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Gleanings — §136

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 136 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

و ما سمعت فی خلیل الرّحمن إنّه حقّ لا ریب فیه مأمور شدند بذبح إسمعیل تا آنکه ظاهر شود استقامت و انقطاع او در امر الله بین ما سواه و مقصود از ذبح او هم فدائی بود از برای عصیان و خطاهای من علی الأرض چنانچه عیسی ابن مریم هم این مقام را از حقّ جلّ و عزّ خواستند و همچنین رسول الله حسین را فدا نمودند

Shoghi Effendi Translation

That which thou hast heard concerning Abraham, the Friend of the All-Merciful, is the truth, and no doubt is there about it. The Voice of God commanded Him to offer up Ishmael as a sacrifice, so that His steadfastness in the Faith of God and His detachment from all else but Him may be demonstrated unto men. The purpose of God, moreover, was to sacrifice him as a ransom for the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth. This same honor, Jesus, the Son of Mary, besought the one true God, exalted be His name and glory, to confer upon Him. For the same reason was Ḥusayn offered up as a sacrifice by Muḥammad, the Apostle of God.

Translation Notes

ما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

سمعت
s-m-ʿ → “heard”

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

فی
f-y → “in”

literal: alas; woe; oh

خلیل
kh-l-l → “Friend”

literal: defect; breach; disturbance

الرّحمن
r-ḥ-m → “of the All-Merciful”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

إنّه
ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: I, verily; behold I

حقّ
ḥ-q-q → “no” Distinctive

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

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

ریب
r-y-b

literal: doubt, suspicion, uncertainty; doubt; suspicion

مأمور
ʾ-m-r → “commanded” Distinctive

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

شدند
sh-d → “was” Distinctive

literal: to not become; to not be

بذبح
dh-b-ḥ → “offer up”

literal: to slaughter, sacrifice; slaughter, sacrifice

تا
t-y-y → “so”

literal: so that/until

آنکه
ʾ-n → “that”

literal: that; indeed; that, to

ظاهر
ẓ-h-r → “demonstrated” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

شود
sh-w-d

literal: to not become; to not be

استقامت
q-w-m → “steadfastness”

literal: sickness; disease; ailment

انقطاع
q-ṭ-ʿ → “detachment”

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

او
h-w-w → “His”

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

در
d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

الله
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

بین
b-y-n → “unto” Distinctive

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

سواه
s-w-y → “all else but Him” Distinctive

literal: other than; other-than; besides

مقصود
q-ṣ-d → “purpose”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

از
ʾ-z → “for” Distinctive

literal: from

هم
h-m-m

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

فدائی
f-d-y → “sacrifice”

literal: to sacrifice; to ransom; to redeem

بود
b-w-d → “was”

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

برای
b-r-y

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

عصیان
ʿ-ṣ-y → “transgressed”

literal: disobey; transgress; rebel

خطاهای
kh-ṭ-ʾ → “grievous transgression” Distinctive

literal: error; mistake; fault; transgression; sin

من
m-n → “of all the peoples of”

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

علی
ʿ-l-w → “upon” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الأرض
ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

ابن
b-n-y → “Son”

literal: son

مریم
m-r-y → “doubt”

literal: doubt; Mary; doubter, waverer

این
ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

را
r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

جلّ
j-l-l → “exalted”

literal: exalted; glory; majesty

عزّ
ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

خواستند
kh-w-ʾ-s-t → “purpose” Distinctive

literal: will; to wish; to want

همچنین
ch-n-n → “likewise”

literal: thus; in such manner; as

رسول
r-s-l → “Apostle”

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

حسین
ḥ-s-n → “most excellent”

literal: best; Husayn; beautiful

فدا
f-d-y → “offered up”

literal: to sacrifice; to ransom; to redeem

نمودند
n-m-ود → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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