Prayers and Meditations — §798

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 798 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

المَلأُ الأَعْلى وَسُكَّانُ مَدائِنِ البَقاءِ، فَلَكَ الحَمْدُ يا إِلهِي بِما عَصَمْتَ المُوَحِّدِينَ وَأَهْلَكتَ المُشْرِكينَ وَفَصَّلْتَ بَيْنَ الكُلِّ بِكَلِمَةٍ أُخْرى الَّتِيْ خَرَجَتْ مِنْ فَمِ مَشِيَّتِكَ وَظَهَرَتْ مِنْ قَلَمِ إِرادَتِكَ، وَبِذلِكَ اعْتَرَضَ عَلَيَّ العِبادُ الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ خُلِقُوا بِكَلِمَةِ أَمْرِكَ وَبُعِثُوا بِإِرادَتِكَ وَبَلَغُوا فِي الإِعْراضِ إِلى مَقامٍ كَفَرُوا بِكَ وَبِآياتِكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I give praise to Thee, therefore, O my God, that Thou hast preserved them that have acknowledged Thy unity, and hast destroyed them that have joined partners with Thee, and hast divided the one from the other through yet another word that hath proceeded out of the mouth of Thy will, and flowed down from the pen of Thy purpose. Thereby have Thy servants, who were created through the word of Thy commandment, and were begotten by Thy will, caviled at me, and so fiercely opposed me that they repudiated Thee, and have rejected Thy signs, and have risen up against Thee.

Translation Notes

المَلأُ

m-l-ʾ

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

وَسُكَّانُ

s-k-n

literal: stillness, rest, quietude, tranquility

مَدائِنِ

m-d-n

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

البَقاءِ،

b-q-y

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

فَلَكَ

f-l-k → “I yield”

literal: ship; ark; orbit; sphere; heaven

الحَمْدُ

ḥ-m-d → “praise to”

literal: praise; to praise

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

إِلهِي

ʾ-l-h → “my God”

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

بِما

m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

عَصَمْتَ

ʿ-ṣ-m → “protection” Distinctive

literal: immaculate; protected; infallible

المُوَحِّدِينَ

w-ḥ-d → “unity”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

وَأَهْلَكتَ

h-l-k → “consumed” Distinctive

literal: destruction; destroy; perish

المُشْرِكينَ

sh-r-k → “joined partners with Thee” Distinctive

literal: partner; associate; sharer; companion

وَفَصَّلْتَ

f-ṣ-l → “separated” Distinctive

literal: detail; distinction; differentiation; to detail; to separate

بَيْنَ

b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

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

الكُلِّ

k-l-l

literal: for us; to us

بِكَلِمَةٍ

k-l-m → “through yet another word”

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

أُخْرى

ʾ-kh-r

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

الَّتِيْ

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

خَرَجَتْ

kh-r-j → “proceeded out”

literal: bringing out, taking out, expulsion, extraction

مِنْ

m-n → “of the mouth of”

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

فَمِ

f-m-m

literal: mouth

مَشِيَّتِكَ

sh-y-ʾ → “Thy will”

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

وَظَهَرَتْ

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

قَلَمِ

q-l-m

literal: pen; writing instrument

إِرادَتِكَ،

r-w-d → “Thy purpose” Distinctive

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

وَبِذلِكَ

dh-l-k → “Thereby”

literal: that; this; it; by that

اعْتَرَضَ

ʿ-r-ḍ

literal: objection, protest, denial; cavil

عَلَيَّ

ʿ-l-w → “at me” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

العِبادُ

ʿ-b-d → “Thy servants”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الَّذِيْنَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

هُمْ

h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

خُلِقُوا

kh-l-q → “created”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “of Thy commandment” Distinctive

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

وَبُعِثُوا

b-ʿ-th → “sent down” Distinctive

literal: to send; to raise up; to dispatch

وَبَلَغُوا

b-l-gh → “teach” Distinctive

literal: to reach; to attain; to deliver; to proclaim

فِي

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “that” Distinctive

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

مَقامٍ

q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

كَفَرُوا

k-f-r → “they repudiated Thee”

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude

وَبِآياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶