Prayers and Meditations — §375

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 375 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ِلْقآءَ القِدَمِ، أَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّ تَوْحِيدَ المُوَحِّدِينَ وَمُنْتَهى ذِكْرِ العارِفِينَ يَرْجِعُ إِلى مَقَرِّ الَّذِيْ خُلِقَ مِنْ قَلَمِ أَمْرِكَ وَذُوِّتَ بِإِرادَتِكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ يا مَحْبُوبَ البَهآءِ وَخالِقَ البَهآءِ لا يَرَى البَهآءُ لِنَفْسِهِ إِلاَّ العَجْزَ عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ عَلَى ما يَنْبَغِيْ لِعَظَمَتِكَ وَإِجْلالِكَ، لَمَّا كانَ الأَمْرُ كذلِكَ أَسْئَلُكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ الَّتِيْ سَبَقَتِ الكائِناتِ وَفَضْلِكَ الَّذِيْ أَحاطَ المُمْكِناتِ بِأَنْ تَقْبَلَ مِنْ عِبادِكَ ما يَظْهَرُ مِنْهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِكَ، ثُمَّ أَيِّدْهُمْ عَلَى إِعْلآءِ كَلِمَتِكَ وَانْتِشارِ ذِكْرِكَ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I bear witness that the highest thoughts of all such as adore Thy unity, and the profoundest contemplations of all them that have recognized Thee, are but the product of what hath been generated through the movement of the Pen of Thy behest, and hath been begotten by Thy will. I swear by Thy glory, O Thou Who art the Beloved of my soul and the Fountain of my life! I am persuaded of my powerlessness to describe and extol Thee in a manner that becometh the greatness of Thy glory and the excellence of Thy majesty. Aware as I am of this, I beseech Thee, by Thy mercy that hath surpassed all created things, and Thy grace that hath embraced the entire creation, to accept from Thy servants what they are capable of showing forth in Thy path. Aid them, then, by Thy strengthening grace, to exalt Thy word and to blazon Thy praise.

Translation Notes

ِلْقآءَ

l-q-y

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

القِدَمِ،

q-d-m

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

أَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “I bear witness”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنَّ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَوْحِيدَ

w-ḥ-d → “unity”

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

وَمُنْتَهى

n-h-y → “forbidden” Distinctive

literal: stinking, foul-smelling; stench

ذِكْرِ

dh-k-r → “mention”

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

العارِفِينَ

ʿ-r-f → “all them that have recognized”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

يَرْجِعُ

r-j-ʿ → “return”

literal: return; reference; place of return; resort

إِلى

ʾ-l-y

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

مَقَرِّ

q-r-r → “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: matter; affair; thing

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “that” Distinctive

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

خُلِقَ

kh-l-q → “hath been generated” Distinctive

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

قَلَمِ

q-l-m → “Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “of Thy behest” Distinctive

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

وَذُوِّتَ

dh-w-t → “Essence” Distinctive

literal: essence; essence, self; essence/self

بِإِرادَتِكَ،

r-w-d → “by Thy will”

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “I swear by Thy glory”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

مَحْبُوبَ

ḥ-b-b → “Beloved”

literal: love; affection

البَهآءِ

b-h-w → “the All-Glorious” Distinctive

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَرَى

r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest” Distinctive

literal: ability; capability; capacity

لِنَفْسِهِ

n-f-s → “souls”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r

literal: end; hereafter; other

العَجْزَ

ʿ-j-z

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence; أعجاز (roots of trees/extremities) is Pattern II plural, distinct from ‘inability’ forms

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “to”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

وَثَنائِكَ

th-n-y → “and extol Thee” Distinctive

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

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

يَنْبَغِيْ

n-b-gh

literal: it is proper; it is fitting; it is necessary; it behooves

لِعَظَمَتِكَ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “greatness of Thy glory” Distinctive

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

وَإِجْلالِكَ،

j-l-l → “majesty”

literal: majesty; glory; exaltation; magnificence

لَمَّا

l-m-ʾ

literal: when; certainly-not; when, since

كانَ

k-w-n → “am” Distinctive

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

كذلِكَ

dh-l-k

literal: thus; likewise; also

أَسْئَلُكَ

s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee”

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

بِرَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “by Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l

literal: who; which/that; which

سَبَقَتِ

s-b-q → “that hath surpassed”

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

وَفَضْلِكَ

f-ḍ-l → “and Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

أَحاطَ

ḥ-w-ṭ → “hath embraced” Distinctive

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

المُمْكِناتِ

m-k-n → “the entire creation”

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

تَقْبَلَ

q-b-l → “accept”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

يَظْهَرُ

ẓ-h-r → “showing forth” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

سَبِيلِكَ،

s-b-l → “Thy path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أَيِّدْهُمْ

ʾ-y-d → “Aid them”

literal: to support, assist, strengthen, confirm; to support; to assist; to strengthen; to aid; confirmation; support; strengthening

كَلِمَتِكَ

k-l-m → “Thy word”

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

وَانْتِشارِ

n-sh-r → “spreading”

literal: to scatter; to spread; to unfold; to disseminate

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t

literal: you (masculine singular)

المُقْتَدِرُ

q-d-r

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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