Prayers and Meditations — §325

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 325 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي كُلَّمَا يَخْطُرُ بِقَلْبِي ذِكْرُكَ وَثَنائُكَ يَأْخُذُنِي الجَذْبُ وَالانْجِذابُ عَلَى شَأْنٍ يَمْنَعُنِي عَنِ الذَّكرِ وَالبَيِانِ وَيُرْجِعُنِي إِلى مَقامٍ أُشاهِدُ هَيْكَلِي نَفْسَ ذِكْرِكَ فِي مَمْلَكَتِكَ وَكَيْنُونَةَ ثَنائِكَ بَيْنَ عِبادِكَ، مَتَى يَكُونُ يَكُونُ ثَنائُكَ مُنْتَشِرًا بَيْنَ خَلْقِكَ وَذِكْرُكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Every time I am reminded of Thee and muse on Thy virtues, I am seized with such ecstasies and am so enravished by Thee that I find myself unable to make mention of Thy name and to extol Thee. I am carried back to such heights that I recognize my self to be the same as the remembrance of Thee in Thy realm, and the essence of Thy praise among Thy servants. As long as that self endureth, so long will Thy praise continue to be shed abroad among Thy creatures and Thy remembrance glorified by Thy people.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Praised”

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

كُلَّمَا

k-l-l → “Every time”

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

يَخْطُرُ

kh-ṭ-r → “momentous” Distinctive

literal: danger; mind; momentous

بِقَلْبِي

q-l-b

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ذِكْرُكَ

dh-k-r → “of Thee” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

وَثَنائُكَ

th-n-y → “muse on Thy virtues”

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy; glorification; praise, commendation, eulogy

يَأْخُذُنِي

ʾ-kh-dh → “seized”

literal: take; taking; seizing

الجَذْبُ

j-dh-b → “ecstasies”

literal: to draw, attract, pull; to be enraptured

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n → “such heights” Distinctive

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

يَمْنَعُنِي

m-n-ʿ → “hinder”

literal: prevent; prevented; prevention

عَنِ

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

وَالبَيِانِ

b-y-n → “utterance”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident

وَيُرْجِعُنِي

r-j-ʿ → “return” Distinctive

literal: return; reference; place of return; resort