Prayers and Meditations — §842

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 842 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ُبْحانَكَ سُبْحانَكَ يا مَحْبُوبِي مِنْ أَنْ تُعْرَفَ بِأَعْلى عِرْفانِ المَوْجُوداتِ، سُبْحَانَكَ سُبْحَانَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تُوصَفَ بِأَبْهى وَصْفِ المُمْكِناتِ، لأَنَّ مُنْتَهى عِرْفانِ العِبادِ فِي مُنْتَهى ذُرْوَةِ الْقُصْوى لَنْ يَقْدِرَ أَنْ يَصْعَدَ عَنْ حَدِّ الإِنْشآءِ، وَلَنْ يُمْكِنَ أَنْ يَتَعارَجَ عَنْ شَأْنِ الإِمْكانِ وَبِما قُدِّرَ لَهُ مِنْ شُئُونِ القَضآءِ، فَكَيْفَ يَقْدِرُ ما خُلِقَ بِمَشِيَّةِ الإِمْكانِيَّةِ فِي رُتْبَةِ الإِمْكانِ أَنْ يَصْعَدَ إِلى هَوآءِ قُدْسِ عِرْفانِكَ أَوْ يَصِلَ إِلى مَقَرِّ عِزِّ اقْتِدارِكَ، سُبْحَانَكَ سُبْحَانَكَ مِنْ أَنْ يَطِيْرَ الفانِيْ إِلى عَرْشِ بَقائِكَ أَوْ يَصِلَ الفَقِيرُ إِلى

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Exalted, immeasurably exalted art Thou, O my Beloved, above the strivings of any of Thy creatures, however learned, to know Thee; exalted, immensely exalted art Thou above every human attempt, no matter how searching, to describe Thee! For the highest thought of men, however deep their contemplation, can never hope to outsoar the limitations imposed upon Thy creation, nor ascend beyond the state of the contingent world, nor break the bounds irrevocably set for it by Thee. How can, then, a thing that hath been created by Thy will that overruleth the whole of creation, a thing that is itself a part of the contingent world, have the power to soar into the holy atmosphere of Thy knowledge, or reach unto the seat of Thy transcendent power?

Translation Notes

سُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ → “Exalted, immeasurably exalted” Distinctive

literal: time; moment; while; season

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

مَحْبُوبِي

ḥ-b-b → “my Beloved”

literal: love; affection

مِنْ

m-n → “above the”

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

أَنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُعْرَفَ

ʿ-r-f → “to know”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

بِأَعْلى

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

المَوْجُوداتِ،

w-j-d → “being”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

تُوصَفَ

w-ṣ-f → “to describe”

literal: to describe, characterize; description

بِأَبْهى

b-h-y

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

المُمْكِناتِ،

m-k-n → “all created things”

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement

لأَنَّ

ʾ-n → “For” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مُنْتَهى

n-h-y → “forbidden” Distinctive

literal: stinking, foul-smelling; stench

العِبادِ

ʿ-b-d → “of men”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

فِي

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

ذُرْوَةِ

dh-r-w

literal: peak; apex; pinnacle; summit

الْقُصْوى

q-ṣ-w

literal: utmost; furthest extent; supreme

لَنْ

l-n → “neither”

literal: will not (negation of future)

يَقْدِرَ

q-d-r → “power” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

يَصْعَدَ

ṣ-ʿ-d → “ascend”

literal: ascent; ascension; rising; elevation

عَنْ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

حَدِّ

ḥ-d-d → “limitations”

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

الإِنْشآءِ،

n-sh-ʾ → “Thy creation”

literal: creation; bringing into existence; establishment

يَتَعارَجَ

ʿ-r-j → “ascend”

literal: ascension; ascend; ascents

شَأْنِ

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

وَبِما

m-w-h → “water” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

لَهُ

h-w → “for it”

literal: for them both; to both of them (dual pronoun)

شُئُونِ

sh-ʾ-n

القَضآءِ،

q-ḍ-y → “decree”

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

فَكَيْفَ

k-y-f → “How”

literal: how; in what manner

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

خُلِقَ

kh-l-q → “hath been created”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

بِمَشِيَّةِ

sh-y-ʾ → “by Thy will”

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

رُتْبَةِ

r-t-b → “station”

literal: rank; station; degree; time; instance

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

هَوآءِ

h-w-y → “holy atmosphere” Distinctive

literal: air; atmosphere; void

قُدْسِ

q-d-s

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

أَوْ

h-w-w → “or” Distinctive

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

يَصِلَ

w-ṣ-l → “reach”

literal: to reach; to arrive; to attain; to connect

مَقَرِّ

q-r-r → “seat”

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

عِزِّ

ʿ-z-z → “transcendent”

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

يَطِيْرَ

ṭ-y-r

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

الفانِيْ

f-n-y

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

عَرْشِ

ʿ-r-sh

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

بَقائِكَ

b-q-y

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

الفَقِيرُ

f-q-r

literal: poor; needy; the poor one; pauper

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 ¶