Prayers and Meditations — §237

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 237 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

تِكَ مُنَزَّهًا عَنْ وَصْفِ ما دُونَكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ يا مَحْبُوبِي لا يَنْبَغِي ذِكْرُ المَوْجُوداتِ لِنَفْسِكَ الأَعْلى وَلا يَلِيقُ وَصْفُ المُمْكِناتِ لِبَهائِكَ الأَبْهى بَلْ ذِكْرُ دُونِكَ شِرْكٌ فِي ساحَةِ قَدْسِ رُبُوبِيَّتِكَ وَنَعْتُ غَيْرِكَ ذَنْبٌ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ سُلْطانِ أُلُوهِيَّتِكَ لأَنَّ بِالذِّكْرِ يُثْبَتُ الوُجُودُ تِلْقآءَ مَدْيَنِ تَوْحِيدِكَ، وَهذا شِرْكٌ مَحْضٌ وَكفْرٌ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I swear by Thy might, O my Beloved! To make mention of any created thing beseemeth not Thy most exalted Self, and to bestow any praise upon any one of Thy creatures would be wholly unworthy of Thy great glory. Nay, such a mention would be but blasphemy uttered within the court of Thy holiness, and such praise would amount to no less than a transgression in the face of the evidences of Thy Divine sovereignty. For the mere mention of any one of Thy creatures would in itself imply an assertion of their existence before the court of Thy singleness and unity. Such an assertion would be naught but open blasphemy, an act of impiety, the essence of profanity and a wanton crime.

Translation Notes

مُنَزَّهًا

n-z-h → “most exalted”

literal: exalted; sanctified; free from; removed from

عَنْ

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

وَصْفِ

w-ṣ-f → “praise upon”

literal: to describe, characterize; description

ما

m-ʾ

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

دُونَكَ،

d-w-n → “any one of Thy creatures” Distinctive

literal: below; lower than; beneath

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “I swear by Thy might”

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

مَحْبُوبِي

ḥ-b-b → “my Beloved”

literal: love; affection

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَنْبَغِي

n-b-gh

literal: it is proper; it is fitting; it is necessary; it behooves

ذِكْرُ

dh-k-r → “make mention”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

المَوْجُوداتِ

w-j-d → “any created thing” Distinctive

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

لِنَفْسِكَ

n-f-s → “Self”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

الأَعْلى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

وَلا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

يَلِيقُ

l-y-q → “worthy”

literal: worthy, befitting, appropriate, suitable

المُمْكِناتِ

m-k-n → “all created things”

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

لِبَهائِكَ

b-h-w → “of Thy great glory”

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

بَلْ

b-l → “Nay”

literal: rather; but; rather/nay

شِرْكٌ

sh-r-k → “infidels” Distinctive

literal: partner; associate; sharer; companion

فِي

f-y → “uttered within”

literal: in; in-it; in it

ساحَةِ

s-w-ḥ → “court”

literal: court; plaza; courtyard; open space; domain; presence

قَدْسِ

q-d-s → “of Thy holiness”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

رُبُوبِيَّتِكَ

r-b-b

literal: divine; of God; lordly

وَنَعْتُ

n-ʿ-t → “glorifier” Distinctive

literal: grace; bounty; divine favor

غَيْرِكَ

gh-y-r

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

ذَنْبٌ

dh-n-b → “sin”

literal: sin; crime; offense; fault

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d → “in the face” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “evidences” Distinctive

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

سُلْطانِ

s-l-ṭ → “of Thy Divine sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

أُلُوهِيَّتِكَ

ʾ-l-h

literal: to preserve, guard, protect

لأَنَّ

ʾ-n → “For” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يُثْبَتُ

th-b-t → “established” Distinctive

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed