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Prayers and Meditations — §729

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 729 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ِهِ وَسَمآءِ عِرْفانِهِ اعْتَرَفَ بِعَجْزِهِ عَنْ عِرْفانِ أَدْنى آيَةٍ مِنْ آياتِكَ الَّتِي تُنْسَبُ إِلى قَلَمِكَ الأَعْلى فَكَيْفَ ذاتِكَ الأَبْهى وَكَيْنُونَتِكَ العُلْيا، لَمْ أَدْرِ يا إِلهِي بِأَيِّ ذِكْرٍ أَذْكُرُكَ وَبِأَيِّ وَصْفٍ أَصِفُكَ وَبِأَيِّ ثَنآءٍ أُثْنِيْكَ لَوْ أَصِفُكَ بِالأَسْمآءِ أَرى أَنَّ مَلَكُوتَها خُلِقَ بِحَركةِ إِصْبَعِكَ وَتَرتَعِدُ فَرآئِصُهُ مِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I swear by Thy Beauty, O King of eternity Who sittest on Thy most glorious Throne! He Who is the Dayspring of Thy signs and the Revealer of Thy clear tokens hath, notwithstanding the immensity of His wisdom and the loftiness of His knowledge, confessed His powerlessness to comprehend the least of Thine utterances, in their relation to Thy most exalted Pen,—how much more is He incapable of apprehending the nature of Thine all-glorious Self and of Thy most august Essence!

Translation Notes

وَسَمآءِ
s-m-w → “loftiness” Distinctive

literal: heaven; sky

عِرْفانِهِ
ʿ-r-f → “His knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

بِعَجْزِهِ
ʿ-j-z → “His powerlessness”

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence; أعجاز (roots of trees/extremities) is Pattern II plural, distinct from ‘inability’ forms

عَنْ
ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

أَدْنى
d-n-w → “least”

literal: this world; earthly life; temporal realm; lowest; base; mean; of little account; to know; to be acquainted with

آيَةٍ
ʾ-y-y → “Thine utterances” Distinctive

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

مِنْ
m-n → “of”

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

الَّتِي
ʾ-l-l

literal: who; which/that; which

تُنْسَبُ
n-s-b → “relationship” Distinctive

literal: attribution; relation; attributed

إِلى
ʾ-l-y

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

قَلَمِكَ
q-l-m → “Thy most exalted”

literal: pen; writing instrument

الأَعْلى
ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

فَكَيْفَ
k-y-f → “Pen,—how much more”

literal: how; in what manner

ذاتِكَ
dh-w-t → “Thine all-glorious Self” Distinctive

literal: essence; self; intrinsic nature

الأَبْهى
b-h-w → “and of Thy most” Distinctive

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

وَكَيْنُونَتِكَ
k-w-n → “august Essence”

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

لَمْ
l-y-s

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

أَدْرِ
d-r-y

literal: know; in; sea

يا
y-ʾ

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

إِلهِي
ʾ-l-h

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

بِأَيِّ
ʾ-y-y

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

ذِكْرٍ
dh-k-r

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

وَصْفٍ
w-ṣ-f

literal: to describe, characterize; description

ثَنآءٍ
th-n-y

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

لَوْ
l-w

literal: if; would that; O that

أَرى
r-ʾ-y

literal: Persian form from آراستن (ārāstan) ‘to adorn/invest’, root ا-ر-ا, not ر-ء-ي (to see)

أَنَّ
ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مَلَكُوتَها
m-l-k → “King”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

خُلِقَ
kh-l-q

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

بِحَركةِ
ḥ-r-k

literal: movement; motion; trembling; activity; حراک is unusual; possible typo or dialectal. Standard Arabic would be حرك or اهتزاز for ‘trembling’

إِصْبَعِكَ
ṣ-b-ʿ

literal: finger; digit

وَتَرتَعِدُ
r-ʿ-d

literal: tremble; tremor/shaking; thunder

فَرآئِصُهُ
f-r-ṣ

literal: opportunity; chance

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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