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Gleanings — §134

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 134 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

شهد الله أنّه لا إله إلّا هو العزیز المحبوب له الجود والفضل یعطي من یشآء ما یشآء وإنّه لهو القادر المقتدر المهیمن القیّوم قل إنّا آمنّا بالّذي ظهر باسم عَلِيٍّ من لدن سلطان حقّ محمود وبالّذي یأتي في المُسْتَغَاث وبالّذي یأتي بعده إلی آخر الّذي لا آخر له وما نشهد في ظهورهم إلّا ظهور الله وفي بطونهم إلّا بطونه إن أنتم تعرفون وکلّهم مرایا الله بحیث لا یُری فیهم إلّا نفس الله وجماله وعزّ الله وبهائه لو أنتم تعقلون وما سواهم مرایاهم وهم مرایا الأوّلیّة إن أنتم تفقهون ما سبقهم أحد في شيء وهم یسبقون قل لن ینتهي مرایا القِدم وکذلک مرایا جمالهم لأنّ فیض الله لن ینقطع وهذا صدق غیر مکذوب

Shoghi Effendi Translation

God witnesseth that there is no God but Him, the Gracious, the Best-Beloved. All grace and bounty are His. To whomsoever He will He giveth whatsoever is His wish. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. We, verily, believe in Him Who, in the person of the Báb, hath been sent down by the Will of the one true God, the King of Kings, the All-Praised. We, moreover, swear fealty to the One Who, in the time of Mustag̱háṯh, is destined to be made manifest, as well as to those Who shall come after Him till the end that hath no end. We recognize in the manifestation of each one of them, whether outwardly or inwardly, the manifestation of none but God Himself, if ye be of those that comprehend. Every one of them is a mirror of God, reflecting naught else but His Self, His Beauty, His Might and Glory, if ye will understand. All else besides them are to be regarded as mirrors capable of reflecting the glory of these Manifestations Who are themselves the Primary Mirrors of the Divine Being, if ye be not devoid of understanding. No one hath ever escaped them, neither are they to be hindered from achieving their purpose. These Mirrors will everlastingly succeed each other, and will continue to reflect the light of the Ancient of Days. They that reflect their glory will, in like manner, continue to exist forevermore, for the Grace of God can never cease from flowing. This is a truth that none can disprove.

Translation Notes

شهد
sh-h-d “witnesseth” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

الله

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

أنّه

literal: I, verily; behold I

لا

literal: no; not; negation particle

إله
ʾ-l-h “is” Distinctive

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

إلّا
ʾ-kh-r “but” Distinctive

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

هو

literal: He; He is

العزیز
ʿ-z-z “Gracious” Distinctive

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

المحبوب

literal: love; affection

الجود

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

والفضل

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

یعطي

literal: bounty; gift; bestowal; grace; bountifulness

من
m-n “whomsoever” Distinctive

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

یشآء

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

ما

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

القادر

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

المهیمن

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian; inspiration; revelation; intuition

القیّوم

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

قل

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

إنّا

literal: that; those; he; she; it

آمنّا
ʾ-m-n “believe” Distinctive

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

بالّذي

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

ظهر

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

باسم
s-m-w “in the person of” Distinctive

literal: harm; strength; blame; hardship, adversity, tribulation, distress

عَلِيٍّ
ʿ-l-w “Báb” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

لدن

literal: from; on the part of; from before; near

سلطان

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

حقّ
ḥ-q-q “true” Distinctive

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

محمود

literal: praise; to praise

وبالّذي
l-dh-y “which” Distinctive

literal: who; which; that which

یأتي

literal: to come; to arrive; to approach; verse; sign; miracle

المُسْتَغَاث
gh-w-th “asked His help” Distinctive

literal: helper; sought-help; Mustaghath

بعده

literal: after; behind; distance

إلی

literal: to; to, toward; to, until

وفي

literal: faithfulness; loyalty; fulfillment; fidelity; to be faithful; faithful, loyal

بطونهم

literal: inner; hidden; inward; esoteric

أنتم

literal: you

تعرفون

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

وکلّهم

literal: all; every; whole; entirety; entire; completely

مرایا

literal: to guard, watch over, regard, heed, respect, maintain

بحیث

literal: where; in which; inasmuch as; in such wise that; whereby; in that; respect, aspect

یُری
r-ʾ-y “Thou seest” Distinctive

literal: to guard, watch over, regard, heed, respect, maintain

نفس

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وجماله

literal: beauty; comeliness

وبهائه

literal: glory; most glorious; most-glorious

لو

literal: if; would that; O that

تعقلون

literal: intellect; wise persons; to understand

سواهم

literal: level; equal; straight; upon a throne; resting upon; toward; to; direction of; other than; besides; except

وهم

literal: to imagine, suppose; fancy, idle imagination

الأوّلیّة

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

تفقهون

literal: to understand; to comprehend; insight; jurisprudence

سبقهم
s-b-q “hath surpassed” Distinctive

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

أحد

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

لن

literal: will not (negation of future)

ینتهي
n-h-y “forbidden” Distinctive

literal: end, limit, utmost, extreme; final; the end, limit, utmost bound; Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing; end; limit; terminus

القِدم

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

وکذلک

literal: that; thus; likewise

لأنّ
ʾ-n “for” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

فیض

literal: flood; abundance; overflow; emanation; grace

ینقطع

literal: to cease; to be cut off; to break off

وهذا

literal: this; that

صدق

literal: to confirm; to verify; to acknowledge; to testify to truth

غیر

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

مکذوب
k-dh-b “falsehood” Distinctive

literal: denial; belying; falsification; rejection; liar; lying; false

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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291 ¶

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17 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶