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Gleanings — §221

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 221 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

و مطالع این ظلم جهلائی هستند که باسم علم معروفند بشأنی بر اعراض قیام نموده‌اند که نفسی را که عالم از برای خدّام درگهش خلق شده او را بظلم مبین در سجن محکم متین حبس نموده‌اند ولکنّ الله بدّل السّجن بالجنّة العلیا و الفردوس الأعلی رغمًا لهم و للّذین کفروا بهذا النّبإِ العظیم

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The instigators of this oppression are those very persons who, though so foolish, are reputed the wisest of the wise. Such is their blindness that, with unfeigned severity, they have cast into this fortified and afflictive Prison Him, for the servants of Whose Threshold the world hath been created. The Almighty, however, in spite of them and those that have repudiated the truth of this “Great Announcement,” hath transformed this Prison House into the Most Exalted Paradise, the Heaven of Heavens.

Translation Notes

مطالع
ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

این
ʾ-y-n → “this”

literal: this; these

ظلم
ẓ-l-m → “oppression”

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

جهلائی
j-h-l → “foolish”

literal: ignorant; foolish; the ignorant ones

هستند
h-s-t → “are”

literal: to be; to exist

که
k-h → “which”

literal: that; who; who, that

باسم
s-m-w

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

علم
ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

معروفند
ʿ-r-f → “knowledge” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

بشأنی
sh-ʾ-n

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

بر
b-r-r

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

اعراض
ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned away”

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

قیام
q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

نموده‌اند
n-m-w → “have cast”

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

نفسی
n-f-s → “Him” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

را
r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

از
ʾ-z

literal: from

برای
b-r-y → “for the servants of Whose”

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

خدّام
kh-d-m

literal: service; servitude; to serve

درگهش
d-r-g → “Threshold”

literal: threshold; court; presence

خلق
kh-l-q → “hath been created”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

شده
sh-d

literal: to become; to be

او
h-w-w

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

مبین
b-y-n

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

در
d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

سجن
s-j-n → “Prison”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison

محکم
ḥ-k-m → “wisdom” Distinctive

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

متین
m-t-n → “mighty”

literal: strong; firm; solid; robust

حبس
ḥ-b-s

literal: to confine; to detain; prison

ولکنّ
l-k-n → “however”

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

الله
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

بدّل
b-d-l → “change” Distinctive

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

بالجنّة
j-n-n → “Paradise”

literal: garden; paradise; heaven

العلیا
ʿ-l-w → “Most Exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الفردوس
f-r-d-w-s → “Paradise”

literal: Paradise; garden; the highest paradise

رغمًا
r-gh-m → “in spite”

literal: despite; in spite of; against the will of

لهم
l-h-m → “inspiration” Distinctive

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

للّذین
l-dh-y → “those that”

literal: for those who; to those who (preposition + definite relative pronoun)

کفروا
k-f-r → “have repudiated”

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

بهذا
h-dh-ʾ → “this “Great Announcement,””

literal: this; that

النّبإِ
n-b-ʾ

literal: prophet; messenger

العظیم
ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

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