Prayers and Meditations — §748

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 748 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

عَلَيْهِ قَلَمِي فِي أَيَّامِكَ، أَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّكَ ما جَعَلْتَ المُنَاجاةَ شَأْنِي بَلْ شَأْنَ مَنْ سَبَقَنِي بِأَمْرِكَ وَإِرادَتِكَ وَجَعَلْتَ الآياتِ مَخْصُوصَةً بِهذا الظُّهُورِ العَظِيمِ وَالنَّبَأِ الَّذِيْ تَزَيَّنَتْ بِهِ صَحآئِفُ مَجْدِكَ وَلَوْحُكَ الحَفِيظُ، يا مُضْرِمَ النَّارِ فِي صَدْرِ البَهآءِ وَمُظْهِرَ النُّورِ فِي قَلْبِ البَهآءِ أَشْكُرُكَ بِما عَلَّمْتَ عِبادَكَ ذِكْرَكَ وَسُبُلَ مُناجاتِكَ مِنْ لِسانِكَ الأَقْدَسِ الأَعْلَى وَبَيانِكَ الأَعَزِّ الأَسْنی، لَوْلا إِذْنُكَ مَنْ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَصِفَكَ بِالعِزِّ وَالكِبريآءِ وَلَوْلا تَعْلِيمُكَ مَنْ يَعْرِفُ سُبُلَ الرِّضاءِ فِي مَلَكُوتِ الإِنشآءِ،

Shoghi Effendi Translation

This, then, O my God and the God of all names, and the Creator of earth and heaven, is the Day whereon He Whose heart gloweth with the flaming fire of Thy presence is calling upon Thee. Where can separation from Thee be found, O my God, so that reunion with Thee may be clearly recognized at the appearance of the Light of Thy unity, and the revelation of the splendors of the Sun of Thy oneness? I ask pardon of Thee, O my God, for all that hath been said, and for whatsoever hath flowed out, and is now flowing out from my Pen in Thy days. I testify that Thou hast decreed that the offering of prayer should befit not me, but Him Who hath, at Thy bidding and in conformity with Thy pleasure, preceded me. Rather hast Thou ordained that the revelation of verses should be specially attributed unto this mighty Manifestation, and to This Announcement that hath adorned the Scrolls of Thy majesty and Thy Tablet in which account is kept.

Translation Notes

عَلَيْهِ

ʿ-l-y → “from” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

قَلَمِي

q-l-m → “my Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

أَيَّامِكَ،

y-w-m → “Thy days”

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

أَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “I testify”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

المُنَاجاةَ

n-j-w → “deliver” Distinctive

literal: saved; rescued; surviving

شَأْنِي

sh-ʾ-n → “in such wise”

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

بَلْ

b-l → “not me, but”

literal: rather; but; rather/nay

مَنْ

m-n → “Him Who” Distinctive

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

سَبَقَنِي

s-b-q → “preceded me”

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

بِأَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “at Thy bidding” Distinctive

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

وَإِرادَتِكَ

r-w-d → “desire” Distinctive

literal: to intend; to will; to desire

وَجَعَلْتَ

j-ʿ-l → “Rather hast Thou ordained”

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

الآياتِ

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

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

مَخْصُوصَةً

kh-ṣ-ṣ → “verses should be specially”

literal: specific matter; particularity; especially; in this matter

بِهذا

h-dh-ʾ → “attributed unto this”

literal: this; that

الظُّهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “mighty Manifestation”

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

العَظِيمِ

ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

وَالنَّبَأِ

n-b-ʾ → “Prophets” Distinctive

literal: prophet; messenger

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “that” Distinctive

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

تَزَيَّنَتْ

z-y-n → “hath adorned” Distinctive

literal: to adorn; ornament; beauty; adornment; embellishment; decoration

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

صَحآئِفُ

ṣ-ḥ-f → “Scrolls”

literal: page; tablet; scroll; book

مَجْدِكَ

m-j-d → “of Thy majesty”

literal: glory; majesty; magnificence

وَلَوْحُكَ

l-w-ḥ → “and Thy Tablet”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

الحَفِيظُ،

ḥ-f-ẓ → “protect”

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

مُضْرِمَ

ḍ-r-m

literal: kindle; kindler, igniter; kindler

النَّارِ

n-ʾ-r → “the flaming fire”

literal: light; illumination

صَدْرِ

ṣ-d-r → “heart” Distinctive

literal: to issue, emanate, proceed; issued, emanating

البَهآءِ

b-h-w

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

النُّورِ

n-w-r → “Light”

literal: light; illumination

قَلْبِ

q-l-b

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

أَشْكُرُكَ

sh-k-r

literal: thankfulness, gratitude; to give thanks, be grateful; manifest; evident; apparent; clear

عَلَّمْتَ

ʿ-l-m

literal: world; universe; the worlds

عِبادَكَ

ʿ-b-d

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

ذِكْرَكَ

dh-k-r

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

وَسُبُلَ

s-b-l

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

لِسانِكَ

l-s-n

literal: tongue; language

الأَقْدَسِ

q-d-s

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

الأَعْلَى

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

وَبَيانِكَ

b-y-n

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

الأَعَزِّ

ʿ-z-z

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

الأَسْنی،

s-n-w

literal: most beautiful; finest; highest

لَوْلا

w-l-y

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

إِذْنُكَ

ʾ-dh-n

literal: ear; permission; leave; to permit; to allow; to listen

يَقْدِرُ

q-d-r

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

أَنْ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يَصِفَكَ

w-ṣ-f

literal: to describe, characterize; description

وَالكِبريآءِ

k-b-r

literal: greatest; greater; grandeur

وَلَوْلا

l-w-l

literal: tube; if-not; not-for-you

يَعْرِفُ

ʿ-r-f

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

الرِّضاءِ

r-ḍ-w → “Thy pleasure” Distinctive

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

مَلَكُوتِ

m-l-k

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

الإِنشآءِ،

n-sh-ʾ

literal: creation; bringing into existence; establishment; God willing; if God wishes; please God

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶