Prayers and Meditations — §843

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 843 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

ذُرْوَةِ اسْتِغْنائِكَ، لَمْ تَزَلْ وَاصِفَ نَفْسِكَ لِنَفْسِكَ بِنَفْسِكَ وَناعِتَ ذاتِكَ لِذاتِكَ بِذاتِكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ يا مَحْبُوبِي لَمْ يَكُنْ غَيْرُكَ مَذْكُورًا حَتَّى يَعْرِفَكَ وَلا دُونُكَ مَوْجُودًا لِيَذْكُرَكَ، أَنْتَ الَّذِيْ لَمْ تَزَلْ كُنْتَ فِي مُلْكِكَ بِظُهُورِ عِزِّ وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ وَطُلُوعِ قُدْسِ كِبْرِيائِيَّتِكَ، وَلَوْ يُذْكَرُ فِي مَمالِكِ الإِنْشآءِ مِنْ أَعْلى نُقْطَةِ البَقآءِ إِلى مُنْتَهى رُتْبَةِ الثَّرى أَحَدٌ دُونُكَ كَيْفَ يُثْبَتُ اسْتوائُكَ عَلَى عَرْشِ فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ وَيَعْلُو بَدائِعُ ذِكْرِكَ فِي كَلِمَةِ تَوْحِيدِكَ وَوَحْدانِيَّتِكَ، وَأَشْهَدُ حِيْنَئِذٍ بِما شَهِدْتَ بِهِ لِنَفْسِكَ قَبْلَ خَلْقِ السَّمَواتِ وَالأَرْضِ، بِأَنَّ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

High, immeasurably high art Thou above the endeavors of the evanescent creature to soar unto the throne of Thine eternity, or of the poor and wretched to attain the summit of Thine all-sufficing glory! From eternity Thou didst Thyself describe Thine own Self unto Thy Self, and extol, in Thine own Essence, Thine Essence unto Thine Essence. I swear by Thy glory, O my Best-Beloved! Who is there besides Thee that can claim to know Thee, and who save Thyself can make fitting mention of Thee? Thou art He Who, from eternity, abode in His realm, in the glory of His transcendent unity, and the splendors of His holy grandeur. Were any one except Thee to be deemed worthy of mention, in all the kingdoms of Thy creation, from the highest realms of immortality down to the level of this nether world, how could it, then, be demonstrated that Thou art established upon the throne of Thy unity, and how could the wondrous virtues of Thy oneness and Thy singleness be glorified?

Translation Notes

ذُرْوَةِ

dh-r-w → “summit”

literal: peak; apex; pinnacle; summit

اسْتِغْنائِكَ،

gh-n-y → “wealth” Distinctive

literal: rich; wealth; riches

لَمْ

l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

تَزَلْ

z-w-l → “From eternity” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

وَاصِفَ

w-ṣ-f → “Thou didst Thyself describe”

literal: to describe, characterize; description

نَفْسِكَ

n-f-s → “Thine own Self”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَناعِتَ

n-ʿ-t → “glorifier” Distinctive

literal: description/attribute; glorifier; attribution/praise

ذاتِكَ

dh-w-t → “Thine Essence”

literal: essence; self; being

فَوَعِزَّتِكَ

ʿ-z-z → “I swear by Thy glory”

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

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

مَحْبُوبِي

ḥ-b-b → “my Best-Beloved”

literal: love; affection

يَكُنْ

k-w-n → “be”

literal: is; to be (third person singular present); to be one; oneness; unity

غَيْرُكَ

gh-y-r → “besides Thee”

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

مَذْكُورًا

dh-k-r → “mention”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

حَتَّى

ḥ-t-y

literal: to be necessary, inevitable; determined

يَعْرِفَكَ

ʿ-r-f → “to know Thee”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

وَلا

w-l-y

literal: no; not; negation particle

دُونُكَ

d-w-n → “save Thyself” Distinctive

literal: below; lower than; beneath

مَوْجُودًا

w-j-d → “being”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

أَنْتَ

ʾ-n-t → “Thou”

literal: you (masculine singular)

الَّذِيْ

l-dh-y → “which”

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

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

مُلْكِكَ

m-l-k → “His realm”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

بِظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “in” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

وَحْدانِيَّتِكَ

w-ḥ-d → “transcendent unity” Distinctive

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

وَطُلُوعِ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

قُدْسِ

q-d-s → “holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

كِبْرِيائِيَّتِكَ،

k-b-r → “grandeur”

literal: greatest; greater; grandeur

وَلَوْ

l-w → “If”

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

الإِنْشآءِ

n-sh-ʾ → “Thy creation”

literal: creation; bringing into existence; establishment; God willing; if God wishes; please God

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

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

أَعْلى

ʿ-l-w → “highest” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

نُقْطَةِ

n-q-ṭ → “Point”

literal: point; dot; spot; region; area

البَقآءِ

b-q-y → “immortality”

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

إِلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

مُنْتَهى

n-h-y

literal: stinking, foul-smelling; stench

رُتْبَةِ

r-t-b → “station”

literal: rank; station; degree; time; instance

الثَّرى

th-r-y → “of earth below”

literal: earth; dust; earth/dust

أَحَدٌ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “any one”

literal: one; anyone; oneness

كَيْفَ

k-y-f → “how”

literal: how; in what manner

يُثْبَتُ

th-b-t → “demonstrated”

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed

اسْتوائُكَ

s-w-y → “established”

literal: other than; other-than; besides

عَرْشِ

ʿ-r-sh → “throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

فَرْدانِيَّتِكَ

f-r-d → “unity”

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

بَدائِعُ

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

كَلِمَةِ

k-l-m

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

وَأَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

حِيْنَئِذٍ

ḥ-y-n → “moment”

literal: time; moment; while; season

بِما

m-ʾ

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

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

قَبْلَ

q-b-l

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

خَلْقِ

kh-l-q

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

السَّمَواتِ

s-m-w

literal: heaven; sky

وَالأَرْضِ،

ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

بِأَنَّ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

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