Prayers and Meditations — §250

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 250 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي تَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّ مَشِيَّتَكَ غَلَبَتِ الأَشْياءَ كُلَّها وَسَبَقَتْ رَحْمَتُكَ مَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَالسَّماءِ، فَلَمَّا أَرَدْتَ إِظْهارَ سَلْطَنَتِكَ وَإِعْلاءَ كَلِمَتِكَ وَإِبْرازَ جُودِكَ وَرَحْمَتِكَ بَعَثْتَ عَبْدًا مِنْ عِبادِكَ وَاصْطَفَيْتَه بَيْنَ بَرِيَّتِكَ وَاخْتَرْتَهُ لِنَفْسِكَ وَأَلْبَسْتَهُ خِلَعَ هِدايَتِكَ وَأَغْمَسْتَهُ فِي بُحُورِ عَظَمَتِكَ وَكِبْريائِكَ وَطَهَّرْتَهُ عَنْ كُلِّ ما لا يَنْبَغِي لِعَظَمَتِكَ وَاقْتِدارِكَ، ثُمَّ أَمَرْتَهُ بِالنِّدآءِ بَيْنَ الأَرْضِ وَالسَّمآءِ لِيَدْعُوَ الكُلَّ إِلى مَظْهَرِ ذاتِكَ وَمَطْلَعِ آياتِكَ، فَلَمَّا قَامَ عَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou dost witness that Thy will hath prevailed over all created things, and Thy mercy hath surpassed all who are in heaven and on earth. And when Thou didst purpose to unveil Thy sovereignty, and to glorify Thy word, and to reveal Thy bounteousness and mercy, Thou didst raise up one of Thy servants, and didst choose Him above all Thy creatures, and didst single Him out for Thy purpose, and didst clothe Him with the robe of Thy guidance, and didst immerse Him beneath the seas of Thy majesty and grandeur, and didst sanctify Him from all that beseemeth not the greatness of Thy glory and the power of Thy might, and didst bid Him to cry out before all that are in heaven and on earth, and summon the multitudes to the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Revealer of Thy signs.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Lauded be”

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

اللَّهُمَّ

ʾ-l-h → “O Lord” Distinctive

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

تَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “Thou dost witness” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنَّ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مَشِيَّتَكَ

sh-y-ʾ → “Thy will”

literal: thing; something

غَلَبَتِ

gh-l-b → “hath prevailed”

literal: to overcome, overpower, vanquish, prevail

كُلَّها

k-l-l → “over all”

literal: all; every; whole; entirety; entire; completely

وَسَبَقَتْ

s-b-q → “hath surpassed”

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

رَحْمَتُكَ

r-ḥ-m → “Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

مَنْ

m-n → “all who” Distinctive

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

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “on earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

وَالسَّماءِ،

s-m-w → “heaven and”

literal: heaven; sky

فَلَمَّا

l-m-m → “No sooner”

literal: when; as soon as; thereupon

أَرَدْتَ

r-w-d → “Thou didst purpose” Distinctive

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

إِظْهارَ

ẓ-h-r → “to unveil” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

سَلْطَنَتِكَ

s-l-ṭ → “Thy sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَإِعْلاءَ

ʿ-l-w → “to glorify” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

كَلِمَتِكَ

k-l-m → “Thy word”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

وَإِبْرازَ

b-r-z → “revelation” Distinctive

literal: appearance; manifestation; coming forth

جُودِكَ

j-w-d → “Thy bounteousness” Distinctive

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

بَعَثْتَ

b-ʿ-th → “Thou didst raise up” Distinctive

literal: to send; to raise up; to dispatch

عَبْدًا

ʿ-b-d → “one”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَاصْطَفَيْتَه

ṣ-f-w → “and didst choose Him”

literal: chosen ones; chosen-ones; purity

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “above” Distinctive

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

بَرِيَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ → “all Thy creatures”

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

وَاخْتَرْتَهُ

kh-y-r → “good” Distinctive

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

لِنَفْسِكَ

n-f-s → “souls” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَأَلْبَسْتَهُ

l-b-s → “didst clothe Him”

literal: bound; tied; dependent; fastened

خِلَعَ

kh-l-ʿ → “with the robe”

literal: robe; garment of honor; investiture

هِدايَتِكَ

h-d-y → “of Thy guidance”

literal: guidance; to guide; direction; leading rightly; this; this one

وَأَغْمَسْتَهُ

gh-m-s → “immerse”

literal: immerse; submerged; immersed

بُحُورِ

b-ḥ-r → “seas”

literal: sea; ocean

عَظَمَتِكَ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “of Thy majesty”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

وَكِبْريائِكَ

k-b-r → “and grandeur”

literal: greatest; greater; grandeur

وَطَهَّرْتَهُ

ṭ-h-r → “pure” Distinctive

literal: to purify; to cleanse

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَنْبَغِي

n-b-gh → “beseemeth”

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

وَاقْتِدارِكَ،

q-d-r → “power”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “and” Distinctive

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أَمَرْتَهُ

ʾ-m-r → “didst bid Him” Distinctive

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

بِالنِّدآءِ

n-d-y → “to cry out” Distinctive

literal: call; voice; cry; summons; to call; to proclaim; to cry out; to summon

لِيَدْعُوَ

d-ʿ-w → “and summon” Distinctive

literal: call; invitation; claim

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “to”

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

ذاتِكَ

dh-w-t → “of Thy Self”

literal: essence; self; being

وَمَطْلَعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “and the Revealer” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

آياتِكَ،

ʾ-y-y → “of Thy signs”

literal: sign; verse; miracle; token; verses; signs; proofs

قَامَ

q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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