station” Distinctive

عَظَمَتِكَ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “of Thy majesty”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

عَجِزَ