Prayers and Meditations — §736

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 736 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

وَسُلْطانِهِ، وَقالَ إِنَّهُ لَوْ يَأْتِي بِآيَةٍ لا تُنْكِرُوهُ أَسْرِعُوا إِلَيْهِ لَعَلَّ يُنْزِلُ لَكُمْ مِنْ فَضلِهِ ما أَرادَ وَإِنَّهُ لَمالِكُ العِبادِ وَمَلِيكُ الإِيِجادِ إِذًا تَرَى يا مَحْبُوبَ العالَمِ وَالظاهِرُ بِالاسْمِ الأَعْظَمِ إِنَّهُ قَدْ أَتَى بِمَلَكُوتِ الآياتِ عَلَى شَأْنٍ شَهِدَتِ الذَّرَّاتُ بِأَنَّها مَلَئَتِ الآفاقَ، مَعَ هذا الظُّهُورِ الأَظْهَرِ الأَبْهى وَهذِهِ الآياتِ الَّتِيْ لا يُح

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thou well knowest, O my God, that the Revealer of the Bayán (the Báb) hath commanded all mankind concerning Thy Cause, and Thy Revelation, and Thy Sovereignty. He hath said, and sweet is His speech: “Beware lest the Bayán and its Letters keep you back from Him Who is the Most Merciful and from His sovereignty.” He, moreover, hath written: “Were He to produce no more than one verse, ye must not deny Him. Haste ye towards Him, that haply He may cause to descend upon you what He pleaseth, as a token of His grace unto you. He truly is the Possessor of His servants, and the King of creation.”

Translation Notes

وَسُلْطانِهِ،

s-l-ṭ → “sovereignty.””

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَقالَ

q-w-l → “said”

literal: to say; to speak; saying

إِنَّهُ

ʾ-n-n → “He”

literal: I, verily; behold I

لَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

يَأْتِي

ʾ-t-y → “produce” Distinctive

literal: to come; to arrive; to approach; verse; sign; miracle

بِآيَةٍ

ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

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

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تُنْكِرُوهُ

n-k-r → “deny”

literal: deny; denial; deniers

أَسْرِعُوا

s-r-ʿ → “Haste ye”

literal: speed; swiftness; haste

إِلَيْهِ

ʾ-l-y → “besmirch”

literal: to; to him; besmirch

لَعَلَّ

l-ʿ-l → “that haply”

literal: perhaps; perchance; hopefully

يُنْزِلُ

n-z-l → “cause to descend” Distinctive

literal: to descend, to be revealed

لَكُمْ

l-k-m → “unto you”

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

مِنْ

m-n

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

فَضلِهِ

f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

أَرادَ

r-y-d → “pleaseth” Distinctive

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

وَإِنَّهُ

h-w → “He”

literal: deviation; divergence; straying from the path; to be weak, to flag, to show reluctance

لَمالِكُ

m-l-k → “Possessor” Distinctive

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

العِبادِ

ʿ-b-d → “servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الإِيِجادِ

w-j-d → “creation.””

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

إِذًا

ʾ-dh-n

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

تَرَى

r-ʾ-y

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

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

مَحْبُوبَ

ḥ-b-b

literal: love; affection

العالَمِ

ʿ-l-m

literal: world; universe; the worlds

وَالظاهِرُ

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation” Distinctive

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

بِالاسْمِ

s-m-w

literal: to name, to nominate, to designate, to appoint; name; noun; to name, to appoint, to designate

الأَعْظَمِ

ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

قَدْ

q-d

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

الآياتِ

ʾ-y-y

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

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شَأْنٍ

sh-ʾ-n

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

شَهِدَتِ

sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

الذَّرَّاتُ

dh-r-r

literal: atom, particle, mote

بِأَنَّها

null

literal: that, it; to be; indeed

مَلَئَتِ

m-l-ʾ

literal: assembly; assembly/people; concourse

الآفاقَ،

ʾ-f-q

literal: horizons; regions; quarters; skylines

مَعَ

m-ʿ

literal: with; together with; alongside

الأَبْهى

b-h-w

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

وَهذِهِ

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l

literal: who; which/that; which

يُح

ḥ-ṣ-y

literal: count; enumerate; enumeration

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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16 ¶

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291 ¶

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17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

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5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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‘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 ¶