Gleanings — §280

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 280 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

قل يا قوم لا يأخذكم الاضطراب إذا غاب ملكوت ظهوري وسكنت أمواج بحر بياني إنّ في ظهوري لحكمة وفي غيبتي حكمة أخرى ما اطّلع بها إلاّ الله الفرد الخبير ونراكم من أفقي الأبهى وننصر من قام على نصرة أمري بجنود من الملأ الأعلى وقبيل من الملئكة المقرّبين

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people, when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn, and the ocean of My utterance is stilled. In My presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favored angels.

Translation Notes

قل

q-w-l → “Let” Distinctive

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

قوم

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يأخذكم

ʾ-kh-dh → “be”

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

الاضطراب

ḍ-r-b → “tremble” Distinctive

literal: to be troubled, shaken, agitated; to tremble

إذا

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

غاب

gh-y-b → “invisible” Distinctive

literal: the unseen; the invisible; the hidden; the unknowable

ملكوت

m-l-k → “Kingdom”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

ظهوري

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; revelation

وسكنت

s-k-n → “inmates” Distinctive

literal: stillness, rest, quietude, tranquility

أمواج

m-w-j → “ocean”

literal: wave; billows; surge

بحر

b-ḥ-r → “ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

بياني

b-y-n → “utterance”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident

إنّ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

في

f-y → “In”

literal: faithfulness; loyalty; fulfillment; fidelity; to be faithful; faithful, loyal

لحكمة

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom”

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

أخرى

ʾ-kh-r → “another”

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

اطّلع

ṭ-l-ʿ → “inscrutable”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

بها

b-h-w → “All-Glorious” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

الفرد

f-r-d → “Incomparable”

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

الخبير

kh-b-r → “All-Knowing”

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

ونراكم

r-ʾ-y → “behold”

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

من

m-n → “from”

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

أفقي

ʾ-f-q → “Our realm”

literal: horizon, direction, region; horizon; sun

وننصر

n-ṣ-r → “aid”

literal: aid, help, succor, victory, support

على

ʿ-l-w → “for” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أمري

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

بجنود

j-n-d → “hosts”

literal: hosts, armies, troops

الملأ

m-l-ʾ → “Concourse”

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

وقبيل

q-b-l → “company”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

المقرّبين

q-r-b → “favored”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

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