Prayers and Meditations — §374

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 374 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ يا إِلهِي أَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّ كُلَّ ذِكْرٍ بَدِيعٍ مُنِعَ عَنِ الارْتِقآءِ إِلى سَمآءِ عِرفانِكَ وَكُلَّ ثَنآءٍ جَمِيلٍ مُنِعَ عَنِ الصُّعُودِ إِلى هوآءِ عِلْمِكَ، لَمْ تَزَلْ كُنْتَ مُقَدَّسًا عَمَّا عِنْدَ عِبادِكَ وَمُنَزَّهًا عَنْ وَصْفِ أَرِقَّائِكَ، ما شَأْنُ العَدَمِ لِيُذْكرَ ت

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lauded be Thy name, O my God! I testify that no thought of Thee, howsoever wondrous, can ever ascend into the heaven of Thy knowledge, and no praise of Thee, no matter how transcendent, can soar up to the atmosphere of Thy wisdom. From eternity Thou hast been removed far above the reach and the ken of the comprehension of Thy servants, and immeasurably exalted above the strivings of Thy bondslaves to express Thy mystery. What power can the shadowy creature claim to possess when face to face with Him Who is the Uncreated?

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Lauded be”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

أَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “I testify”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنَّ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

كُلَّ

k-l-l → “no” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

ذِكْرٍ

dh-k-r → “mention”

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

بَدِيعٍ

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

مُنِعَ

m-n-ʿ → “can” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الارْتِقآءِ

r-q-y → “ascend” Distinctive

literal: raise them; promote them; heal them; ascension; elevation; rise

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

سَمآءِ

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

عِرفانِكَ

ʿ-r-f → “of Thy knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

ثَنآءٍ

th-n-y → “praise”

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy

جَمِيلٍ

j-m-l → “Beauty” Distinctive

literal: beauty; comeliness

الصُّعُودِ

ṣ-ʿ-d → “to” Distinctive

literal: ascent; ascension; rising; elevation

هوآءِ

h-w-y → “desires” Distinctive

literal: air; atmosphere; void

عِلْمِكَ،

ʿ-l-m

literal: world; universe; the worlds

لَمْ

l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

تَزَلْ

z-w-l → “Thou hast been” Distinctive

literal: cease; to cease; decline

كُنْتَ

k-w-n

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

مُقَدَّسًا

q-d-s → “removed far above” Distinctive

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d → “of” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “comprehension of Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَمُنَزَّهًا

n-z-h → “and immeasurably exalted” Distinctive

literal: exalted; sanctified; free from; removed from

وَصْفِ

w-ṣ-f → “attributes” Distinctive

literal: to describe, characterize; description

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

شَأْنُ

sh-ʾ-n → “in such wise”

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

العَدَمِ

ʿ-d-m → “nothingness”

literal: nonexistent; void; nullified