Prayers and Meditations — §336

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 336 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

َالأَرَضِينَ يا مَنْ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ انْصَعَقَتِ المُمْكِناتُ وَتَفَرَّقَتْ أَرْكانُها وَبِكَلِمَةٍ أُخْرى اجْتَمَعَتْ وَرُكِّبَ كُلُّ جُزْءٍ بِالْجُزْءِ الآخَرِ، سُبْحَانَكَ يا مَنْ كُنْتَ قادِرًا عَلَى مَنْ فِي السَّمَواتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمُقْتَدِرًا عَلَى مَنْ فِي جَبَرُوتِ الأَمْرِ وَالْخَلْقِ، لَيْسَ لَكَ شِبْهٌ فِي الإِبْداعِ وَلا مِثْلٌ فِي الاخْتِراعِ، ما عَرَفَكَ نَفْسٌ وَما بَلَغَ إِلَيْكَ أَحَدٌ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ لَوْ يَطِيرُ أَحَدٌ بِأَجْنِحَةِ الغَيْبِ وَالشُّهُودِ فِي هَوآءِ عِرْفانِكَ بِدَوامِ نَفْسِكَ لَنْ يَقْدِرَ أَنْ يَتَجاوَزَ مِنَ الحُدُوداتِ الكَوْنِيَّةِ، مَنْ كانَ شَأْنُهُ هذا كَيْفَ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَطِيرَ فِي هَوآءِ عِزِّ اَحَدِيَّتِكَ، إِنَّ العارِفَ مَنْ أَقَرَّ بِالعَجْزِ وَاعْتَرَفَ بِالذَّنْبِ لأنَّ الوُجُودَ لَوْ يُذْكرُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou, in Whose hands is the empire of whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth, Thou, Who through but one word of Thy mouth, caused all things to expire and dissolve asunder, and Who, by yet another word, caused whatever had been separated to be combined and reunited! Magnified be Thy name, O Thou Who hast power over all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth, Whose dominion embraceth whatsoever is in the heaven of Thy Revelation and the kingdom of Thy creation. None can equal Thee in Thy created realms; none can compare with Thee in the universe Thou hast fashioned. The mind of no one hath comprehended Thee, and the aspiration of no soul hath reached Thee. I swear by Thy might! Were any one to soar, on whatever wings, as long as Thine own Being endureth, throughout the immensity of Thy knowledge, he would still be powerless to transgress the bounds which the contingent world hath set for him. How can, then, such a man aspire to wing his flight into the atmosphere of Thy most exalted presence?

Translation Notes

َالأَرَضِينَ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

مَنْ

m-n → “Who” Distinctive

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

بِكَلِمَةٍ

k-l-m → “one word”

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

عِنْدِكَ

ʿ-n-d → “Thy mouth” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

انْصَعَقَتِ

ṣ-ʿ-q → “dumbfounded”

literal: to be thunderstruck; to be dumbfounded; to swoon

المُمْكِناتُ

m-k-n

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

وَتَفَرَّقَتْ

f-r-q → “separation” Distinctive

literal: faction; sect; group; company

أَرْكانُها

r-k-n

literal: pillar; cornerstone; support; fundamental element; limb; member

أُخْرى

ʾ-kh-r

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

اجْتَمَعَتْ

j-m-ʿ → “all” Distinctive

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

وَرُكِّبَ

r-k-b → “perpetrated”

literal: to ride; to commit; to undertake; composition; combination; structure

كُلُّ

k-l-l → “whatever” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

جُزْءٍ

j-z-ʾ

literal: part; portion; component; section; volume

بِالْجُزْءِ

j-z-ʾ

literal: part; portion; component; section; volume

الآخَرِ،

ʾ-kh-r

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Glorified, immeasurably glorified”

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

كُنْتَ

k-w-n → “hast” Distinctive

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

قادِرًا

q-d-r → “power”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “over” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

السَّمَواتِ

s-m-w → “the heavens”

literal: heaven; sky

وَالأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “on earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

جَبَرُوتِ

j-b-r → “heaven”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

الأَمْرِ

ʾ-m-r → “Thy Revelation”

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

وَالْخَلْقِ،

kh-l-q → “Thy creation”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

لَيْسَ

l-y-s → “is not”

literal: is not; to be not

لَكَ

literal: for us; to us

شِبْهٌ

sh-b-h → “equal” Distinctive

literal: doubt; uncertainty; suspicion; resemblance; semblance

الإِبْداعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous” Distinctive

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

وَلا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: no; not; negation particle

مِثْلٌ

m-th-l → “as”

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

الاخْتِراعِ،

kh-r-ʿ → “creation”

literal: west; the western region

ما

m-ʾ → “no” Distinctive

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

عَرَفَكَ

ʿ-r-f → “comprehended” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

نَفْسٌ

n-f-s → “one” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

بَلَغَ

b-l-gh → “hath reached” Distinctive

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

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y

literal: one; a single

أَحَدٌ،

ʾ-ḥ-d → “one”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “I swear by Thy might”

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

لَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

يَطِيرُ

ṭ-y-r → “soar”

literal: bird; birds; flying creature; flying; flight

بِأَجْنِحَةِ

j-n-ḥ → “whatever wings”

literal: wing; side; shelter; protection

الغَيْبِ

gh-y-b

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

وَالشُّهُودِ

sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

هَوآءِ

h-w-y → “atmosphere”

literal: air; atmosphere; void

بِدَوامِ

d-w-m → “as long as”

literal: always; continually; perpetually; constantly

لَنْ

l-n → “neither”

literal: will not (negation of future)

أَنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يَتَجاوَزَ

j-w-z

literal: permissible; allowed; possible; fair; lawful

الحُدُوداتِ

ḥ-d-d → “the bounds” Distinctive

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

شَأْنُهُ

sh-ʾ-n

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

هذا

h-dh-ʾ

literal: this; that

كَيْفَ

k-y-f → “How”

literal: how; in what manner

أَقَرَّ

q-r-r

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

بِالعَجْزِ

ʿ-j-z

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

بِالذَّنْبِ

dh-n-b

literal: sin; crime; offense; fault

لأنَّ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

الوُجُودَ

w-j-d

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

يُذْكرُ

dh-k-r

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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