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Gleanings — §216

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 216 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

یا بیت ‌الله إن هتك المشركون ستر حرمتك لا تحزن قد زیّنك الله بطراز ذكره بین الأرض والسّمآء وإنّه لا یهتك أبدًا إنّك تكون منظر ربّك في كلّ الأحیان ویسمع ندآء من یزورك ویطوف حولك ویدعوه بك إنّه هو الغفور الرّحیم

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Grieve not, O House of God, if the veil of thy sanctity be rent asunder by the infidels. God hath, in the world of creation, adorned thee with the jewel of His remembrance. Such an ornament no man can, at any time, profane. Towards thee the eyes of thy Lord shall, under all conditions, remain directed. He, verily, will incline His ear to the prayer of every one that visiteth thee, who will circle around thee, and calleth upon Him in thy name. He, in truth, is the Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

Translation Notes

یا
y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

بیت
b-y-t → “House of God”

literal: house; household; family; verse

الله
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

إن
ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

هتك
h-t-k → “dishonor”

literal: to tear, rend, violate, break; desecration

المشركون
sh-r-k → “infidels”

literal: partner; associate; sharer; companion

ستر
s-t-r → “veil”

literal: to veil; to conceal; to cover; veil; covering

حرمتك
ḥ-r-m → “deprived” Distinctive

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

لا
l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تحزن
ḥ-z-n → “Grieve”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish; to grieve; to sorrow; to be sad

قد
q-d → “We have been”

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

زیّنك
z-y-n → “adorned”

literal: to adorn; ornament; beauty

بطراز
ṭ-r-z → “with the ornament”

literal: ornament; adornment; embroidery; stripe

ذكره
dh-k-r → “His remembrance” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

بین
b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

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

الأرض
ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

والسّمآء
s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

وإنّه
h-w → “is” Distinctive

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

یهتك
h-t-k → “profaneth”

literal: to tear, rend, violate, break; desecration

أبدًا
ʾ-b-d → “never”

literal: in place of; instead of; to change; to alter (preposition or verb stem)

إنّك
ʾ-n-n → “thee” Distinctive

literal: I, verily; behold I

تكون
k-w-n → “remain directed” Distinctive

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

منظر
n-ẓ-r → “eyes”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

ربّك
r-b-b → “thy Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

في
f-y → “under all conditions” Distinctive

literal: in; in-it; in it

كلّ
k-l-l

literal: for us; to us

الأحیان
ḥ-y-n

literal: greeting; salutation; tribute; to make alive; to revive

ویسمع
s-m-ʿ → “will incline His ear”

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

ندآء
n-d-y → “voice”

literal: call; voice; proclamation; forty; forty years

من
m-n → “from”

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

یزورك
z-w-r → “visiteth thee”

literal: falsification; distortion; forgery

ویطوف
ṭ-w-f → “will circle”

literal: flood, deluge, tempest

حولك
ḥ-w-l → “around thee”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

ویدعوه
d-ʿ-w → “calleth upon Him” Distinctive

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

الغفور
gh-f-r → “Forgiving”

literal: to forgive; forgiveness

الرّحیم
r-ḥ-m → “the All-Merciful” Distinctive

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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