Prayers and Meditations — §805

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 805 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

َشْهَدُ بِأَنَّ مَنْ عَرَفَكَ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ اللّهَ وَمَنْ فازَ بِلِقائِكَ فَقَدْ فازَ بِلِقآءِ اللّهِ، فَطُوبَى لِمَنْ آمَنَ بِكَ وَبِآياتِكَ وَخَضَعَ بِسُلْطانِكَ وَشُرِّفَ بِلِقآئِكَ وَبَلَغَ بِرِضائِكَ وَطافَ فِي حَوْلِكَ وَحَضَرَ تِلْقَاءَ عَرْشِكَ. فَوَيْلٌ لِمَنْ ظَلَمَكَ وَأَنْكَرَكَ وَكَفَرَ بِآياتِكَ وَجاحَد بِسُلْطَانِكَ وَحارَبَ بِنَفْسِكَ وَاسْتَكبَرَ لَدى وَجْهِكَ وَجادَلَ بِبُرْهَانِكَ وَفَرَّ مِنْ حُكُومَتِكَ وَاقْتِدَارِكَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ فِي أَلْواحِ الْقُدْسِ مِنْ إِصْبَعِ الْأَمْرِ مَكْتُوبًا. فَيا إِلَهِي وَمَحْبُوبي فَأَرْسِلْ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I bear witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God. Great, therefore, is the blessedness of him who hath believed in Thee, and in Thy signs, and hath humbled himself before Thy sovereignty, and hath been honored with meeting Thee, and hath attained the good pleasure of Thy will, and circled around Thee, and stood before Thy throne. Woe betide him that hath transgressed against Thee, and hath denied Thee, and repudiated Thy signs, and gainsaid Thy sovereignty, and risen up against Thee, and waxed proud before Thy face, and hath disputed Thy testimonies, and fled from Thy rule and Thy dominion, and been numbered with the infidels whose names have been inscribed by the fingers of Thy behest upon Thy holy Tablets.

Translation Notes

َشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “I bear witness” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِأَنَّ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مَنْ

m-n → “he who” Distinctive

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

عَرَفَكَ

ʿ-r-f → “hath known” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

فَقَدْ

q-d-d → “hath”

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

اللّهَ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

فازَ

f-w-z → “hath attained”

literal: to attain; to gain; to succeed; to win

بِلِقائِكَ

l-q-y → “unto Thy presence”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

فَطُوبَى

ṭ-w-b → “Great, therefore, is the blessedness”

literal: happiness; blessedness; felicity

آمَنَ

ʾ-m-n → “hath believed”

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

وَبِآياتِكَ

ʾ-y-y → “in Thy signs”

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

وَخَضَعَ

kh-ḍ-ʿ → “submissiveness” Distinctive

literal: humility; submissiveness; lowliness

بِسُلْطانِكَ

s-l-ṭ → “before Thy sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

وَشُرِّفَ

sh-r-f → “hath been honored”

literal: honor; nobility; eminence; to honor

وَبَلَغَ

b-l-gh → “hath attained”

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

بِرِضائِكَ

r-ḍ-y → “good pleasure”

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction

وَطافَ

ṭ-w-f → “circled”

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

حَوْلِكَ

ḥ-w-l → “around Thee”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

وَحَضَرَ

ḥ-ḍ-r → “His Majesty”

literal: presence; majesty; His/Your Excellency

عَرْشِكَ.

ʿ-r-sh → “Thy throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

فَوَيْلٌ

w-y-l → “Woe betide”

literal: woe; alas; grief

ظَلَمَكَ

ẓ-l-m → “hath transgressed against Thee” Distinctive

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

وَأَنْكَرَكَ

n-k-r → “hath denied Thee”

literal: denial; rejection; repudiation; wrong; evil; to deny; to reject

وَكَفَرَ

k-f-r → “repudiated”

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

وَجاحَد

j-ḥ-d → “gainsaid”

literal: deny; denied; denier

وَحارَبَ

ḥ-r-b → “contended”

literal: warfare; combat; fighting; hostility

بِنَفْسِكَ

n-f-s

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَاسْتَكبَرَ

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: great; grand; mighty; large

لَدى

l-d-y → “before”

literal: with; in the presence of; from; by

وَجْهِكَ

w-j-h → “Thy face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

وَجادَلَ

j-d-l → “hath disputed”

literal: to argue; to dispute; to contend; argument

بِبُرْهَانِكَ

b-r-h-n → “Thy testimonies”

literal: proof, evidence, demonstration, argument

وَفَرَّ

f-r-r → “fled”

literal: flee; flight; refuge

حُكُومَتِكَ

ḥ-k-m → “Thy rule”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

وَاقْتِدَارِكَ

q-d-r → “power”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

وَكَانَ

k-w-n → “been numbered”

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

الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ

sh-r-k → “the infidels”

literal: partner; associate; sharer; companion

أَلْواحِ

l-w-ḥ → “holy Tablets”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

الْقُدْسِ

q-d-s

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

إِصْبَعِ

ṣ-b-ʿ

literal: finger; digit

الْأَمْرِ

ʾ-m-r → “Thy behest” Distinctive

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair

مَكْتُوبًا.

k-t-b → “inscribed”

literal: book; scripture; writing

فَيا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

وَمَحْبُوبي

ḥ-b-b

literal: love; affection

فَأَرْسِلْ

r-s-l

literal: messenger; send; messengers

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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291 ¶

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17 ¶

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5 ¶

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶