Prayers and Meditations — §146

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 146 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لَعَمْرُكَ يا مالِكَ الأَسْمآءِ قَدْ تَحَيَّرَ أُولُوا النُّهَى مِنْ بَحْرِ عِلْمِكَ وَسَمآءِ حِكْمَتِكَ وَشَمْسِ فَضْلِكَ، إِنَّ الَّذِيْ خُلِقَ بِإِرادَتِكَ كَيْفَ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَعْرِفَ ما عِنْدَكَ وَما أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ،

Shoghi Effendi Translation

By Thy life, O Thou the Possessor of all names! The minds of the profoundest thinkers are sore perplexed as they contemplate the ocean of Thy knowledge, and the heaven of Thy wisdom, and the Luminary of Thy grace. How can he who is but a creation of Thy will claim to know what is with Thee, or to conceive Thy nature?

Translation Notes

لَعَمْرُكَ

laʿamruk ʿ-m-r → “by thy life”

literal: life; by my life; by the life

SE expanded to “By Thy life”

life 44% righteousness 20% swear 14% build 5% years 3% self 3% days 3% lives 3% flourish 2% god 2%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §147: By God gleaningsGWB §262: By My Self kitab-i-iqanKIQ §146: “As Thou livest prayers-and-meditationsP&M §100: so that He may build up the-hidden-wordsHW §95: lives epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §59: by your own gleaningsGWB §611: Fane prayers-and-meditationsP&M §59: and build up

مالِكَ

málik m-l-k → “thou the possessor”

literal: kingdom; king

SE expanded to “Thou the Possessor”

lord 47% king 15% thou 11% possessor 11% who 8% ruler 4% all-possessing 2% layeth 1% sovereign 1% supreme 1%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §188: layeth low gleaningsGWB §122: earthly kitab-i-iqanKIQ §113: mortals prayers-and-meditationsP&M §839: in Thy realm tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §15: the worlds the-hidden-wordsHW §7: Our kingdom will-and-testamentW&T §15: far epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §11: the angels

الأَسْمآءِ

as-smáʾ s-m-w → “of all”

literal: name; names

names 66% all 26% name 2% every 2% titles 1% goodly 1% names.’ 1% divine 1%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §222: of His fire-tabletFire §36: heavenly gleaningsGWB §536: every single name kitab-i-iqanKIQ §26: “Heaven prayers-and-meditationsP&M §846: in Thy days tablet-of-ahmadAhmad §11: My sake tablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: Names.’tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §12: divine attributes

تَحَيَّرَ

taḥayyar ḥ-y-r → “sore perplexed”

literal: perplexed

wonder 18% perplexity 18% sore 18% astonished 9% strange 9% how 9% have 9% hath 9%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §193: astounded gleaningsGWB §322: is perplexed kitab-i-iqanKIQ §54: wonder prayers-and-meditationsP&M §745: he would be so perplexed epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §165: astonished gleaningsGWB §47: bewildered kitab-i-iqanKIQ §251: marvelleth prayers-and-meditationsP&M §254: stand aghast

أُولُوا

ʾúlúá ʾ-w-l → “first” Distinctive

literal: first; firstness

This form usually rendered as “such”, “who”, “endowed” (4 occurrences)

such 25% who 25% endowed 25% minds 25%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §88: the greatest fire-tabletFire §31: the people gleaningsGWB §423: your ultimate objective kitab-i-ahdAhd §15: members kitab-i-iqanKIQ §234: of the Ancients!”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §769: come the-hidden-wordsHW §119: ye that have will-and-testamentW&T §34: the one

النُّهَى

an-nuhá n-h-y → “the profoundest thinkers”

literal: end

SE expanded to “the profoundest thinkers”

categorically 40% profoundest 20% curbed 20% comprehend 20%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §135: Muntaha fire-tabletFire §29: Divine gleaningsGWB §327: culmination kitab-i-ahdAhd §7: categorically forbidden kitab-i-iqanKIQ §154: furthermost prayers-and-meditationsP&M §842: however deep tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §24: them that comprehend the-hidden-wordsHW §96: boundless

بَحْرِ

baḥr b-ḥ-r → “ocean”

literal: sea; ocean; sea, ocean

ocean 77% sea 14% waters 4% deep 1% flood 1% through 1% rushing 1% oceans 1% beneath 1% immensity 1%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: a sea gleaningsGWB §108: unto Him Who is the Ocean kitab-i-iqanKIQ §31: billows prayers-and-meditationsP&M §149: Thy most great Ocean will-and-testamentW&T §2: the Twin surging seas epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §220: the oceans gleaningsGWB §563: waters kitab-i-iqanKIQ §83: billowing

عِلْمِكَ

ʿilmik ʿ-l-m → “of thy knowledge”

literal: knowledge

SE expanded to “of Thy knowledge”

knowledge 45% wisdom 29% through 6% hidden 6% whose 6% thee 2% then 2% omniscience 2% only 2%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §60: made clear fire-tabletFire §13: ensigns gleaningsGWB §122: kingdoms kitab-i-ahdAhd §2: recognized kitab-i-iqanKIQ §154: unlettered prayers-and-meditationsP&M §604: O Thou Who art the Knower tablet-of-ahmadAhmad §17: of all the worlds tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §13: which we have taught

حِكْمَتِكَ

ḥikmatik ḥ-k-m → “of thy wisdom”

literal: wisdom

SE expanded to “of Thy wisdom”

wisdom 39% all-wise 27% law 8% laws 7% ordaineth 5% rule 3% divine 3% perspicuous 3% judge 3% wise 3%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §122: Governor gleaningsGWB §506: of the manifold wisdom kitab-i-ahdAhd §6: rulership kitab-i-iqanKIQ §269: uphold prayers-and-meditationsP&M §180: as tablet-of-ahmadAhmad §5: the Wise One the-hidden-wordsHW §13: My command will-and-testamentW&T §22: Tribunal

وَشَمْسِ

washams sh-m-s → “and the luminary” Distinctive

literal: sun; suns; the sun

This form usually rendered as “sun”, “daystar”, “light” (241 occurrences)

SE expanded to “and the Luminary”

sun 52% daystar 23% light 7% day-star 6% luminary 4% “sun” 4% sunlight 1% orb 1% terms 1% ‘sun’ 1%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §159: the suns gleaningsGWB §34: the light kitab-i-iqanKIQ §45: “Suns,”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §858: of the Daystar epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §30: the Orb gleaningsGWB §670: the Daystar of Truth kitab-i-iqanKIQ §31: Day-star of prayers-and-meditationsP&M §744: one

فَضْلِكَ،

faḍlika، f-ḍ-l → “of thy grace”

literal: grace; grace/favor; grace, favor

SE expanded to “of Thy grace”

grace 91% loving-kindness 2% tender 2% bounty 1% token 1% whose 1% bounteousness 1% gracious 1% mercy 1%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §55: mercy gleaningsGWB §50: as a token of Our grace kitab-i-ahdAhd §11: Gracious kitab-i-iqanKIQ §176: all these exponents of learning prayers-and-meditationsP&M §365: the choicest tablet-of-ahmadAhmad §15: a bounty the-hidden-wordsHW §1: as a token of grace will-and-testamentW&T §12: All-Bountiful

خُلِقَ

khuliq kh-l-q → “creation”

literal: creation; create; created

creation 26% creatures 19% hath 15% created 12% men 9% people 7% all 4% called 3% mankind 3% creature 2%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §2: hath created fire-tabletFire §40: wert created gleaningsGWB §97: earth kitab-i-iqanKIQ §168: “rebirth,”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §841: to create tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §54: created her the-hidden-wordsHW §14: I created thee epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §223: of Makers

بِإِرادَتِكَ

biʾirádatik r-w-d → “of thy will”

literal: will; desire

SE expanded to “of Thy will”

will 47% purpose 16% through 13% conformity 8% desire 5% operation 3% according 3% good 3% accordance 3%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §3: of the will gleaningsGWB §619: of His Will kitab-i-iqanKIQ §250: one aim in life prayers-and-meditationsP&M §770: through Thy will the-hidden-wordsHW §57: dost wish for will-and-testamentW&T §36: hath conspired against me epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §248: determined gleaningsGWB §564: seeketh

كَيْفَ

kayf k-y-f → “how”

literal: how; how, why; how/whithersoever

how 67% why 12% wherefore 10% what 5% “how 2% into 2% whithersoever 2%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §172: how gleaningsGWB §242: why is it, then,kitab-i-iqanKIQ §282: What of prayers-and-meditationsP&M §795: whithersoever the-hidden-wordsHW §15: wherefore epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §13: as gleaningsGWB §338: character kitab-i-iqanKIQ §181: How could

يَقْدِرُ

yaqdir q-d-r

literal: power; powerful

SE rendered خُلِقَ (khuliq), بِإِرادَتِكَ (biʾirádatik), كَيْفَ (kayf), يَقْدِرُ (yaqdir), يَعْرِفَ (yaʿrif), عِنْدَكَ (ʿindak) as “a creation, of Thy will, How, is with Thee”