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Gleanings — §282

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 282 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

هل تعرفون من أيّ أفق يناديكم ربّكم الأبهى وهل علمتم من أي قلم يأمركم ربّكم مالك الأسماء لا وعمري لو عرفتم لتركتم الدّنيا مقبلين بالقلوب إلى شطر المحبوب وأخذكم اهتزاز الكلمة على شأن يهتزّ منه العالم الأكبر وكيف هذا العالم الصّغير كذلك هطلت من سمآء عنايتي أمطار مكرمتي فضلا من عندي لتكونوا من الشّاكرين...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Know ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious is calling? Think ye that ye have recognized the Pen wherewith your Lord, the Lord of all names, commandeth you? Nay, by My life! Did ye but know it, ye would renounce the world, and would hasten with your whole hearts to the presence of the Well-Beloved. Your spirits would be so transported by His Word as to throw into commotion the Greater World — how much more this small and petty one! Thus have the showers of My bounty been poured down from the heaven of My loving-kindness, as a token of My grace; that ye may be of the thankful.…

Translation Notes

هل
h-l → “people” Distinctive

literal: interrogative particle; whether; is it that

تعرفون
ʿ-r-f → “ye”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

من
m-n → “from”

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

أيّ
ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

أفق
ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

يناديكم
n-d-y → “is calling”

literal: call; voice; cry; summons; to call; to proclaim; to cry out; to summon

ربّكم
r-b-b → “your Lord”

literal: Lord; Master; Sustainer; Cherisher

الأبهى
b-h-w → “the All-Glorious”

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

علمتم
ʿ-l-m → “knowledge” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

قلم
q-l-m → “Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

يأمركم
ʾ-m-r → “commandeth”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

مالك
m-l-k → “Lord”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

الأسماء
s-m-w → “names”

literal: heaven; sky

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

وعمري
ʿ-m-r → “by My life”

literal: life; age; duration; by the life of (oath)

لو
l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

لتركتم
t-r-k → “renounce”

literal: to leave; to abandon; to forsake

الدّنيا
d-n-w → “the world”

literal: this world; earthly life; temporal realm; lowest; base; mean; of little account; to know; to be acquainted with

مقبلين
q-b-l → “before” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

بالقلوب
q-l-b → “your whole hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

إلى
ʾ-l-y → “to”

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

شطر
sh-ṭ-r → “direction”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

المحبوب
ḥ-b-b → “the Well-Beloved”

literal: love; affection

وأخذكم
ʾ-kh-dh → “arrested” Distinctive

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

الكلمة
k-l-m → “His Word”

literal: words; utterances; locutions

على
ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شأن
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

يهتزّ
h-z-z → “transports” Distinctive

literal: to shake, quiver, vibrate, tremble with emotion

الأكبر
k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

وكيف
k-y-f → “how much more”

literal: how; in what manner

هذا
h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

الصّغير
ṣ-gh-r → “the young”

literal: smallness; insignificance; youth; to belittle

كذلك
dh-l-k → “Thus”

literal: thus; likewise; also

هطلت
h-ṭ-l → “copious rain” Distinctive

literal: falling; pouring down; abundant

عنايتي
ʿ-n-y → “My loving-kindness”

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

أمطار
m-ṭ-r → “showers”

literal: rain

مكرمتي
k-r-m → “My bounty”

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field; honor; generosity; nobility

فضلا
f-ḍ-l → “as a token” Distinctive

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

عندي
ʿ-n-d → “possess” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

لتكونوا
k-w-n → “ye may be”

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

الشّاكرين...
sh-k-r → “the thankful.…”

literal: thank; thankful; thanks

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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16 ¶
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17 ¶
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59 ¶