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Prayers and Meditations — §775

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 775 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

الَّذِيْ ظَهَرَ مِنْهُ وَأَعْطَيْتَهُ بِجُودِكَ وَكَرَمِك، فَيا إِلهِي أَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّ بِهِ ظَهَرَتْ آياتُكَ الكُبْرى وَسَبَقَتْ رَحْمَتُكَ الأَشْياءَ لَوْلاهُ ما هَدَرَتِ الوَرْقاءُ وَما غَنَّ عَنْدَلِيْبُ السَّنآءِ فِي جَبَروتِ القَضَاءِ، وَأَشْهَدُ بِأَنَّ مِنْ أَوَّلِ كَلِمَةٍ خَرَجَتْ مِنْ فَمِهِ وَأَوَّلِ نِداءٍ ارْتَفَعَ مِنْهُ بِمَشِيَّتِكَ وَإِرادَتِكَ انْقَلَبَتِ الأَشْياءُ كُ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

How great is Thy power! How exalted Thy sovereignty! How lofty Thy might! How excellent Thy majesty! How supreme is Thy grandeur—a grandeur which He Who is Thy Manifestation hath made known and wherewith Thou hast invested Him as a sign of Thy generosity and bountiful favor. I bear witness, O my God, that through Him Thy most resplendent signs have been uncovered, and Thy mercy hath encompassed the entire creation. But for Him, how could the Celestial Dove have uttered its songs or the Heavenly Nightingale, according to the decree of God, have warbled its melody?

Translation Notes

الَّذِيْ
l-dh-y → “which”

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

ظَهَرَ
ẓ-h-r → “hath made known” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

مِنْهُ
m-n

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

وَأَعْطَيْتَهُ
ʿ-ṭ-y → “of Thy bounty” Distinctive

literal: giver; give; bounty

بِجُودِكَ
j-w-d → “Thy generosity” Distinctive

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

وَكَرَمِك،
k-r-m → “and bountiful favor” Distinctive

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field; honor; generosity; nobility

فَيا
y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

إِلهِي
ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

أَشْهَدُ
sh-h-d → “I bear witness”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنَّ
ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

بِهِ
b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

آياتُكَ
ʾ-y-y → “Thy most resplendent signs”

literal: sign; verse; miracle; token; verses; signs; proofs

الكُبْرى
k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

وَسَبَقَتْ
s-b-q → “hath encompassed” Distinctive

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

رَحْمَتُكَ
r-ḥ-m → “Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

الأَشْياءَ
sh-y-ʾ → “the entire creation” Distinctive

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

لَوْلاهُ
l-w-l → “rifle” Distinctive

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

ما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

هَدَرَتِ
h-d-r → “cooing” Distinctive

literal: to waste; to squander; vain; futile

الوَرْقاءُ
w-r-q → “the Celestial Dove”

literal: leaf, page, sheet, parchment, document

غَنَّ
gh-n-n → “have warbled”

literal: sing/warble

عَنْدَلِيْبُ
ʿ-n-d-l-b → “Heavenly Nightingale”

literal: nightingale; singing bird

السَّنآءِ
s-n-w

literal: evening; night

فِي
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

جَبَروتِ
j-b-r → “dominion”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

القَضَاءِ،
q-ḍ-y → “the decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

أَوَّلِ
ʾ-w-l

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

كَلِمَةٍ
k-l-m

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

خَرَجَتْ
kh-r-j

literal: bringing out, taking out, expulsion, extraction

فَمِهِ
f-w-m

literal: mouth; utterance; word

نِداءٍ
n-d-y

literal: call; voice; proclamation; forty; forty years

ارْتَفَعَ
r-f-ʿ → “exalted” Distinctive

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

وَإِرادَتِكَ
r-w-d

literal: to intend; to will; to desire

انْقَلَبَتِ
q-l-b

literal: to turn; to overturn; to reverse

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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