Gleanings — §238

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 238 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

قل ان کان اصولکم من عند انفسکم لن نتّبعها ابداً و بذلک امرت من لدن حکیم خبیر و کذلک کنت من قبل و نکون من بعد بحول الله و قوّته و انّ هذا لصراط حقّ مستقیم و ان کان من عند الله فأتوا برهانکم ان کنتم لمن الصّادقین قل انّا اثبتنا کلّ ما ظنّوا فیک و عملوا بک فی کتاب الّذی لن یغادر فیه حرف من عمل العاملین

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Such hath been My way in the past, and such will it remain in the future, through the power of God and His might. This, indeed, is the true and right way. If they be ordained by God, bring forth, then, your proofs, if ye be of them that speak the truth. Say: We have written down in a Book which leaveth not unrecorded the work of any man, however insignificant, all that they have imputed to Thee, and all that they have done unto Thee. Say: It behooveth you, O Ministers of State, to keep the precepts of God, and to forsake your own laws and regulations, and to be of them who are guided aright.

Translation Notes

قل

q-w-l → “Say”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ان

ʾ-n → “It” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

کان

k-w-n → “be”

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

اصولکم

ʾ-ṣ-l → “essence” Distinctive

literal: principles; foundations; rules; origins

من

m-n → “from”

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

عند

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

انفسکم

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

لن

l-n → “neither”

literal: will not (negation of future)

نتّبعها

literal: to follow; to obey; to pursue

ابداً

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

امرت

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

لدن

l-d-n → “by”

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

حکیم

ḥ-k-m → “laws” Distinctive

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

خبیر

literal: all-knowing; aware; well-informed; omniscient

کذلک

dh-l-k → “Such”

literal: that; this; it; by that

قبل

q-b-l → “in the past” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

بعد

b-ʿ-d → “in the future” Distinctive

literal: after; behind; distance

بحول

ḥ-w-l → “through the power”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

قوّته

q-w-y → “His might”

literal: strength; power; might

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “This”

literal: this; that

لصراط

ṣ-r-ṭ → “way” Distinctive

literal: path, way, straight path

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “true and right” Distinctive

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

مستقیم

q-w-m → “people” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

فأتوا

ʾ-t-y → “bring forth”

literal: to come; to arrive; to bring; to go; coming; arrival; the one coming; to give; Revelation; came; gave; brought

برهانکم

b-r-h-n → “your proofs”

literal: proof, evidence, demonstration, argument

الصّادقین

ṣ-d-q → “that speak the truth” Distinctive

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

اثبتنا

th-b-t → “established” Distinctive

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed

کلّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

ما

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

ظنّوا

ẓ-n-n → “idle fancies” Distinctive

literal: conjecture; think; suppositions

فیک

f-y → “to Thee”

literal: so he; thus he; therefore he

عملوا

ʿ-m-l → “have done”

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

کتاب

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

الّذی

l-dh-y → “which”

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

یغادر

gh-d-r → “unrecorded”

literal: to abandon; to forsake; to betray

حرف

ḥ-r-f → “deviation” Distinctive

literal: letter; character; edge

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