Prayers and Meditations — §472

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 472 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لَمْ أَدْرِ يا إِلهِي أَأَنْطِقُ بِبَدائِعِ ذِكْرِكَ بَيْنَ عِبادِكَ وَأُعَرِّفُهُمْ خَفِيَّاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَسْرَارِ أَمْرِكَ أَوْ أَجْعَلُ قَلْبِي وِعَاءَها، وَلَوْ أَنَّ المُحِبَّ لا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَسْمَعَ أَحَدٌ حَدِيثَ مَحْبُوبِهِ، وَلكِنْ لَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُكَ المُبْرَمُ بِإِظْهارِ أَمْرِكَ لا أَتَوَقَّفُ أَبَدًا وَأَذْكُرُكَ وَلَوْ تَنْزِلُ عَلَيَّ مِنْ سَحَابِ القَضَآءِ سِهَامُ البَلآءِ، فَوَعِز

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I know not, O my God, whether I should speak forth the wonders of Thy praise among Thy servants, and lay bare before them the secrets of Thy mercy and the mysteries of Thy Cause, or keep them wrapped up within the receptacle of my heart. Though the lover be loth to share with any one the intimate conversation of his beloved, yet at whatever time Thine inescapable commandment to declare Thy Cause reacheth me, I will unhesitatingly obey it. I would proclaim Thee, undeterred by the darts of affliction that may rain down upon me from the clouds of Thy decree.

Translation Notes

لَمْ

l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

أَدْرِ

d-r-y → “know”

literal: know; in; sea

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

أَأَنْطِقُ

n-ṭ-q → “speak forth”

literal: speak; speaking; spoke

بِبَدائِعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wonders”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

ذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “praise”

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

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “among”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَأُعَرِّفُهُمْ

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

خَفِيَّاتِ

kh-f-y → “conceal” Distinctive

literal: hiddenness, concealment, obscurity

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وَأَسْرَارِ

s-r-r → “mysteries”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

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

أَوْ

h-w-w → “or” Distinctive

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

أَجْعَلُ

j-ʿ-l → “make” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

قَلْبِي

q-l-b → “heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

وِعَاءَها،

w-ʿ-y → “retentive” Distinctive

literal: retentive; vessel, goblet; attentive

وَلَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: were it not for; if not for; save for

أَنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

المُحِبَّ

ḥ-b-b → “lover”

literal: love; affection

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَسْمَعَ

s-m-ʿ → “heard”

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

أَحَدٌ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “any one”

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

حَدِيثَ

ḥ-d-th → “traditions”

literal: events, occurrences, accidents, changes and chances

وَلكِنْ

l-k-n → “yet” Distinctive

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

لَمَّا

l-m-ʾ → “When”

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

جَاءَ

j-y-ʾ → “come”

literal: to come; to arrive; to happen

المُبْرَمُ

b-r-m → “irresistible”

literal: to bind firmly; compelling, irresistible, immovable

بِإِظْهارِ

ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

أَتَوَقَّفُ

w-q-f

literal: aware; standing; stopping

أَبَدًا

ʾ-b-d

literal: in place of; instead of; to change; to alter (preposition or verb stem)

تَنْزِلُ

n-z-l → “rain down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عَلَيَّ

ʿ-l-w → “upon” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

سَحَابِ

s-ḥ-b → “clouds”

literal: cloud; clouds

القَضَآءِ

q-ḍ-y → “decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

سِهَامُ

s-h-m → “darts”

literal: arrow; dart; shaft; portion; share

البَلآءِ،

b-l-w → “affliction” Distinctive

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

فَوَعِز

w-ʿ-z

literal: enjoin

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