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Prayers and Meditations — §254

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 254 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي أَنْتَ الَّذِيْ لَمْ تَزَلْ كُنْتَ فِي عُلُوِّ القُدْرَةِ وَالقُوَّةِ وَالجَلالِ وَلا تَزالُ تَكُونُ فِي سُمُوِّ الرِّفْعَةِ وَالعَظَمَةِ وَالإِجْلالِ، كُلُّ العُرَفآءِ مُتَحَيِّرٌ فِي آثارِ صُنْعِكَ وَكُلُّ البُلَغآءِ عاجِزٌ مِنْ إِدْراكِ مَظاهِرِ قُدْرَتِكَ وَاقْتِدارِكَ، كُلُّ ذِي عِرفانٍ اعْتَرَفَ بِالعَجْزِ عَنِ البُلُوغِ إِلى ذُرْوَةِ عِرْفانِكَ وَكُلُّ ذِي عِلْمٍ أَقَرَّ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ عَنْ عِرْفانِ كُنْهِ ذاتِكَ، فَلَمَّا سُدَّ السَّبِي

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lauded and glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art He Who from everlasting hath been clothed with majesty, with authority and power, and will continue unto everlasting to be arrayed with honor, with strength and glory. The learned, one and all, stand aghast before the signs and tokens of Thy handiwork, while the wise find themselves, without exception, impotent to unravel the mystery of Them Who are the Manifestations of Thy might and power. Every man of insight hath confessed his powerlessness to scale the heights of Thy knowledge, and every man of learning hath acknowledged his failure to fathom the nature of Thine Essence.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ
s-b-ḥ → “Lauded and glorified”

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

اللَّهُمَّ
ʾ-l-h → “Lord” Distinctive

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

يا
y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

أَنْتَ
ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

الَّذِيْ
l-dh-y → “which”

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

لَمْ
l-y-s

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

تَزَلْ
z-w-l → “from everlasting”

literal: for us; to us

كُنْتَ
k-w-n → “hath been” Distinctive

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

فِي
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

عُلُوِّ
ʿ-l-w → “clothed with” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

القُدْرَةِ
q-d-r → “power”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

وَالقُوَّةِ
q-w-y → “authority and power”

literal: power; strength; force

وَالجَلالِ
j-l-l → “glory”

literal: majesty; glory; exaltation; magnificence

وَلا
w-l-y

literal: no; not; negation particle

سُمُوِّ
s-m-w → “heaven” Distinctive

literal: heaven; sky

الرِّفْعَةِ
r-f-ʿ → “raised”

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

وَالعَظَمَةِ
ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

كُلُّ
k-l-l → “one and all”

literal: all; every; all, every

العُرَفآءِ
ʿ-r-f → “learned”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

مُتَحَيِّرٌ
ḥ-y-r → “perplexed”

literal: bewildered; perplexed; confused; astounded; amazed

آثارِ
ʾ-th-r → “signs and tokens”

literal: effect; trace; influence; imprint; sign; mark; vestige

صُنْعِكَ
ṣ-n-ʿ → “handiwork”

literal: fashioning; making; creation; artifice

البُلَغآءِ
b-l-gh → “teach” Distinctive

literal: to reach; to attain; to deliver; to proclaim

عاجِزٌ
ʿ-j-z → “impotent”

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence

مِنْ
m-n

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

إِدْراكِ
d-r-k → “comprehend”

literal: to overtake; to catch; to reach; to attain; to perceive; to comprehend

مَظاهِرِ
ẓ-h-r → “Them Who are the Manifestations”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

ذِي
dh-w-y → “and” Distinctive

literal: possessor; possessor of; possessor/owner

عَنِ
ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

إِلى
ʾ-l-y

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

ذُرْوَةِ
dh-r-w → “summit”

literal: peak; apex; pinnacle; summit

عِلْمٍ
ʿ-l-m → “learning”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

أَقَرَّ
q-r-r → “acknowledged”

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

بِالتَّقْصِيرِ
q-ṣ-r → “powerlessness” Distinctive

literal: shortcoming; negligence; falling short; to be deficient

كُنْهِ
k-n-h → “nature”

literal: essence; true nature; innermost reality; quiddity

ذاتِكَ،
dh-w-t → “Essence”

literal: essence; self; being

فَلَمَّا
l-m-m

literal: when; as soon as; thereupon

سُدَّ
s-d-d

literal: threshold; barrier; seat of authority

السَّبِي
s-b-y

literal: cause; reason; means; instrument

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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