Prayers and Meditations — §538
Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 538 of 858.
Source (Arabic)
فيا إِلهِي لَيْسَ لِيْ مِنْ ذِكْرٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِكَ وَلا لِيْ مِنْ حَرَكَةٍ إِلاَّ بِأَمْرِكَ، فَيا إِلهِي أَنْتَ أَظْهَرْتَنِي بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَقَمْتَنِيْ لإِظْهارِ أَمْرِكَ وَبِذلِكَ ابْتُلِيْتُ عَلَى شَأْنٍ مَنَعْتَ لِسانِي عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنائِكَ.
Shoghi Effendi Translation
I can utter no word, O my God, unless I be permitted by Thee, and can move in no direction until I obtain Thy sanction. It is Thou, O my God, Who hast called me into being through the power of Thy might, and hast endued me with Thy grace to manifest Thy Cause. Wherefore I have been subjected to such adversities that my tongue hath been hindered from extolling Thee and from magnifying Thy glory.
Translation Notes
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §137: “By Godfire-tabletFire §41: after GodgleaningsGWB §725: O my God”kitab-i-ahdAhd §10: the divine Testatorkitab-i-iqanKIQ §196: of God.”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §233: Thy Divinetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §50: By the Lordthe-hidden-wordsHW §147: celestial
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §193: NogleaningsGWB §227: is not to be numberedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §489: none can be foundtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §12: bereftepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §84: consisted notgleaningsGWB §225: can bring on Me noprayers-and-meditationsP&M §473: have noepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §134: Thou art not
mention 23% remembrance 18% mentioned 16% praise 14% recorded 6% words 6% recount 5% referred 5% make 4% references 4%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §40: leavegleaningsGWB §613: acceptance and pleasurekitab-i-iqanKIQ §85: by the permission ofprayers-and-meditationsP&M §502: Thou hast sufferedtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §12: with their own earswill-and-testamentW&T §34: the mindsepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §135: the eargleaningsGWB §222: Leave hath, moreover, been given
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §161: through Whose movementfire-tabletFire §27: MovergleaningsGWB §10: movedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §197: stilledprayers-and-meditationsP&M §157: the Moverthe-hidden-wordsHW §96: MOVING FORM OFwill-and-testamentW&T §43: activeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §162: progress
cause 62% revelation 14% behest 6% faith 4% bidding 4% commandment 3% decree 2% affairs 2% through 2% command 1%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §234: the Revelationfire-tabletFire §17: CommandgleaningsGWB §699: the sake of the Causekitab-i-ahdAhd §7: a decreekitab-i-iqanKIQ §190: Nothing whatsoeverprayers-and-meditationsP&M §538: until I obtain Thy sanctiontablet-of-ahmadAhmad §4: to Whose commandsthe-hidden-wordsHW §30: My command
SE expanded to “hast called me into being”
power 44% might 24% through 13% almighty 5% strength 4% omnipotence 3% whose 3% authority 2% greatness 1% transcendent 1%
SE expanded to “and hast endued me”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §143: primarily andfire-tabletFire §48: He hath risen upgleaningsGWB §526: take up armskitab-i-ahdAhd §13: your stationkitab-i-iqanKIQ §152: the Day of Resurrection?”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §709: with my thoughts fixed steadfastly upon Theetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §9: so steadfasttablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §44: that place
ابْتُلِيْتُ
literal: tribulation; affliction; trial
This form usually rendered as “have”, “hath” (3 occurrences)
SE expanded to “been subjected to such adversities”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §150: the tribulationsfire-tabletFire §48: of tribulationgleaningsGWB §498: which We have sufferedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §6: the indignities heaped uponprayers-and-meditationsP&M §388: the savor of woes sent by Theethe-hidden-wordsHW §49: under My trialswill-and-testamentW&T §3: the trialsepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §29: adversity
SE rendered وَبِذلِكَ (wabidhlik), ابْتُلِيْتُ (ibtulít), شَأْنٍ (shaʾanin), مَنَعْتَ (manaʿt), لِسانِي (lisání), ذِكْرِكَ (dhikrik) as “Wherefore, been subjected to such adversities, hath been hindered, my tongue, extolling Thee”
such 41% station 18% state 8% glory 8% honor 8% through 5% excellence 5% distinction 3% neither 3% people 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §158: the peoplefire-tabletFire §27: the signsgleaningsGWB §187: sokitab-i-iqanKIQ §74: His waysprayers-and-meditationsP&M §599: the changes and chances of the worldthe-hidden-wordsHW §68: My statewill-and-testamentW&T §15: all earthly thingsepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §198: My rank
SE expanded to “hath been hindered”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §84: We, verily, have forbidden yougleaningsGWB §537: high-mindedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §213: repelprayers-and-meditationsP&M §435: will be powerless to hinder themtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §9: arise against theethe-hidden-wordsHW §89: no longerwill-and-testamentW&T §56: hindranceepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §51: deterreth
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §194: tonguesgleaningsGWB §347: that tonguekitab-i-iqanKIQ §64: speechprayers-and-meditationsP&M §85: and with their tonguestablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §48: her honeyed tonguethe-hidden-wordsHW §101: IN WORDepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §5: the TonguegleaningsGWB §40: the words uttered by
وَثَنائِكَ
literal: praise; praise, commendation
This form usually rendered as “praise”, “extol”, “celebrate” (71 occurrences)
SE expanded to “and from magnifying Thy glory”
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 §9: glorifygleaningsGWB §205: that magnify His Namekitab-i-iqanKIQ §74: Thereuponprayers-and-meditationsP&M §316: and honorwill-and-testamentW&T §39: anotherepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §143: SecondarilygleaningsGWB §321: createdkitab-i-iqanKIQ §182: the latter
