Prayers and Meditations — §240
Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 240 of 858.
Source (Arabic)
فَسُبْحانَكَ سُبْحَانَكَ يا إِلهِي بَعْدَ الَّذِيْ انْقَطَعَتْ أَفْئِدَةُ العُرَفآءِ عَنْ عِرْفانِ صُنْعِكَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقْتَهُ بِإِرادَتِكَ فَكَيْفَ الصُّعُودُ إِلى سَمَواتِ قُدْسِ مَشِيَّتِكَ أَوِ الْوُرُودُ فِي سُرادِقِ عِرْفانِ نَفْسِكَ،
Shoghi Effendi Translation
Glorified, glorified be Thou, O my God! How can I ever hope to ascend into the heaven of Thy most holy will, or gain admittance into the tabernacle of Thy Divine knowledge, knowing as I do that the minds of the wise and learned are impotent to fathom the secrets of Thy handiwork—a handiwork which is itself but a creation of Thy will?
Translation Notes
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §102: celebrateth the praise offire-tabletFire §14: veiledgleaningsGWB §387: Far be it from His glorykitab-i-iqanKIQ §230: kindnessprayers-and-meditationsP&M §843: Hightablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §54: Glorified be He thatthe-hidden-wordsHW §89: from on highwill-and-testamentW&T §42: Gracious God
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §76: God. Unto thisfire-tabletFire §41: after GodgleaningsGWB §197: to this God is My witnesskitab-i-ahdAhd §10: the divine Testatorkitab-i-iqanKIQ §212: of His graceprayers-and-meditationsP&M §738: nametablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §31: “By the Lordthe-hidden-wordsHW §147: celestial
This form usually rendered as “broke”, “neither”, “forsaken” (3 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §89: I had been severedgleaningsGWB §310: being severed fromkitab-i-iqanKIQ §14: been withheldprayers-and-meditationsP&M §281: and for having severed metablet-of-ahmadAhmad §2: severed oneswill-and-testamentW&T §3: highway robbersepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §180: countrygleaningsGWB §163: decapitated
This form usually rendered as “hearts”, “souls”, “heart” (79 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §163: soulsgleaningsGWB §555: mindkitab-i-iqanKIQ §178: of the human mindprayers-and-meditationsP&M §732: Thy loved Onesthe-hidden-wordsHW §60: Thy heartwill-and-testamentW&T §48: They haveepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §135: thine heartgleaningsGWB §453: the souls
This form usually rendered as “sages”, “devoutest”, “all” (5 occurrences)
SE expanded to “the wise and learned”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §100: Couldst thou but knowgleaningsGWB §44: the knowledge of Godkitab-i-ahdAhd §13: perform praiseworthy deedskitab-i-iqanKIQ §5: certaintyprayers-and-meditationsP&M §584: every knowledgetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §12: to seethe-hidden-wordsHW §3: through the knowledgeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §175: apprehended
SE expanded to “Thy handiwork—a handiwork”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §48: craftsgleaningsGWB §321: handiworkkitab-i-iqanKIQ §270: will performprayers-and-meditationsP&M §235: of Thy handiworkthe-hidden-wordsHW §14: I made theewill-and-testamentW&T §6: forgingepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: of Thine handiworkgleaningsGWB §154: the arts
SE rendered عِرْفانِ (ʿirfán), صُنْعِكَ (ṣunʿik), خَلَقْتَهُ (khalaqtah), بِإِرادَتِكَ (biʾirádatik), فَكَيْفَ (fakayf) as “fathom, Thy handiwork—a handiwork, creation, How can I ever hope”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §197: characterfire-tabletFire §9: the peoplesgleaningsGWB §50: a new creationkitab-i-iqanKIQ §101: the people thereofprayers-and-meditationsP&M §239: have all been createdtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §54: created herthe-hidden-wordsHW §69: We created you allepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §223: a creature
will 47% purpose 16% through 13% conformity 8% desire 5% operation 3% according 3% good 3% accordance 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §204: hath never had any wish for thee savegleaningsGWB §300: as a result of your own volitionkitab-i-iqanKIQ §127: wishedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §584: in conformity with Thy purposethe-hidden-wordsHW §57: dost wish forwill-and-testamentW&T §38: meant thatepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §3: of the willgleaningsGWB §505: by virtue of the
SE expanded to “How can I ever hope”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §168: “HowgleaningsGWB §242: By what rightkitab-i-iqanKIQ §181: How couldprayers-and-meditationsP&M §631: into conformity withthe-hidden-wordsHW §15: whereforeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §228: How, then,gleaningsGWB §242: why is it, then,kitab-i-iqanKIQ §273: nature
SE expanded to “to ascend into”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §210: “Get thee upgleaningsGWB §311: will continue to progressprayers-and-meditationsP&M §499: or reach up untotablet-of-carmelCarmel §3: shedtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §32: ascend unto thethe-hidden-wordsHW §23: Rise thenwill-and-testamentW&T §18: his passingepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §187: are raised
SE expanded to “heaven of Thy”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §40: of the heavensfire-tabletFire §36: heavenlygleaningsGWB §97: the realms abovekitab-i-iqanKIQ §32: every nameprayers-and-meditationsP&M §782: the sublimitytablet-of-ahmadAhmad §11: My saketablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: Names.’tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §12: divine attributes
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §216: AqdasgleaningsGWB §118: immeasurably exaltedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §155: of eternal holinessprayers-and-meditationsP&M §824: which is far abovetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §15: hath exaltedthe-hidden-wordsHW §153: pure and holywill-and-testamentW&T §18: detachment from all worldly thingsepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §223: sanctified be His
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §99: whom He willethgleaningsGWB §408: may please to bestowkitab-i-iqanKIQ §61: will of Godprayers-and-meditationsP&M §11: of Thy willtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §6: desirethtablet-of-carmelCarmel §2: created things.’the-hidden-wordsHW §69: substancewill-and-testamentW&T §5: this one, unworthy though he be
This form usually rendered as “attaining”, “fathoming”, “reaching” (11 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §198: Upon Our arrivalgleaningsGWB §240: have comekitab-i-iqanKIQ §265: summons ofprayers-and-meditationsP&M §444: Whose court of glorywill-and-testamentW&T §5: dealt aepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §259: hath been recordedgleaningsGWB §311: that which it hath been made to endurekitab-i-iqanKIQ §40: came to visit
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §8: of the TabernaclesgleaningsGWB §656: the Tabernaclekitab-i-iqanKIQ §3: veilprayers-and-meditationsP&M §227: tabernaclestablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §21: pavilionwill-and-testamentW&T §5: the PaviliongleaningsGWB §58: Tabernacleprayers-and-meditationsP&M §123: and the tabernacle
SE rendered سُرادِقِ (surádiq), عِرْفانِ (ʿirfán), نَفْسِكَ، (nafsika،) as “tabernacle, Divine”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §185: none of whomgleaningsGWB §532: your heartskitab-i-iqanKIQ §199: inclinationprayers-and-meditationsP&M §677: myself whollytablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §37: within thyselfthe-hidden-wordsHW §71: OF HIS SELFwill-and-testamentW&T §44: souls such as theseepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §107: Himself
