Prayers and Meditations — §584
Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 584 of 858.
Source (Arabic)
فَوَعِزَّتِكَ عَجِزَتْ كَيْنُونَةُ العِرْفانِ عَنْ عِرْفانِ نَفْسِكَ، وَقَصَرَتْ ذاتِيَّةُ الأَذْكارِ عَنْ بِساطِ عِزِّكَ وَجَبَّارِيَّتِكَ كُلُّ ما يُذْكَرُ بِالبَيانِ أَوْ يُدْرَكَ بِالعِرْفانِ إِنَّهُ وَصْفُ خَلْقِكَ وَكانَ مَخْلُوقًا بِمَشِيَّتِكَ وَمَجْعُولاً بِإِرادَتِكَ،
Shoghi Effendi Translation
I swear by Thy glory! The quintessence of knowledge is powerless to comprehend Thy nature, and the inmost reality of every praise of Thee falleth short of the seat of Thy great glory and of Thine all-compelling power. Every utterance that seeketh to describe Thee, and every knowledge that attempteth to comprehend Thee, is but an expression of Thine own creating, and is begotten by Thy will, and fashioned in conformity with Thy purpose.
Translation Notes
SE expanded to “swear by Thy glory”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §118: glorygleaningsGWB §640: of all temporal honor and worldly elevationkitab-i-iqanKIQ §99: Dear friend!prayers-and-meditationsP&M §493: Thytablet-of-ahmadAhmad §4: Incomparablethe-hidden-wordsHW §58: splendorwill-and-testamentW&T §10: my prideepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §158: on thy glory
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §82: none can producegleaningsGWB §112: their helplessnesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §230: miracleprayers-and-meditationsP&M §241: the powerlessnesswill-and-testamentW&T §49: overwhelmed meepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §62: cangleaningsGWB §117: failurekitab-i-iqanKIQ §157: the miracle
SE expanded to “quintessence of knowledge”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §13: I was indeedgleaningsGWB §311: It willkitab-i-iqanKIQ §177: they areprayers-and-meditationsP&M §455: its inmost beingtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §15: withhold not thyselftablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: lest thoutablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §31: whose heart haththe-hidden-wordsHW §19: thou dost
This form usually rendered as “knowledge”, “understanding”, “recognize” (144 occurrences)
knowledge 32% understanding 23% recognize 8% recognition 7% comprehension 7% know 6% divine 5% recognizing 4% wisdom 3% insight 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §97: the breezegleaningsGWB §196: to recognizekitab-i-ahdAhd §13: perform praiseworthy deedskitab-i-iqanKIQ §125: true knowledgeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §143: the mantablet-of-ahmadAhmad §12: to seethe-hidden-wordsHW §52: do thou observe itepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §65: what is right
This form usually rendered as “thyself”, “own”, “thee” (222 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §183: My truegleaningsGWB §713: impostorkitab-i-iqanKIQ §7: followersprayers-and-meditationsP&M §438: in Thyselftablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §37: within thyselfthe-hidden-wordsHW §32: thy deedswill-and-testamentW&T §44: of the insincereepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: for myself
This form usually rendered as “have”, “fallen”, “falleth” (4 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §94: their palacesgleaningsGWB §466: innocent of guiltkitab-i-iqanKIQ §244: for the sake of brevityprayers-and-meditationsP&M §524: have not failedtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §47: within her most lofty mansionepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §85: conductgleaningsGWB §168: mansionkitab-i-iqanKIQ §242: only guilt
This form usually rendered as “entire”, “may”, “complete” (15 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §156: EssencegleaningsGWB §386: for Himselfkitab-i-iqanKIQ §84: the very recessesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §618: in Theewill-and-testamentW&T §36: my lifeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §64: Thy selfgleaningsGWB §2: have themselves been generatedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §106: the unchangeable Being
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §168: thesegleaningsGWB §657: His holy namekitab-i-ahdAhd §3: mentioningkitab-i-iqanKIQ §114: spoken ofprayers-and-meditationsP&M §17: and the Objecttablet-of-ahmadAhmad §6: utter His calltablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §15: all mentionthe-hidden-wordsHW §67: as they make mention of Me
وَجَبَّارِيَّتِكَ
literal: might; might/omnipotence; dominion
SE expanded to “of Thine all-compelling power”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §3: dominionfire-tabletFire §37: the eternal realmgleaningsGWB §537: all the power and glorykitab-i-iqanKIQ §98: tyrannyprayers-and-meditationsP&M §140: heavenly realmtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §32: highest heaventhe-hidden-wordsHW §104: My everlasting dominionwill-and-testamentW&T §8: exhorted
SE rendered وَجَبَّارِيَّتِكَ (wajabbáríratik), يُذْكَرُ (yudhkar), بِالبَيانِ (biálbayán), يُدْرَكَ (yudrak), بِالعِرْفانِ (biálʿirfán) as “of Thine all-compelling power, seeketh to describe, that attempteth to comprehend, every knowledge”
utterance 65% divine 7% eloquence 5% tongue 5% through 5% glorification 5% unto 2% ornament 2% articulate 2% book 2%
This form usually rendered as “taketh”, “unknowable”, “recognize” (12 occurrences)
SE expanded to “that attempteth to comprehend”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §240: intelligencegleaningsGWB §37: she herself hath conceivedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §176: comprehendedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §585: can be comprehendedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §251: attaingleaningsGWB §548: mindkitab-i-iqanKIQ §199: graspedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §804: abyss
SE rendered يُدْرَكَ (yudrak), بِالعِرْفانِ (biálʿirfán), وَصْفُ (waṣf), خَلْقِكَ (khalqik), وَكانَ (wakán), مَخْلُوقًا (makhlúqan) as “that attempteth to comprehend, every knowledge, an expression, is, Thine own creating”
description 25% described 13% describing 13% conception 13% highest 6% such 6% portray 6% applicable 6% fathom 6% praise 6%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §168: describedgleaningsGWB §94: These attributes of Godkitab-i-iqanKIQ §191: is characterizedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §439: Howsoeverepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §182: DescribinggleaningsGWB §3: such strivingskitab-i-iqanKIQ §274: concerning the character ofprayers-and-meditationsP&M §730: to express
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §228: that peoplefire-tabletFire §9: the peoplesgleaningsGWB §506: the entire creation.…kitab-i-iqanKIQ §87: attributesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §624: Thy creatures—Itablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §54: created herthe-hidden-wordsHW §69: created youepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §50: characteristics
SE expanded to “by Thy will”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §155: who wishethgleaningsGWB §161: to all created things.…kitab-i-iqanKIQ §201: willeth”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §781: Thy primal willtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §6: desirethtablet-of-carmelCarmel §2: created things.’the-hidden-wordsHW §13: elsewill-and-testamentW&T §5: this one, unworthy though he be
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §152: make theefire-tabletFire §44: We have madegleaningsGWB §386: been fashionedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §275: May my life beprayers-and-meditationsP&M §450: and hast caused metablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §19: ordainedthe-hidden-wordsHW §65: clothe thyself therewithwill-and-testamentW&T §36: and grant that
SE expanded to “with Thy purpose”
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 §3: of the willgleaningsGWB §468: intentionkitab-i-iqanKIQ §127: wishedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §264: sole aimthe-hidden-wordsHW §106: wouldst thou gazewill-and-testamentW&T §38: meant thatepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §42: pleasethgleaningsGWB §2: through the operation of
