Prayers and Meditations — §328

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 328 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

فَلَمَّا أَرَدْتَ عِرْفانَ نَفْسِكَ أَظْهَرْتَ مَظْهَرًا مِنْ مَظاهِرِ أَمْرِكَ وَجَعَلْتَهُ آيَةَ ظُهُورِكَ بَيْنَ بَريَّتِكَ وَمَظْهَرَ غَيْبِكَ بَيْنَ خَلْقِكَ إِلى أَنِ انْتَهَتِ الظُّهُوراتُ بِالَّذِيْ جَعَلْتَهُ سُلْطَانًا عَلَى مَنْ فِي جَبَرُوتِ الأَمْرِ وَالخَلْقِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا مُقْتَدِرًا عَلَى مَنْ فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَواتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَجَعَلْتَهُ مُبَشِّرًا لِظُهُورِكَ الأَعْظَمِ وَطُلُوعِكَ الأَقْدَمِ، وَما كانَ مَقْصُودُكَ فِي ذلِكَ إِلاَّ بِأَنْ تَمْتَحِنَ مَظاهِرَ أَسْمائِكَ الحُسْنى بَيْنَ الأَرْضِ وَالسَّمآءِ وَأَمَرْتَهُ بِأَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَهْدَ نَفْسِهِ عَنْ كُلِّ الأَشْيآءِ، فَلَمَّا

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And when Thou didst purpose to make Thyself known unto men, Thou didst successively reveal the Manifestations of Thy Cause, and ordained each to be a sign of Thy Revelation among Thy people, and the Dayspring of Thine invisible Self amidst Thy creatures, until the time when, as decreed by Thee, all Thy previous Revelations culminated in Him Whom Thou hast appointed as the Lord of all who are in the heaven of revelation and the kingdom of creation, Him Whom Thou hast established as the Sovereign Lord of all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. He it was Whom Thou hast determined to be the Herald of Thy Most Great Revelation and the Announcer of Thy Most Ancient Splendor. In this Thou hadst no other purpose except to try them who have manifested Thy most excellent titles unto all who are in heaven and on earth. He it was Whom Thou hast commanded to establish His covenant with all created things.

Translation Notes

فَلَمَّا

l-m-m → “No sooner”

literal: when; as soon as; thereupon

أَرَدْتَ

r-w-d → “didst purpose” Distinctive

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

عِرْفانَ

ʿ-r-f → “known” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

نَفْسِكَ

n-f-s → “Thyself”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

أَظْهَرْتَ

ẓ-h-r → “didst successively reveal” Distinctive

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

مِنْ

m-n → “of”

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

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

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

وَجَعَلْتَهُ

j-ʿ-l → “ordained”

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

آيَةَ

ʾ-y-y → “sign”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “among”

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

بَريَّتِكَ

b-r-ʾ → “people”

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

غَيْبِكَ

gh-y-b → “invisible”

literal: the unseen; the invisible; the hidden; the unknowable; stranger; foreign; alien; separated

خَلْقِكَ

kh-l-q → “creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “until”

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

أَنِ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

انْتَهَتِ

n-h-y → “forbidden” Distinctive

literal: end, limit, utmost, extreme; final; the end, limit, utmost bound; Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing; end; limit; terminus

بِالَّذِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

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

سُلْطَانًا

s-l-ṭ → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “of all” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

جَبَرُوتِ

j-b-r → “heaven”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

وَمُهَيْمِنًا

h-m-n → “Thy” Distinctive

literal: Guardian; Preserver; Protector; Overseer

مُقْتَدِرًا

q-d-r → “Sovereign” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

مَلَكُوتِ

m-l-k → “heavens” Distinctive

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

السَّمَواتِ

s-m-w → “heavens”

literal: heaven; sky

وَالأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

مُبَشِّرًا

b-sh-r → “Herald”

literal: human; mankind; human nature

الأَعْظَمِ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

وَطُلُوعِكَ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

الأَقْدَمِ،

q-d-m → “Most Ancient”

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

وَما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

كانَ

k-w-n → “be”

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

مَقْصُودُكَ

q-ṣ-d → “purpose”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

ذلِكَ

dh-l-k → “this Thou”

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

literal: end; hereafter; other

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَمْتَحِنَ

m-ḥ-n → “trials” Distinctive

literal: test; trial; tested

الحُسْنى

ḥ-s-n → “most excellent”

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

يَأْخُذَ

ʾ-kh-dh → “laid hold” Distinctive

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

عَهْدَ

ʿ-h-d → “covenant”

literal: covenant; testament; promise; command

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “with” Distinctive

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الأَشْيآءِ،

sh-y-ʾ → “created things”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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