Prayers and Meditations — §240

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 240 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

الَّذِيْ انْقَطَعَتْ أَفْئِدَةُ العُرَفآءِ عَنْ عِرْفانِ صُنْعِكَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقْتَهُ بِإِرادَتِكَ فَكَيْفَ الصُّعُودُ إِلى سَمَواتِ قُدْسِ مَشِيَّتِكَ أَوِ الْوُرُودُ فِي سُرادِقِ عِرْفانِ نَفْسِكَ، سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glorified, glorified be Thou, O my God! How can I ever hope to ascend into the heaven of Thy most holy will, or gain admittance into the tabernacle of Thy Divine knowledge, knowing as I do that the minds of the wise and learned are impotent to fathom the secrets of Thy handiwork—a handiwork which is itself but a creation of Thy will?

Translation Notes

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

انْقَطَعَتْ

q-ṭ-ʿ → “detachment” Distinctive

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

أَفْئِدَةُ

f-ʾ-d → “minds” Distinctive

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind

العُرَفآءِ

ʿ-r-f → “the wise and learned”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

صُنْعِكَ

ṣ-n-ʿ → “handiwork—a” Distinctive

literal: fashioning; making; creation; artifice

خَلَقْتَهُ

kh-l-q → “creation” Distinctive

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

بِإِرادَتِكَ

r-w-d → “will”

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

فَكَيْفَ

k-y-f → “How”

literal: how; in what manner

الصُّعُودُ

ṣ-ʿ-d → “ascend”

literal: ascent; ascension; rising; elevation

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

سَمَواتِ

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

قُدْسِ

q-d-s → “most holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

مَشِيَّتِكَ

sh-y-ʾ → “will”

literal: thing; something

أَوِ

h-w-w → “or” Distinctive

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

الْوُرُودُ

w-r-d → “hath befallen” Distinctive

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

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

سُرادِقِ

s-r-d-q → “tabernacle”

literal: pavilion; tabernacle; canopy; tent

نَفْسِكَ،

n-f-s

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glorified, glorified”

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶