Prayers and Meditations — §276

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 276 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

مَطْلَعِ الأَسْمآءِ وَالصِّفاتِ، فَيا إِلهِي أَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ بِأَنِّي قَطَعْتُ حَبْلَ نِسْبَتِي مِنْ كُلِّ ذِي نِسْبَةٍ إِلاَّ مَنْ تَمَسَّكَ بِنِسْبَتِكَ الكُبْرى فِي أَيَّامِ ظُهُورِ مَظْهَرِ نَفْسِكَ العُلْيا بِاسْمِكَ الأَبْهى وَعَنْ كُلِّ ذِيْ قَرابَةٍ إِلاَّ مَنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلى طَلْعَتِكَ النّورآءِ، أَيْ رَبِّ لَيْسَ لِي مِنْ إِرادَةٍ إِلا

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thou knowest, O my God, that I have severed every tie that bindeth me to any of Thy creatures except that most exalted tie that uniteth me with whosoever cleaveth unto Thee, in this the day of the revelation of Thy most august Self, that hath appeared in Thy name, the All-Glorious. Thou knowest that I have dissolved every bond that knitteth me to any one of my kindred except such as have enjoyed near access to Thy most effulgent face.

Translation Notes

وَالصِّفاتِ،

w-ṣ-f

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

فَيا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

تَعْلَمُ

ʿ-l-m → “Thou knowest”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بِأَنِّي

ʾ-n-n → “that I have”

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

قَطَعْتُ

q-ṭ-ʿ → “severed”

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

حَبْلَ

ḥ-b-l → “cord”

literal: cord; rope; bond; connection

نِسْبَتِي

n-s-b → “tie”

literal: relation; relationship; connection; attribution; proportion

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

ذِي

dh-w-y

literal: possessor; possessor of; possessor/owner

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

تَمَسَّكَ

m-s-k → “cleaveth”

literal: musk; to seize; grip

الكُبْرى

k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَيَّامِ

y-w-m → “in this the day”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “revelation”

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

نَفْسِكَ

n-f-s → “Thy most august Self” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

العُلْيا

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

بِاسْمِكَ

s-m-w → “Thy name”

literal: heaven; sky

الأَبْهى

b-h-w → “the All-Glorious”

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

وَعَنْ

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

قَرابَةٍ

q-r-b → “kindred”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “to”

literal: to; to, toward; to, until

طَلْعَتِكَ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “face”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

النّورآءِ،

n-w-r → “most effulgent”

literal: light; illumination

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

رَبِّ

r-b-b

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

لَيْسَ

l-y-s

literal: is not; to be not

لِي

ʿ-l-y

literal: upon; on; exalted

إِرادَةٍ

r-w-d

literal: to will; to intend; to wish; will, volition, intention, desire

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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