Prayers and Meditations — §523

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 523 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سُبْحَانَكَ يا إِلهِي تَرَى كَيْفَ ابْتُلِيْتُ بَيْنَ عِبادِكَ وَما وَرَد عَلَيَّ فِي سَبِيلِكَ، أَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ بِأَنِّي ما تَكَلَّمْتُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِكَ وَما يُفَكُّ شَفَتَائِي إِلاَّ بِأمْرِكَ وَإِرادَتِكَ، وَما تَنَفَّسْتُ إِلاَّ بِذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ وَما دَعَوْتُ الكُلَّ إِلاَّ إِلى ما دَعَا بِهِ أَصْفِيائُكَ فِي أَزَلِ الآزالِ، وَمَا أَمَرْتُهُمْ إِلاَّ بِما يُقَرِّبُهُمْ إِلى مَشْرِقِ عِنايَتِكَ وَمَطْلَعِ أَلْطافِكَ وَأُفُقِ غَنائِكَ وَمَظْهَرِ وَحْيِكَ وَإِلْهامِكَ، وَأَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ يا إِلهِي بِأَنِّي ما قَصَّرْتُ فِي أَمْرِكَ، أَرْسَلْتُ فِي كُلِّ الأَحْيانِ نَفَحَاتِ وَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lauded be Thy name, O my God! Thou seest how I have been sorely vexed among Thy servants, and beholdest the things that have befallen me in Thy path. Thou knowest full well that I have not spoken a word but by Thy leave, that my lips have never been opened except at Thy bidding and in accordance with Thy pleasure, that every breath I have breathed hath been animated with Thy praise and Thy remembrance, that I have summoned all men to naught else except that whereunto Thy chosen ones have through all eternity been summoned, and that I have bidden them observe only the things that would draw them nearer unto the Dayspring of Thy loving-kindness, and the Dawning-Place of Thy favors, and the Horizon of Thy riches, and the Manifestation of Thine inspiration and Thy revelation.

Translation Notes

سُبْحَانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Lauded be Thy name”

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

تَرَى

r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

كَيْفَ

k-y-f → “how”

literal: how; in what manner

ابْتُلِيْتُ

b-l-w → “tribulations” Distinctive

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “among”

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

عِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

وَما

m-ʾ → “and” Distinctive

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

وَرَد

w-r-d → “have befallen”

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

عَلَيَّ

ʿ-l-w → “me” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

فِي

f-y → “in accordance with”

literal: in; in-it; in it

سَبِيلِكَ،

s-b-l → “in Thy path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

تَعْلَمُ

ʿ-l-m → “beholdest” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بِأَنِّي

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

تَكَلَّمْتُ

k-l-m → “I have not spoken” Distinctive

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

إِلاَّ

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

بِإِذْنِكَ

ʾ-dh-n → “by Thy leave”

literal: ear; permission; leave; to permit; to allow; to listen

يُفَكُّ

f-k-k → “opened the seal” Distinctive

literal: separated; open; unsealed/opened

شَفَتَائِي

sh-f-h → “my lips”

literal: lips; lip

بِأمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “at Thy bidding” Distinctive

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

وَإِرادَتِكَ،

r-w-d → “desire” Distinctive

literal: to intend; to will; to desire

تَنَفَّسْتُ

n-f-s → “every breath I have breathed”

literal: self; soul; souls

بِذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “Thy praise and Thy remembrance”

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

وَثَنائِكَ

th-n-y

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

دَعَوْتُ

d-ʿ-w → “I have summoned”

literal: to let, allow, leave

الكُلَّ

k-l-l → “all men”

literal: for us; to us

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

literal: to; to, toward; to, until

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

أَصْفِيائُكَ

ṣ-f-w → “Thy chosen ones”

literal: pure one; chosen one; selected one; elite

أَزَلِ

ʾ-z-l → “through all eternity” Distinctive

literal: eternity; pre-eternity; without beginning; eternal; everlasting; from eternity

يُقَرِّبُهُمْ

q-r-b → “would draw them nearer” Distinctive

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

مَشْرِقِ

sh-r-q → “Dayspring”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

عِنايَتِكَ

ʿ-n-y → “of Thy loving-kindness”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

وَمَطْلَعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dawning-Place”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

أَلْطافِكَ

l-ṭ-f → “of Thy favors”

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

وَأُفُقِ

ʾ-f-q → “Horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

غَنائِكَ

gh-n-y → “of Thy riches”

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with

وَمَظْهَرِ

ẓ-h-r → “Manifestation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

وَحْيِكَ

w-ḥ-y → “Thy revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

وَإِلْهامِكَ،

l-h-m → “Thine inspiration”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

قَصَّرْتُ

q-ṣ-r

literal: shortcoming; negligence; falling short; to be deficient

أَرْسَلْتُ

r-s-l

literal: to send; sent

الأَحْيانِ

ḥ-y-n

literal: greeting; salutation; tribute; to make alive; to revive

نَفَحَاتِ

n-f-ḥ

literal: breeze; fragrance; whiff; breath; emanation

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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