Prayers and Meditations — §16
Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 16 of 858.
Source (Arabic)
سُبْحانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ يا إِلهِي وَعِزَّتِكَ مِنْ تَتابُعِ البَلايا مُنِعَ القَلَمُ الأَعْلى مِنْ إِظْهارِ ما هُوَ المَسْتُورُ عَنْ أَنْظُرِ بَرِيَّتِكَ، وَمِنْ تَرادُفِ القَضَايا مُنِعَ لِسانُ الإِمْضآءِ عَنْ بَدائِعِ ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ، إِذًا يا إِلهِي بِهذا اللِّسانِ الكَلِيلِ أَدْعُوكَ، وَبِهذا القَلَمِ العَلِيلِ أَشْتَغِلُ بِذِكْرِكَ،
Shoghi Effendi Translation
Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I swear by Thy might! Successive afflictions have withheld the pen of the Most High from laying bare that which is hidden from the eyes of Thy creatures, and incessant trials have hindered the tongue of the Divine Ordainer from proclaiming the wonders of Thy glorification and praise. With a stammering tongue, therefore, I call upon Thee, O my God, and with this my afflicted pen I occupy myself in remembrance of Thy name.
Translation Notes
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §150: “Glory to Theefire-tabletFire §14: veiledgleaningsGWB §4: Farkitab-i-iqanKIQ §32: Immeasurably highprayers-and-meditationsP&M §232: Praise betablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §54: Glorified be He thatthe-hidden-wordsHW §89: from on highwill-and-testamentW&T §42: Gracious God
SE expanded to “O Lord my God”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §144: my Godfire-tabletFire §41: after GodgleaningsGWB §628: the sovereign Lordkitab-i-ahdAhd §10: the divine Testatorkitab-i-iqanKIQ §97: holy Menprayers-and-meditationsP&M §835: our Godtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §50: By the Lordthe-hidden-wordsHW §147: celestial
SE expanded to “swear by Thy might”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §223: “Better is itgleaningsGWB §604: most augustkitab-i-iqanKIQ §203: and powerprayers-and-meditationsP&M §331: stupendoustablet-of-ahmadAhmad §4: Incomparablethe-hidden-wordsHW §107: cherishwill-and-testamentW&T §4: endearedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §181: glory of
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §86: followestgleaningsGWB §605: strict observancekitab-i-iqanKIQ §246: hath followedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §16: Successivetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §5: be obedientwill-and-testamentW&T §49: have compassed me roundepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §94: walk notgleaningsGWB §238: to keep
This form usually rendered as “tribulations”, “tribulation”, “troubles” (53 occurrences)
tribulations 31% tribulation 17% troubles 10% trials 7% woes 7% every 7% adversities 7% afflictions 5% manifold 5% calamities 5%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §243: overwhelmedfire-tabletFire §39: calamitygleaningsGWB §111: sore-triedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §63: persecutionsprayers-and-meditationsP&M §17: every manner of adversitythe-hidden-wordsHW §49: under My trialswill-and-testamentW&T §3: oneepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §136: their woes
This form usually rendered as “hindered”, “deter”, “withhold” (77 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §103: thou hast forbiddengleaningsGWB §324: will be deprived of the powerkitab-i-iqanKIQ §268: detachmentprayers-and-meditationsP&M §574: can never hinder metablet-of-ahmadAhmad §9: arise against theethe-hidden-wordsHW §157: goodlywill-and-testamentW&T §23: are in no wise permittedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §42: ye have been forbidden
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §164: pensgleaningsGWB §281: of Whose Penkitab-i-iqanKIQ §155: by the Penprayers-and-meditationsP&M §235: the realmswill-and-testamentW&T §54: to appear asepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §100: My PengleaningsGWB §630: Thy most exalted Penprayers-and-meditationsP&M §798: from the pen
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §169: aloudfire-tabletFire §42: highestgleaningsGWB §151: He that is exalted among youkitab-i-iqanKIQ §84: waxing greater and strongerprayers-and-meditationsP&M §104: the excellencetablet-of-carmelCarmel §2: raising highthe-hidden-wordsHW §23: Noblewill-and-testamentW&T §10: my glory
This form usually rendered as “manifest”, “may”, “proclaim” (69 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: seek to smother up its flamefire-tabletFire §45: Concealer of the sinsgleaningsGWB §563: “the Concealer”kitab-i-ahdAhd §9: lieth concealedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §178: lie as yet unravelledprayers-and-meditationsP&M §769: veilsthe-hidden-wordsHW §128: meaningepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §218: lie hid
This form usually rendered as “look”, “consider”, “gaze” (34 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §162: fix My gazefire-tabletFire §48: looking towardgleaningsGWB §650: to its habitationkitab-i-ahdAhd §10: to turnkitab-i-iqanKIQ §148: apprehendprayers-and-meditationsP&M §781: their eyes fixedtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §2: Beautythe-hidden-wordsHW §60: My place of revelation
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §9: creationgleaningsGWB §690: your Lord, the Creatorprayers-and-meditationsP&M §219: unto Thy peopleepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §106: mengleaningsGWB §362: breathe naught butprayers-and-meditationsP&M §385: of Thy creaturesepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §40: clear of themgleaningsGWB §195: God, your Creator
This form usually rendered as “incessant”, “continual” (2 occurrences)
judgment 10% decree 10% destiny 10% trials 10% tribulations 10% troubles 10% vicissitudes 10% assaults 10% every 10% divers 10%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §155: that have happenedfire-tabletFire §29: of destinygleaningsGWB §239: consignedkitab-i-ahdAhd §10: is endedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §286: such will it beprayers-and-meditationsP&M §24: hath destinedthe-hidden-wordsHW §49: under My decreewill-and-testamentW&T §39: exigencies
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §159: tongues ofgleaningsGWB §622: in the Arabic tonguekitab-i-iqanKIQ §75: mouthprayers-and-meditationsP&M §558: my bodily tonguetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §48: her honeyed tonguethe-hidden-wordsHW §101: IN WORDepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §92: your tonguesgleaningsGWB §535: My words
This form usually rendered as “irrevocable”, “divine” (4 occurrences)
irrevocable 67% divine 33%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §129: passedgleaningsGWB §219: In the fullness of timekitab-i-iqanKIQ §255: hath passedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §672: Thine appointmentgleaningsGWB §245: havekitab-i-iqanKIQ §122: past tenseprayers-and-meditationsP&M §308: irrevocablegleaningsGWB §245: shall pass away
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §119: BadigleaningsGWB §286: the most marvelouskitab-i-iqanKIQ §51: loveliestprayers-and-meditationsP&M §843: wondrous virtuestablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §2: in His Namethe-hidden-wordsHW §65: have createdepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §191: the universegleaningsGWB §682: wondrous works
This form usually rendered as “remembrance”, “praise”, “remember” (150 occurrences)
remembrance 37% praise 20% remember 9% remembering 9% glorification 5% name 5% whose 5% make 4% mention 3% through 2%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §140: proclaimedgleaningsGWB §370: its Creatorkitab-i-ahdAhd §4: reckonedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §283: foreshadowedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §351: ye mentiontablet-of-ahmadAhmad §6: utter His calltablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §15: all mentionthe-hidden-wordsHW §44: I may remember thee
praise 45% extol 16% celebrate 8% glorify 6% virtues 6% celebrating 6% extolling 5% magnifying 3% glory 3% praises 2%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §208: SecondlygleaningsGWB §46: and celebrate His praisekitab-i-iqanKIQ §151: “Secondaryprayers-and-meditationsP&M §574: or from celebrating Thy praisewill-and-testamentW&T §39: anotherepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §6: to glorify TheegleaningsGWB §389: Nextkitab-i-iqanKIQ §54: In the midst of
This form usually rendered as “dumb”, “stammering”, “falter” (4 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §108: everygleaningsGWB §668: your soulskitab-i-iqanKIQ §148: all peopleprayers-and-meditationsP&M §38: the steadfast in faiththe-hidden-wordsHW §49: Forwill-and-testamentW&T §38: do His bidding.”epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §234: everyonegleaningsGWB §666: at all
SE expanded to “I call upon Thee”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §99: calledgleaningsGWB §645: Set ye asidekitab-i-ahdAhd §6: Praykitab-i-iqanKIQ §9: exhortedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §389: whom Thou hast summonedtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §53: was calledthe-hidden-wordsHW §24: I call theewill-and-testamentW&T §36: call upon Thee
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §51: inasmuch as through itgleaningsGWB §171: are responsible forkitab-i-ahdAhd §14: the instrumentkitab-i-iqanKIQ §58: aversionprayers-and-meditationsP&M §622: sickthe-hidden-wordsHW §107: illsepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §125: causethgleaningsGWB §436: source
SE expanded to “I occupy myself”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §184: theygleaningsGWB §650: wept and mournedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §279: communedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §505: what will cause them to be busiedthe-hidden-wordsHW §14: dost thou busy thyselfwill-and-testamentW&T §14: hath spentepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §232: are occupiedgleaningsGWB §640: calleth
