Fire Tablet — §1

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 1 of 50.

Source (Arabic)

﴿ بِسْمِ اللهِ الأَقْدَمِ الأَعْظَمِ ﴾ قَدْ احْتَرَقَ المُخْلِصُوْنَ مِنْ نَارِ الفِرَاقِ أَيْنَ تَشَعْشُعُ أَنْوَارِ لِقَائِكَ يَا مَحْبُوْبَ العَالَمِيْنَ *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

﴾ In the Name of God, the Most Ancient, the Most Great ﴿ Indeed the hearts of the sincere are consumed in the fire of separation: Where is the gleaming of the light of Thy Countenance, O Beloved of the worlds?

Translation Notes

بِسْمِ

s-m-w → “In the Name of”

literal: in the name of; by the name of (Islamic formulaic opening)

اللهِ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

literal: God; Allah; deity; Divinity; divine nature; godhood

الأَقْدَمِ

q-d-m → “the Most Ancient”

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

الأَعْظَمِ

ʿ-ẓ-m → “the Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

قَدْ

q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

احْتَرَقَ

ḥ-r-q → “consumed”

literal: to burn; to be consumed by fire; burning

المُخْلِصُوْنَ

kh-l-ṣ → “the sincere”

literal: sincere; devoted; pure one

مِنْ

m-n → “in the” Distinctive

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

نَارِ

n-ʾ-r → “fire”

literal: light; illumination

الفِرَاقِ

f-r-q → “of separation”

literal: faction; sect; group; company

أَيْنَ

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

تَشَعْشُعُ

sh-ʿ-ʿ → “gleaming”

literal: ray; radiance; gleaming

أَنْوَارِ

n-w-r → “of the light”

literal: light; illumination

لِقَائِكَ

l-q-y → “Presence”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

يَا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

مَحْبُوْبَ

ḥ-b-b → “Beloved”

literal: love; affection

العَالَمِيْنَ

ʿ-l-m → “of the worlds”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶