Prayers and Meditations — §830

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 830 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

فِنَاءِ بَابِكَ طُيوْرُ أَف ْئِدَةِ الْمُخْلِصِيْنَ. أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ كُنْتَ مُقَدَّسًا عَنِ الصِّفَاتِ وَمُنَزَّهًا عَنِ الْأَسْمَاءِ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْعَلِيُّ الْأَبْهَى. أَشْهَدُ بِمَا شَهِدتِ الْأَشْياءُ وَالْمَلَأُ الْأَعْلَى وَالْجَنَّةُ الْعُلْيَا وَعَنْ وَرَائِهَا لِسَان

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Greater is God than every great one! Too high art Thou for the praise of those who are nigh unto Thee to ascend unto the heaven of Thy nearness, or for the birds of the hearts of them who are devoted to Thee to attain to the door of Thy gate. I testify that Thou hast been sanctified above all attributes and holy above all names. No God is there but Thee, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious.

Translation Notes

فِنَاءِ

f-n-y → “door”

literal: annihilation; perishing; extinction; cessation; the threshold

بَابِكَ

b-w-b → “Thy gate” Distinctive

literal: door; gate; opening; chapter; way

طُيوْرُ

ṭ-y-r → “birds”

literal: bird; birds; flying creature; flying; flight

ْئِدَةِ

y-d-y → “hands”

literal: hand; power; control

الْمُخْلِصِيْنَ.

kh-l-ṣ → “them who are devoted”

literal: sincere; devoted; pure one

أَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “I testify”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

أَنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n → “that Thou”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

كُنْتَ

k-w-n → “hast been” Distinctive

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

مُقَدَّسًا

q-d-s → “sanctified above”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الصِّفَاتِ

w-ṣ-f → “all attributes”

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

وَمُنَزَّهًا

n-z-h → “sanctified”

literal: exalted; sanctified; free from; removed from

الْأَسْمَاءِ

s-m-w → “names”

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

لَا

l-ʾ → “No”

literal: no; not; negation particle

إِلَهَ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

إِلَّا

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

الْعَلِيُّ

ʿ-l-w → “the Most Exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الْأَبْهَى.

b-h-w → “the All-Glorious”

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

بِمَا

m-ʾ

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

الْأَشْياءُ

sh-y-ʾ

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

وَالْمَلَأُ

m-l-ʾ

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

وَالْجَنَّةُ

j-n-n

literal: garden; paradise; heaven

وَرَائِهَا

w-r-ʾ

literal: mankind; people; human beings; behind; after

لِسَان

l-s-n

literal: tongue; language

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶