Prayers and Meditations — §531

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 531 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

سْفَلِ النِّيرانِ، وَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ المُقْتَدِرُ عَلَى ما تَشآءُ وَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ العَزِيْزُ الحَكِيمُ فَوَعِزَّتِكَ يا إِلهِي كُلَّما أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَكَ يَمْنَعُنِيْ عُلُوُّكَ وَاقْتِدارُكَ، وَكُلَّما أُرِيْدُ أَنْ أَصْمُتَ يُنْطِقُنِي حُبُّكَ وَإِرادَتُكَ، فَيَا إِلهِي إِنَّ المِسْكينَ يَدْعُو مَوْلاهُ الغَنِيَّ وَالعَاجِزَ يَذْكُرُ مَوْلاهُ القَوِيَّ، إِنْ قَبِلَ مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ خَيْرُ مُعْطٍ، وَإِنْ أَطْرَدَهُ إِنَّهُ خَيْرُ عادِلٍ، وَالمَقْبُولُ يا إِلهِي مَنْ أَقْبَلَ إِلَيْكَ وَالمَحْرُومُ مَنْ غَفَلَ عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ فِي أَيَّامِكَ طُوبى لِمَنْ ذاقَ حَلاوَةَ ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ إِنَّهُ لا يَمْنَعُهُ شَيْءٌ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلى مَناهِجِ رِضائِكَ وَمَسالِكَ أَمْرِكَ وَلَوْ يُحارِبُهُ مَنْ عَلَى الأَرْضِ كُلُّها، فَانْظُرْ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The glory of Thy might, O my God, beareth me witness! Every time I attempt to remember Thee, I find myself over-powered by the sublimity of Thy station and the immensity of Thy might; and every time I hold my peace, lo, I am impelled by my love for Thee and by the potency of Thy will, to unloose my tongue and mention Thee. He who is poor and needy, O my God, is calling for his Lord, the All-Possessing; and he who is destitute of all strength remembereth his Master, the All-Powerful. If He deign to accept His servant’s supplication, He is, verily, of unsurpassed bounteousness; and if He cast him out, He is of those who judge equitably the best. He indeed is acceptable, O my God, who hath set his face towards Thee, and he is truly deprived who hath been careless of the remembrance of Thee in Thy days. Blessed is he that hath tasted of the sweetness of Thy remembrance and praise. Nothing, not even the arising of all the peoples of the whole world to assail him, can hinder such a man from directing his steps towards the paths of Thy pleasure and the ways of Thy Cause.

Translation Notes

سْفَلِ

s-f-l

literal: to lower; abase; the lower part

النِّيرانِ،

n-y-r

literal: fires; blazes; luminary; celestial body; light-giver

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t

literal: you (masculine singular)

المُقْتَدِرُ

q-d-r → “might”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

ما

m-ʾ

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

تَشآءُ

sh-y-ʾ → “will”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

الحَكِيمُ

ḥ-k-m

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “O my God”

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

كُلَّما

k-l-l → “Every time”

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

أُرِيدُ

r-y-d → “desire” Distinctive

literal: to will; to intend; to wish; will, volition, intention, desire

أَنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَذْكُرَكَ

dh-k-r → “remember Thee” Distinctive

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

يَمْنَعُنِيْ

m-n-ʿ → “hinder”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

عُلُوُّكَ

ʿ-l-w → “sublimity”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أَصْمُتَ

ṣ-m-t → “silent” Distinctive

literal: silent; be silent; silence

يُنْطِقُنِي

n-ṭ-q → “spoken” Distinctive

literal: speak; speaking; spoke

حُبُّكَ

ḥ-b-b → “my love for Thee”

literal: love; affection

وَإِرادَتُكَ،

r-w-d

literal: to intend; to will; to desire

المِسْكينَ

m-s-k → “poor”

literal: stillness, rest, quietude, tranquility

يَدْعُو

d-ʿ-w → “summoned” Distinctive

literal: call; invitation; claim

مَوْلاهُ

w-l-y → “his Lord”

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

الغَنِيَّ

gh-n-y → “the All-Possessing”

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

وَالعَاجِزَ

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

القَوِيَّ،

q-w-y → “the All-Powerful”

literal: strength; power; might; piety; fear of God; godliness

قَبِلَ

q-b-l → “He deign to accept” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

مِنْهُ

m-n → “from”

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

إِنَّهُ

ʾ-n-n → “He is, verily”

literal: I, verily; behold I

خَيْرُ

kh-y-r → “good”

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

مُعْطٍ،

ʿ-ṭ-y → “bounteousness” Distinctive

literal: giver; give; bounty

وَإِنْ

ʾ-n-n → “and if”

literal: I, verily; behold I

أَطْرَدَهُ

ṭ-r-d → “He cast him out”

literal: expel; drive away; expelled

عادِلٍ،

ʿ-d-l → “justice”

literal: justice; equity

إِلَيْكَ

ʾ-l-y → “towards Thee” Distinctive

literal: one; a single

وَالمَحْرُومُ

ḥ-r-m → “and he is truly deprived”

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

غَفَلَ

gh-f-l → “hath been careless” Distinctive

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “of”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَيَّامِكَ

y-w-m → “Thy days”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

طُوبى

ṭ-w-b → “Blessed is”

literal: happiness; blessedness; felicity

ذاقَ

dh-w-q → “hath tasted”

literal: to taste; taste, flavor

حَلاوَةَ

ḥ-l-w → “of the sweetness”

literal: sweetest; most sweet; most pleasant

وَثَنائِكَ

th-n-y → “and praise”

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

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

التَّوَجُّهِ

w-j-h → “directing his steps” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

مَناهِجِ

n-h-j → “paths”

literal: ways; paths; way

رِضائِكَ

r-ḍ-y → “of Thy pleasure”

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction; satisfaction; pleasure; approval; contentment

وَمَسالِكَ

s-l-k → “walk” Distinctive

literal: conduct; walk; traveler

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “of Thy Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وَلَوْ

l-w → “If”

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

يُحارِبُهُ

ḥ-r-b → “contended”

literal: fight; war; warfare

الأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “the whole world” Distinctive

literal: earth; land; ground; country

فَانْظُرْ

n-ẓ-r

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Gleanings

Bahá’u’lláh

A compilation of 166 selections from Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets, spanning the Baghdad, Adrianople, and ‘Akká periods (1853–1892). George Townshend assisted with English refinement. Shoghi Effendi wrote that it gives the friends a splendid opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of the Faith.

729 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

Bahá’u’lláh

The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶