Prayers and Meditations — §463

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 463 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

إِلَيْكَ وَأَقُولُ يا قَوْمِ فَانْظُرُوا بِمَا عِنْدَكُمْ مِنْ آياتِ اللَّهِ رَبِّكُمْ وَبِما نُزِّلَ مِنْ سَمَاءِ المَشِيَّةِ وَالاقْتِدَارِ يَعتَرِضُونَ عَلَيْكَ وَيُعْرِضُونَ عَنْكَ بَعْدَ الَّذِيْ أَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ بِأَنَّ كُلَّ كَلِمَةٍ مِنْ كَلِمَاتِ الَّتِيْ خَرَجَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I know, O my Lord, neither their reasoning with which they have acknowledged Thee and believed in Thy signs, nor their argument whereby they have repudiated Thy sovereignty. Every time I call them to Thee and say: “O people! Consider the utterances of the Lord your God which are in your possession and those that have been sent down from the heaven of His will and power,” they cavil at Thee, and turn their backs to Thee, though—as Thou art aware—each of the words that have gone out of the mouth of Thy will sheddeth the fragrance of the breaths of Thy mercy.

Translation Notes

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y → “towards” Distinctive

literal: one; a single

وَأَقُولُ

q-w-l → “say”

literal: little; few; scanty; small in quantity

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

قَوْمِ

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

فَانْظُرُوا

n-ẓ-r → “Consider”

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

بِمَا

m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

عِنْدَكُمْ

ʿ-n-d → “in your possession”

literal: vessel; container; circumstance; adroitness

مِنْ

m-n → “of”

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

آياتِ

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof

اللَّهِ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

رَبِّكُمْ

r-b-b → “Lord your”

literal: Lord; Master; Sustainer; Cherisher

وَبِما

m-w-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

نُزِّلَ

n-z-l → “sent down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

سَمَاءِ

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

المَشِيَّةِ

sh-y-ʾ → “will”

literal: way; manner; gait; to walk

وَالاقْتِدَارِ

q-d-r → “power,””

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

يَعتَرِضُونَ

ʿ-r-ḍ → “cavil at”

literal: objection, protest, denial; cavil

عَلَيْكَ

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

عَنْكَ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

بَعْدَ

b-ʿ-d

literal: after; behind; distance

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y

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

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

تَعْلَمُ

ʿ-l-m → “art aware—each” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بِأَنَّ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

كُلَّ

k-l-l

literal: for us; to us

كَلِمَةٍ

k-l-m → “words”

literal: words; utterances; locutions

كَلِمَاتِ

k-l-m

literal: words; utterances; locutions

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “that” Distinctive

literal: who; which/that; which

خَرَجَ

kh-r-j → “have gone out” Distinctive

literal: bringing out, taking out, expulsion, extraction

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶