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
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §104: servantsfire-tabletFire §50: all the servantsgleaningsGWB §173: children of menkitab-i-iqanKIQ §1: No manprayers-and-meditationsP&M §222: Thy sincere servantstablet-of-ahmadAhmad §15: a servicethe-hidden-wordsHW §56: Our servantswill-and-testamentW&T §12: trusted servants
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §13: asgleaningsGWB §374: how much lesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §282: “What of the signprayers-and-meditationsP&M §298: how much more whenthe-hidden-wordsHW §15: whyepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §228: HowgleaningsGWB §528: much less recognizeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §137: How can I ever befittingly
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §55: fitgleaningsGWB §395: entirely unworthykitab-i-ahdAhd §13: best befitprayers-and-meditationsP&M §731: falleth shortepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §55: worthygleaningsGWB §656: great gloryprayers-and-meditationsP&M §424: beseemepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §111: unseemly
SE rendered لِساحَةِ (lisáḥah), أَحَدِيَّتِكَ، (ʾaḥadídatika،), فَوَعِزَّتِكَ (fawaʿizzatik) as “I swear by Thy glory”
6 occurrences in corpus
SE rendered أَحَدِيَّتِكَ، (ʾaḥadídatika،), فَوَعِزَّتِكَ (fawaʿizzatik), عَجِزَتْ (ʿajizat) as “I swear by Thy glory, is powerless”
oneness 42% transcendent 17% glory 13% own 4% holy 4% divine 4% most 4% incomparable 4% billowing 4% spirit 4%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §5: the IncomparablegleaningsGWB §181: commonerskitab-i-iqanKIQ §177: Not oneprayers-and-meditationsP&M §269: onenesstablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §55: dwellerthe-hidden-wordsHW §28: othersepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §132: anyonegleaningsGWB §682: All-Glorious God
SE expanded to “I swear by Thy glory”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §150: Thy gloryfire-tabletFire §43: by Thy banishmentgleaningsGWB §604: most augustkitab-i-iqanKIQ §264: dignitariesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §482: would—I swear by Thy glory—declarethe-hidden-wordsHW §107: cherishwill-and-testamentW&T §4: endearedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §118: glory
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §137: failedgleaningsGWB §449: can thwartkitab-i-iqanKIQ §230: miracleprayers-and-meditationsP&M §706: and feeblenesswill-and-testamentW&T §49: overwhelmedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §135: thy powerlessnessgleaningsGWB §14: incapablekitab-i-iqanKIQ §157: the miracle
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §30: all beingsfire-tabletFire §35: universegleaningsGWB §216: remain directedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §107: like thoseprayers-and-meditationsP&M §4: the whole universetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §8: they combinetablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: thou hesitatetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §31: whose heart hath
knowledge 34% understanding 26% recognition 8% recognize 8% comprehension 7% know 6% recognizing 4% insight 3% wisdom 2% visualize 2%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §173: art reputedgleaningsGWB §126: them that comprehend its meaningkitab-i-ahdAhd §13: perform praiseworthy deedskitab-i-iqanKIQ §105: graspprayers-and-meditationsP&M §442: and wisdomtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §12: to seethe-hidden-wordsHW §3: through the knowledgeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §112: recognizeth
This form usually rendered as “thyself”, “own”, “self” (222 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §54: passionsgleaningsGWB §318: Soul of Godkitab-i-ahdAhd §8: thosekitab-i-iqanKIQ §136: the least of menprayers-and-meditationsP&M §106: for Whose saketablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §52: within herselfthe-hidden-wordsHW §9: unto Mewill-and-testamentW&T §25: believers
This form usually rendered as “fallen”, “falleth” (4 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §60: guiltgleaningsGWB §466: against himkitab-i-iqanKIQ §190: mansionsprayers-and-meditationsP&M §316: his failuretablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §47: mansionepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §94: their palacesgleaningsGWB §168: mystic mansionkitab-i-iqanKIQ §244: brevity
This form usually rendered as “entire”, “myself”, “may” (15 occurrences)
SE expanded to “of every praise”
وَجَبَّارِيَّتِكَ
literal: might; might/omnipotence; dominion
SE expanded to “of Thine all-compelling power”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §79: the heavenfire-tabletFire §37: the eternal realmgleaningsGWB §632: the Kingdomkitab-i-iqanKIQ §13: oppressionprayers-and-meditationsP&M §263: the loftiest summitstablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §16: the realmthe-hidden-wordsHW §7: Our exalted dominionwill-and-testamentW&T §38: of necessity prompteth
utterance 53% bayán 17% eloquence 6% glorification 6% utterances 6% ornament 3% articulate 3% time 3% speak 3% give 3%
يُدْرَكَ
literal: perception; perception, comprehension
This form usually rendered as “taketh”, “unknowable”, “perceive” (9 occurrences)
SE expanded to “attempteth to comprehend”
This form usually rendered as “description”, “praise”, “describing” (33 occurrences)
description 24% praise 24% describing 12% applicable 6% described 6% character 6% eulogy 6% extol 6% glory 6% notion 6%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §33: thatgleaningsGWB §5: affirm of Thee, or attributekitab-i-iqanKIQ §132: men’s praiseprayers-and-meditationsP&M §624: of Thine attributesepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §168: norgleaningsGWB §99: ascribe to themkitab-i-iqanKIQ §32: be magnifiedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §230: revealer
This form usually rendered as “creatures”, “among”, “creation” (114 occurrences)
SE expanded to “of Thine own creating”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §122: conductfire-tabletFire §40: wert createdgleaningsGWB §349: mankindkitab-i-iqanKIQ §213: peoplesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §468: Thou didst create metablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §54: created herthe-hidden-wordsHW §14: I created theeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §93: was created
SE expanded to “by Thy will”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §226: and through whatsoevergleaningsGWB §605: whateverkitab-i-iqanKIQ §230: withprayers-and-meditationsP&M §626: my pleasuretablet-of-ahmadAhmad §6: desirethtablet-of-carmelCarmel §2: created things.’the-hidden-wordsHW §69: substanceepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §111: willeth
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §253: itfire-tabletFire §44: We have madegleaningsGWB §70: Let His love be akitab-i-iqanKIQ §124: beetleprayers-and-meditationsP&M §462: Thy Godheadthe-hidden-wordsHW §23: thou hastwill-and-testamentW&T §36: and grant thatepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §130: hath made thee
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §42: pleasethgleaningsGWB §248: seekerskitab-i-iqanKIQ §103: Heprayers-and-meditationsP&M §770: through Thy willtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §19: They have desiredthe-hidden-wordsHW §57: dost wish forwill-and-testamentW&T §38: the Purposeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §167: purposed
