Prayers and Meditations — §198

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 198 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

تَرَى يا إِلهِي بِأَنَّ البَهَاءَ يَذْكرُكَ بَعْدَ الَّذِيْ وَرَدَ عَلَيهِ مِنَ البَلايا ما لا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يُحْصِيَهُ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ نَفْسُكَ وَيُثْنِيكَ فِيْ السِّجْنِ بِما أَلْهَمْتَهُ مِنْ بَدائِعِ وَصْفِكَ عَلَى شَأْنٍ ما مَنَعَتْهُ الأَعدآءُ عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ يا مالِكَ الأَسْماءِ لَكَ الحَمْدُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thou dost witness, O my God, how He Who is Thy splendor calleth Thee to remembrance, notwithstanding the manifold troubles that have touched Him, troubles which none except Thee can number. Thou beholdest how, in His prison-house, He recounteth Thy wondrous praises with which Thou didst inspire Him. Such is His fervor that His enemies are powerless to deter Him from mentioning Thee, O Thou Who art the Possessor of all names!

Translation Notes

تَرَى

r-ʾ-y → “Thou dost witness” Distinctive

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

بِأَنَّ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

البَهَاءَ

b-h-w → “Thy splendor” Distinctive

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

يَذْكرُكَ

dh-k-r → “calleth Thee to remembrance” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

بَعْدَ

b-ʿ-d → “notwithstanding” Distinctive

literal: after; behind; distance

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “that have touched” Distinctive

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

وَرَدَ

w-r-d

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

عَلَيهِ

ʿ-l-y → “Him” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

مِنَ

m-n

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

البَلايا

b-l-w → “the manifold troubles” Distinctive

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَقْدِرُ

q-d-r → “can”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

أَنْ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يُحْصِيَهُ

ḥ-ṣ-y → “number”

literal: count; enumerate; enumeration

أَحَدٌ

ʾ-ḥ-d

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

نَفْسُكَ

n-f-s → “Thee” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَيُثْنِيكَ

th-n-y → “praise” Distinctive

literal: praise; second; praise, commendation

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

السِّجْنِ

s-j-n → “His prison-house”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison

أَلْهَمْتَهُ

l-h-m → “didst inspire”

literal: them (feminine or general); by them; through them

بَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

وَصْفِكَ

w-ṣ-f → “praises”

literal: to describe, characterize; description

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n

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

مَنَعَتْهُ

m-n-ʿ → “are powerless to deter” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

الأَعدآءُ

ʿ-d-w → “His enemies”

literal: hostility, aggression, enmity, transgression

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

مالِكَ

m-l-k → “Possessor” Distinctive

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership