Prayers and Meditations — §847

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 847 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

لْمُكَ مِنْ أَسْرارِ القَضآءِ وَخَفِيَّاتِ ما قُدِّرَ خَلْفَ حُجُباتِ الإِمْضاءِ، لِيُفْصَلَ بِذلِكَ مَنْ دَخَلَ فِي ظِلِّ رَحْمَتِكَ الكُبْرى عَنِ الَّذِي اسْتَكْبَرَ عَلَيْكَ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنِ اللِّقآءِ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ جَمالِكَ الأَعْلی، فَسُبْحانَكَ فَسُبْحَانَكَ يا مَحْبُوبِيْ لَمَّا فُصِّلَ فِي المُلْكِ أَحِبَّائُكَ مِنْ أَعْدائِكَ وَتَمَّ حُجَّتُكَ الأَعْظَمُ وَبُرْهانُكَ الأَقْوَمُ عَلَى كُلِّ مَنْ فِي السَّمَواتِ وَالأَرْضِ، إِذًا فَارْحَمِ الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي أَرْضِكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I know full well Thou hast delayed to manifest Thy triumph in the kingdom of creation by reason of Thy knowledge which embraceth both the mysteries of Thy decree, and the hidden things ordained behind the veils of Thine irrevocable purpose, that thereby those who have entered beneath the shadow of Thy transcendent mercy may be separated from those who have dealt disdainfully with Thee, and turned back from Thy presence at the time when Thou didst manifest Thy most exalted Beauty.

Translation Notes

لْمُكَ

ʿ-l-m → “I know full well”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

مَنْ

m-n → “those who” Distinctive

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

أَسْرارِ

s-r-r → “mysteries”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

القَضآءِ

q-ḍ-y → “Thy decree”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for

وَخَفِيَّاتِ

kh-f-y → “conceal” Distinctive

literal: hiddenness, concealment, obscurity

ما

m-ʾ

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

قُدِّرَ

q-d-r → “ordained”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

خَلْفَ

kh-l-f → “behind”

literal: opposing; contrary; conflicting

حُجُباتِ

ḥ-j-b → “veils”

literal: to veil oneself, to be veiled

الإِمْضاءِ،

m-ḍ-y → “passed” Distinctive

literal: pass; execution; past

لِيُفْصَلَ

f-ṣ-l → “may be separated”

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

بِذلِكَ

dh-l-k → “that thereby” Distinctive

literal: that; this; it; by that

دَخَلَ

d-kh-l → “have entered”

literal: to enter; to admit; to bring in

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

ظِلِّ

ẓ-l-l → “beneath the shadow”

literal: to take shelter; to dwell in shadow

رَحْمَتِكَ

r-ḥ-m → “Thy transcendent mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

عَنِ

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الَّذِي

l-dh-y → “which”

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

اسْتَكْبَرَ

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

عَلَيْكَ

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “and” Distinctive

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أَعْرَضَ

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned back” Distinctive

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

اللِّقآءِ

l-q-y → “Thy presence”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

عِنْدَ

ʿ-n-d → “at the time when” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

ظُهُورِ

ẓ-h-r → “didst manifest” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

جَمالِكَ

j-m-l → “exalted Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

الأَعْلی،

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

فَسُبْحانَكَ

s-b-ḥ

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted; dawn; daybreak; morning

يا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

مَحْبُوبِيْ

ḥ-b-b

literal: love; affection

لَمَّا

l-m-ʾ

literal: when; certainly-not; when, since

المُلْكِ

m-l-k

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

أَعْدائِكَ

ʿ-d-w

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

وَتَمَّ

t-m-m

literal: and complete, fulfill; captivate, enslave

حُجَّتُكَ

ḥ-j-j

literal: path, way; clear path

الأَعْظَمُ

ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

وَبُرْهانُكَ

b-r-h-n

literal: proof, evidence, demonstration, argument

الأَقْوَمُ

q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

كُلِّ

k-l-l

literal: for us; to us

السَّمَواتِ

s-m-w

literal: heaven; sky

وَالأَرْضِ،

ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

إِذًا

ʾ-dh-n

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

هُمْ

h-m-m

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

اسْتُضْعِفُوا

ḍ-ʿ-f

literal: weak; weakness; weaken

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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