Gleanings — §293

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 293 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

مر الله ربّکم وربّ آبائکم الأوّلین ویا قوم لا تنظروا إلی ما عندکم فانظروا بما نزّل من عند الله وإنّه خیر لکم عن کلّ شيء إن أنتم من العارفین ویا قوم فارجعوا البصر إلی ما عندکم من حجّة الله وبرهانه وما نزّل یومئذ لیظهر لکم الحقّ بآیات واضح مبین ویا قوم لا تتّبعوا خطوات الشّیطان أن اتّبعوا ملّة الرّحمن وکونوا من المؤمنین هل بعد ظهور الله ینفع أحدًا شيء لا فونفسي المقتدر العلیم الحکیم کلّما زاد في النّصح زادوا في البغضآء إلی أن قتلوه بالظّلم أَلَا لعنة

Shoghi Effendi Translation

“God,” said He, “is My witness, O people! I am come to you with a Revelation from the Lord, your God, the Lord of your fathers of old. Look not, O people, at the things ye possess. Look rather at the things God hath sent down unto you. This, surely, will be better for you than the whole of creation, could ye but perceive it. Repeat the gaze, O people, and consider the testimony of God and His proof which are in your possession, and compare them unto the Revelation sent down unto you in this Day, that the truth, the infallible truth, may be indubitably manifested unto you. Follow not, O people, the steps of the Evil One; follow ye the Faith of the All-Merciful, and be ye of them that truly believe. What would it profit man, if he were to fail to recognize the Revelation of God? Nothing whatever. To this Mine own Self, the Omnipotent, the Omniscient, the All-Wise, will testify.”

Translation Notes

مر

m-r-r → “At one time”

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

الله

ʾ-l-h → ““God,””

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

ربّکم

r-b-b → “Lord, your God”

literal: Lord; Master; Sustainer; Cherisher

آبائکم

ʾ-b-w → “your fathers”

literal: father; paternal; his father; to refuse; to decline

الأوّلین

ʾ-w-l → “this world” Distinctive

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

ویا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

قوم

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تنظروا

n-ẓ-r → “Look not”

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

إلی

ʾ-l-y → “at” Distinctive

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

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

عندکم

ʿ-n-d → “ye possess”

literal: vessel; container; circumstance; adroitness

نزّل

n-z-l → “sent down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

من

m-n → “from”

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

وإنّه

h-w → “is” Distinctive

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

خیر

kh-y-r → “better”

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

لکم

l-k-m → “for you”

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

عن

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

کلّ

k-l-l → “whole” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

شيء

sh-y-ʾ → “creation” Distinctive

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

إن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أنتم

n-t-m

literal: you

العارفین

ʿ-r-f → “recognize”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

فارجعوا

r-j-ʿ → “return”

literal: return; reference; place of return; resort

البصر

b-ṣ-r

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

حجّة

ḥ-j-j

literal: path, way; clear path

وبرهانه

b-r-h → “His proof”

literal: proof, evidence, demonstration, argument

یومئذ

y-w-m → “in this Day”

literal: day; days; today

لیظهر

ẓ-h-r → “may be indubitably manifested” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

الحقّ

ḥ-q-q → “the truth, the infallible truth”

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

بآیات

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

واضح

w-ḍ-ḥ

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

مبین

b-y-n

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

تتّبعوا

t-b-ʿ → “Follow”

literal: to follow; to obey; to pursue

خطوات

kh-ṭ-w → “steps”

literal: step; pace

الشّیطان

sh-ṭ-n → “the Evil One”

literal: Satan; devil; evil one; accursed one

ملّة

m-l-l → “Faith”

literal: nation; nations; religion

الرّحمن

r-ḥ-m → “the All-Merciful”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وکونوا

k-w-n → “and be ye”

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

المؤمنین

ʾ-m-n → “that truly believe”

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure

هل

h-l → “people” Distinctive

literal: interrogative particle; whether; is it that

بعد

b-ʿ-d

literal: after; behind; distance

ینفع

n-f-ʿ → “profit”

literal: benefits; profits; advantages

أحدًا

ʾ-ḥ-d → “man” Distinctive

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

فونفسي

n-f-s → “Mine own Self”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

المقتدر

q-d-r → “Omnipotent” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

العلیم

ʿ-l-m → “Omniscient”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

الحکیم

ḥ-k-m → “All-Wise”

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

زاد

z-y-d

literal: increase; excess; more; additional; to increase; to grow; to be added

في

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

النّصح

n-ṣ-ḥ

literal: counsel; advice; admonition

البغضآء

b-gh-ḍ

literal: hatred; enmity; animosity

قتلوه

q-t-l

literal: kill; killing; killed

بالظّلم

ẓ-l-m

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

أَلَا

ʾ-kh-r

literal: end; hereafter; other

لعنة

l-ʿ-n

literal: to curse; to revile; curse

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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160 ¶

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59 ¶