Gleanings — §195

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 195 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

قل یا قوم لا تمنعوا أنفسكم عن فضل الله ورحمته ومن یمنع وإنّه علی خسران عظیم قل یا قوم أتعبدون التّراب وتدعون ربّكم العزیز الوهّاب اتّقوا الله ولا تكوننّ من الخاسرین قل قد ظهر كتاب الله علی هیكل الغلام فتبارك الله أحسن المبدعین أنتم یا ملأ الأرض لا تهربوا عنه أن أسرعوا إلیه وكونوا من الرّاجعین توبوا یا قوم عمّا قد فرّطتم في جنب الله وما أسرفتم في أمره ولا تكوننّ من الجاهلین هو الّذي خلقكم ورزقكم بأمره وعرّفكم نفسه العزیز العليّ العلیم وأظهر لكم كنوز العرفان وعرّجكم إلی سمآء الإیقان في أمره المحكم العزیز الرّفیع إیّاكم أن لا تمنعوا فضل الله علی أنفسكم ولا تبطلوا أعمالكم ولا تنكروه في هذا الظّهور الأظهر الأمنع المشرق المنیر فأنصفوا في أمر الله بارئكم ثمّ انظروا إلی ما نزل عن جهة العرش وتفكّروا فیه بقلوب طاهر سلیم إذًا یظهر لكم الأمر كظهور الشّمس في وسط السّمآء وتكوننّ من الموقنین

Shoghi Effendi Translation

What, O people! Do ye worship the dust, and turn away from your Lord, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful? Fear ye God, and be not of those who perish. Say: The Book of God hath been sent down in the form of this Youth. Hallowed, therefore, be God, the most excellent of makers! Take ye good heed, O peoples of the world, lest ye flee from His face. Nay, make haste to attain His presence, and be of them that have returned unto Him. Pray to be forgiven, O people, for having failed in your duty towards God, and for having trespassed against His Cause, and be not of the foolish. He it is Who hath created you; He it is Who hath nourished your souls through His Cause, and enabled you to recognize Him Who is the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing. He it is Who hath unveiled to your eyes the treasures of His knowledge, and caused you to ascend unto the heaven of certitude — the certitude of His resistless, His irrefutable, and most exalted Faith. Beware that ye do not deprive yourselves of the grace of God, that ye do not bring to naught your works, and do not repudiate the truth of this most manifest, this lofty, this shining, and glorious Revelation. Judge ye fairly the Cause of God, your Creator, and behold that which hath been sent down from the Throne on high, and meditate thereon with innocent and sanctified hearts. Then will the truth of this Cause appear unto you as manifest as the sun in its noontide glory. Then will ye be of them that have believed in Him. Say: The first and foremost testimony establishing His truth is His own Self.

Translation Notes

قل

q-w-l → “Say”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

یا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

قوم

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تمنعوا

m-n-ʿ → “not”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

أنفسكم

n-f-s → “souls” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

عن

ʿ-n → “from your”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

فضل

f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

ورحمته

r-ḥ-m

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وإنّه

h-w → “He”

literal: deviation; divergence; straying from the path; to be weak, to flag, to show reluctance

علی

ʿ-l-w → “in” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

عظیم

ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

أتعبدون

ʿ-b-d → “worship”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

التّراب

t-r-b → “dust”

literal: dust; earth; soil

وتدعون

w-d-ʿ → “entrusted” Distinctive

literal: call, invocation, summons; to call, invite, summon

ربّكم

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: Lord; Master; Sustainer; Cherisher

العزیز

ʿ-z-z → “Gracious” Distinctive

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

الوهّاب

w-h-b → “gifts” Distinctive

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

اتّقوا

w-q-y → “Fear”

literal: to fear; to frighten; afraid

ولا

w-l-y → “be”

literal: friend; lord; guardian

تكوننّ

k-w-n → “be”

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

من

m-n → “of those who”

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

الخاسرین

kh-s-r → “loss” Distinctive

literal: loss; ruin; to suffer loss

قد

q-d → “We have been”

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

ظهر

ẓ-h-r → “been”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

كتاب

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

هیكل

h-y-k-l → “form”

literal: temple; structure; form; body

الغلام

gh-l-m → “Youth”

literal: youth; boy; servant; the Youth (Bahá’u’lláh)

فتبارك

b-r-k → “blessed”

literal: blessed; auspicious; fruitful; blest; blessed word

أحسن

ḥ-s-n → “excellent”

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

المبدعین

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous” Distinctive

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

أنتم

n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

ملأ

m-l-ʾ → “peoples” Distinctive

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

الأرض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “world” Distinctive

literal: earth; land; ground; country

تهربوا

h-r-b → “flee”

literal: flee; fleeing; fled

أن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أسرعوا

s-r-ʿ → “haste”

literal: speed; swiftness; haste

إلیه

ʾ-l-y → “besmirch”

literal: to; to him; besmirch

الرّاجعین

r-j-ʿ → “returned”

literal: return; returning; to return

توبوا

t-w-b → “Forgiving” Distinctive

literal: to repent; to turn back; to return

فرّطتم

f-r-ṭ → “hath failed in duty towards Thee”

literal: to neglect; to fail; to abandon; to waste

في

f-y → “in”

literal: alas; woe; oh

جنب

j-n-b → “thee” Distinctive

literal: to avoid; to shun; to keep away from

وما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

أسرفتم

s-r-f → “transgressor” Distinctive

literal: transgressor; Israfil; transgress

أمره

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

الجاهلین

j-h-l → “foolish”

literal: ignorant; foolish; the ignorant ones

الّذي

l-dh-y → “which”

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

خلقكم

kh-l-q → “created”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

ورزقكم

r-z-q → “partake” Distinctive

literal: sustenance; provision; to grant livelihood

وعرّفكم

ʿ-r-f → “recognize”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

العلیم

ʿ-l-m → “All-Knowing”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

لكم

l-k-m → “to your eyes”

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

كنوز

k-n-z → “treasures”

literal: treasure; treasure-trove; hidden store; treasury

وعرّجكم

ʿ-r-j → “ascend”

literal: to ascend, climb, mount

إلی

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

literal: to; to him; besmirch

سمآء

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

الإیقان

y-q-n → “certitude”

literal: certainty; certitude; conviction; faith

المحكم

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom” Distinctive

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

الرّفیع

r-f-ʿ → “exalted”

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

تبطلوا

b-ṭ-l → “falsehood” Distinctive

literal: falsehood, false; vain, null

أعمالكم

ʿ-m-l → “works”

literal: to work; to act; to do; to perform

تنكروه

n-k-r → “repudiate”

literal: deny; denial; deniers

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this most”

literal: this; that

المشرق

sh-r-q → “shining”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

المنیر

n-w-r → “light” Distinctive

literal: light; illumination

فأنصفوا

n-ṣ-f → “fairly”

literal: justice; fairness; equity

أمر

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

بارئكم

b-r-ʾ → “creatures” Distinctive

literal: well; cistern; pit

ثمّ

th-m-m → “Then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

انظروا

n-ẓ-r → “behold” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

نزل

n-z-l → “sent”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

جهة

j-h-h → “side” Distinctive

literal: direction; side; way; quarter; aspect

العرش

ʿ-r-sh → “Throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

وتفكّروا

f-k-r → “meditate”

literal: reflection; reflect; contemplation

بقلوب

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

طاهر

ṭ-h-r → “pure”

literal: to purify; to cleanse

سلیم

s-l-m → “resignation” Distinctive

literal: resignation; submission; surrender; submissiveness

إذًا

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

الشّمس

sh-m-s → “sun”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

وسط

w-s-ṭ → “meridian”

literal: mediator; intermediary; means; to mediate

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

Bahá’u’lláh

The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

Published in 1938, this companion volume to Gleanings contains 184 prayers and meditations selected by Shoghi Effendi from Bahá’u’lláh’s devotional writings revealed across successive exiles from Baghdad to ‘Akká. Shoghi Effendi described it as a volume whose perusal would deepen the spirit of devotion and faith.

858 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶