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
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §80: Everything celebratethgleaningsGWB §557: hymns of glorykitab-i-iqanKIQ §16: beneath the veilprayers-and-meditationsP&M §149: Praise be to Theetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §54: Glorified be He thatthe-hidden-wordsHW §89: from on highepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §235: laudgleaningsGWB §48: the impediments
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §245: gracegleaningsGWB §560: iskitab-i-iqanKIQ §28: God but their own desireprayers-and-meditationsP&M §371: O my Godthe-hidden-wordsHW §147: celestialwill-and-testamentW&T §18: of the Lordepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §206: GodheadgleaningsGWB §563: Divine mercy
This form usually rendered as “remembrance”, “mention”, “praise” (252 occurrences)
remembrance 25% mention 22% praise 20% mentioned 8% recorded 4% describe 4% remember 4% remembering 4% referred 4% words 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §166: aforementionedgleaningsGWB §257: remindkitab-i-ahdAhd §4: reckonedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §86: of the wordsprayers-and-meditationsP&M §154: to declaretablet-of-ahmadAhmad §6: utter His calltablet-of-carmelCarmel §3: proclaimeththe-hidden-wordsHW §44: Make mention of Me
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §64: the PeerlessgleaningsGWB §206: so wondrouskitab-i-iqanKIQ §271: Divineprayers-and-meditationsP&M §850: the wondrous tokensthe-hidden-wordsHW §38: fromwill-and-testamentW&T §2: most wondrousepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §147: the FirstgleaningsGWB §569: the wonders
This form usually rendered as “withhold”, “have”, “hindered” (77 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §244: obscuregleaningsGWB §80: can obscurekitab-i-iqanKIQ §58: withhold the handprayers-and-meditationsP&M §834: prevent metablet-of-ahmadAhmad §9: arise against theethe-hidden-wordsHW §157: goodlywill-and-testamentW&T §23: are in no wise permittedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §92: may withhold
This form usually rendered as “advancement”, “attained”, “spiritual” (7 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §48: laddergleaningsGWB §453: untilkitab-i-iqanKIQ §196: soaredprayers-and-meditationsP&M §779: adequately describeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §8: have ascendedgleaningsGWB §394: promotionprayers-and-meditationsP&M §441: hath ascendedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §227: advancement
SE expanded to “of Thy knowledge”
knowledge 74% wisdom 6% recognize 3% comprehend 3% immeasurable 3% sublime 3% known 3% witness 3% know 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §175: acquaintedgleaningsGWB §118: knownkitab-i-ahdAhd §13: perform praiseworthy deedskitab-i-iqanKIQ §29: knowledge of Godprayers-and-meditationsP&M §442: and wisdomtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §12: to seethe-hidden-wordsHW §143: knoweth othersepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §14: promoting the knowledge
SE rendered الارْتِقآءِ (ar-rtiqáʾ), سَمآءِ (samáʾ), عِرفانِكَ (ʿirfánik), وَكُلَّ (wakull), ثَنآءٍ (thanáʾin), جَمِيلٍ (jamílin), مُنِعَ (muniʿ) as “ascend, the heaven, of Thy knowledge, no, praise, transcendent, can”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §102: with the crowngleaningsGWB §617: them, one and allkitab-i-ahdAhd §12: everyonekitab-i-iqanKIQ §151: His all-embracingprayers-and-meditationsP&M §265: all the multitudestablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §12: bethe-hidden-wordsHW §13: naughtwill-and-testamentW&T §34: in utter falsehood
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: Thy celebrationgleaningsGWB §117: praisekitab-i-iqanKIQ §151: “Secondaryprayers-and-meditationsP&M §55: to extol Thy virtuesepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §143: SecondarilygleaningsGWB §46: celebrate His praiseprayers-and-meditationsP&M §8: celebrate Thy praiseepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §6: to glorify Thee
This form usually rendered as “beneficent”, “beauteous”, “seemly” (12 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §102: of His beautygleaningsGWB §594: an ornamentkitab-i-ahdAhd §14: Graciouskitab-i-iqanKIQ §207: charmprayers-and-meditationsP&M §856: of Thinetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §28: her beautythe-hidden-wordsHW §68: and by My beautywill-and-testamentW&T §3: One of them
SE rendered ثَنآءٍ (thanáʾin), جَمِيلٍ (jamílin), مُنِعَ (muniʿ), الصُّعُودِ (aṣ-ṣuʿúd), هوآءِ (húáʾ), عِلْمِكَ، (ʿilmika،) as “praise, transcendent, can, to, of Thy wisdom”
This form usually rendered as “atmosphere”, “heights”, “heaven” (30 occurrences)
atmosphere 38% heights 19% heaven 10% firmament 5% immensity 5% limitless 5% heavens 5% wisdom 5% sublimities 5% wings 5%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §135: the atmospherefire-tabletFire §21: passiongleaningsGWB §450: their corrupt desireskitab-i-iqanKIQ §224: guidanceprayers-and-meditationsP&M §112: prompted by their desiresthe-hidden-wordsHW §39: thou desirestwill-and-testamentW&T §36: my spiritepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §8: desire
SE rendered الصُّعُودِ (aṣ-ṣuʿúd), هوآءِ (húáʾ), عِلْمِكَ، (ʿilmika،), تَزَلْ (tazal), مُقَدَّسًا (muqaddasan) as “to, of Thy wisdom, Thou hast been, removed far above”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §58: knowledge of Godfire-tabletFire §49: all the worldsgleaningsGWB §715: world,”kitab-i-iqanKIQ §7: shallprayers-and-meditationsP&M §308: Teach themtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §17: of all the worldstablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §13: we have taught theethe-hidden-wordsHW §14: seekest thou enlightenment
SE expanded to “Thou hast been”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §58: eliminategleaningsGWB §605: hath always ordainedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §142: immortalprayers-and-meditationsP&M §196: wilt unto everlasting remainthe-hidden-wordsHW §55: fleetingwill-and-testamentW&T §24: may vanishepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §266: eventidegleaningsGWB §669: hath ever been
This form usually rendered as “sanctified”, “exalted”, “holy” (158 occurrences)
sanctified 30% exalted 18% holy 16% immeasurably 10% sacred 9% sanctify 7% purged 3% blessed 2% pure 2% transcendeth 2%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §223: sanctified be HisgleaningsGWB §557: praisekitab-i-iqanKIQ §14: of gloryprayers-and-meditationsP&M §362: thoroughly purgetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §26: Celestial Concoursethe-hidden-wordsHW §151: purgingepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §229: the Holy SpiritgleaningsGWB §726: undefiled
SE expanded to “comprehension of Thy servants”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §19: them that serve Himfire-tabletFire §49: AdoredgleaningsGWB §122: Servants.”kitab-i-iqanKIQ §157: the people ofprayers-and-meditationsP&M §224: who aretablet-of-ahmadAhmad §15: a servicethe-hidden-wordsHW §56: Our servantswill-and-testamentW&T §36: this Thy servant
This form usually rendered as “stainless”, “most”, “sanctified” (6 occurrences)
SE expanded to “and immeasurably exalted”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §172: sanctifiedfire-tabletFire §31: ThygleaningsGWB §546: incorruptiblekitab-i-iqanKIQ §204: purifyprayers-and-meditationsP&M §830: and holythe-hidden-wordsHW §57: thy freedomwill-and-testamentW&T §21: detachedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §64: the purity of Thine Essence
This form usually rendered as “description”, “praise”, “describing” (33 occurrences)
description 24% praise 24% describing 12% applicable 6% described 6% character 6% eulogy 6% extol 6% glory 6% notion 6%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §5: the descriptiongleaningsGWB §387: applicablekitab-i-iqanKIQ §86: clothed themselvesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §315: gloryepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §13: AttributesgleaningsGWB §94: These attributeskitab-i-iqanKIQ §86: eulogyprayers-and-meditationsP&M §601: succeed in describing
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §198: My rankgleaningsGWB §711: Such must be thy steadfastnesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §146: concerningprayers-and-meditationsP&M §293: the noise and distractionthe-hidden-wordsHW §68: My stateepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §158: the peoplegleaningsGWB §496: to beprayers-and-meditationsP&M §210: have remained unshaken
lack 21% nothingness 16% evanescent 11% utter 11% ignorance 11% want 11% none 5% innocence 5% naught 5% destitute 5%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §33: innocencegleaningsGWB §669: of utter nothingnesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §184: destroyedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §374: shadowy creaturewill-and-testamentW&T §5: brought to naught.”epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §66: evanescentgleaningsGWB §106: nothingnesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §59: been born
