Prayers and Meditations — §584

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 584 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ِبادِكَ كَيْفَ يَلِيقانِ لِساحَةِ أَحَدِيَّتِكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ عَجِزَتْ كَيْنُونَةُ العِرْفانِ عَنْ عِرْفانِ نَفْسِكَ، وَقَصَرَتْ ذاتِيَّةُ الأَذْكارِ عَنْ بِساطِ عِزِّكَ وَجَبَّارِيَّتِكَ كُلُّ ما يُذْكَرُ بِالبَيانِ أَوْ يُدْرَكَ بِالعِرْفانِ إِنَّهُ وَصْفُ خَلْقِكَ وَكانَ مَخْلُوقًا بِمَشِيَّتِكَ وَمَجْعُولاً بِإِرادَتِكَ،

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I swear by Thy glory! The quintessence of knowledge is powerless to comprehend Thy nature, and the inmost reality of every praise of Thee falleth short of the seat of Thy great glory and of Thine all-compelling power. Every utterance that seeketh to describe Thee, and every knowledge that attempteth to comprehend Thee, is but an expression of Thine own creating, and is begotten by Thy will, and fashioned in conformity with Thy purpose.

Translation Notes

ِبادِكَ

ʿ-b-d

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

كَيْفَ

k-y-f

literal: how; in what manner

يَلِيقانِ

l-y-q

literal: worthy, befitting, appropriate, suitable

لِساحَةِ

s-ḥ-ḥ

literal: court; plaza; courtyard; open space; domain; presence

أَحَدِيَّتِكَ،

ʾ-ḥ-d

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “I swear by Thy glory”

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

عَجِزَتْ

ʿ-j-z → “is powerless” Distinctive

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence

كَيْنُونَةُ

k-w-n → “quintessence” Distinctive

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

العِرْفانِ

ʿ-r-f → “of knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

نَفْسِكَ،

n-f-s → “Thy nature” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَقَصَرَتْ

q-ṣ-r → “powerlessness” Distinctive

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

ذاتِيَّةُ

dh-w-t → “Essence” Distinctive

literal: essence; self; being

الأَذْكارِ

dh-k-r → “of every praise” Distinctive

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

بِساطِ

b-s-ṭ → “court”

literal: carpet; mat; carpet of realm; expanse; table; surface

وَجَبَّارِيَّتِكَ

j-b-r → “dominion” Distinctive

literal: might; might/omnipotence; dominion

كُلُّ

k-l-l → “Every”

literal: for us; to us

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

بِالبَيانِ

b-y-n → “utterance”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident

أَوْ

h-w-w

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

يُدْرَكَ

d-r-k → “attempteth to comprehend” Distinctive

literal: to overtake; to catch; to reach; to attain; to perceive; to comprehend

إِنَّهُ

ʾ-n-n → “is but” Distinctive

literal: I, verily; behold I

وَصْفُ

w-ṣ-f → “attributes” Distinctive

literal: to describe, characterize; description

خَلْقِكَ

kh-l-q → “Thy creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

بِمَشِيَّتِكَ

sh-y-ʾ → “by Thy will”

literal: will; intention; to will; to intend

وَمَجْعُولاً

j-ʿ-l → “fashioned”

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

بِإِرادَتِكَ،

r-w-d → “purpose” Distinctive

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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291 ¶

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17 ¶

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶