Gleanings — §300

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 300 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

وأمّا ما سألت عن الفطرة فاعلم بأنّ کلّ النّاس قد خلقوا علی فطرة الله المهیمن القیّوم وقدّر لکلّ نفس مقادیر الأمر علی ما رقم في ألواح عزّ محفوظ ولکن یظهر کلّ ذلک بإرادات أنفسکم کما أنتم في أعمالکم تشهدون مثلاً فانظر فیما حرّم علی العباد فی الکتاب من شيء کما أنتم في البیان تنظرون بحیث أحلّ الله ما أراد بأمره وحرّم ما شآء بسلطانه قل کلّ ذلک في الکتاب أفلا تشهدون ولکنّ النّاس بعد علمهم عمّا نهوا عنه هم یرتکبون هل ینسب هذا إلی الله أو إلی أنفسهم إن أنتم تنصفون قل ما من حسنة إلّا من عند الله وما من سیّئة إلّا من أنفسکم أفلا تعرفون وهذا ما نزل في کلّ الألواح إن أنتم تعلمون بلی إنّه عالم بأعمالکم قبل ظهورها کما هو عالم بعد ظهورها وإنّه ما من إله إلّا هو له الخلق والأمر وکلّ عنده في ألواح قدس مکنون وهذا العلم لم یکن علّة الفعل في خلقه کما إنّ علمکم بشيء لم یکن علّة لظهوره فیما أردتم أو تریدون وعلمتم أو تعلمون...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And now, concerning thy question regarding the creation of man. Know thou that all men have been created in the nature made by God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Unto each one hath been prescribed a preordained measure, as decreed in God’s mighty and guarded Tablets. All that which ye potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition. Your own acts testify to this truth. Consider, for instance, that which hath been forbidden, in the Bayán, unto men. God hath in that Book, and by His behest, decreed as lawful whatsoever He hath pleased to decree, and hath, through the power of His sovereign might, forbidden whatsoever He elected to forbid. To this testifieth the text of that Book. Will ye not bear witness? Men, however, have wittingly broken His law. Is such a behavior to be attributed to God, or to their proper selves? Be fair in your judgment. Every good thing is of God, and every evil thing is from yourselves. Will ye not comprehend? This same truth hath been revealed in all the Scriptures, if ye be of them that understand. Every act ye meditate is as clear to Him as is that act when already accomplished. There is none other God besides Him. His is all creation and its empire. All stands revealed before Him; all is recorded in His holy and hidden Tablets. This foreknowledge of God, however, should not be regarded as having caused the actions of men, just as your own previous knowledge that a certain event is to occur, or your desire that it should happen, is not and can never be the reason for its occurrence.

Translation Notes

وأمّا

ʾ-m-m → “nations” Distinctive

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

سألت

s-ʾ-l → “question”

literal: resignation; submission; surrender; submissiveness

عن

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الفطرة

f-ṭ-r → “true Faith”

literal: creator; the one who splits/creates

فاعلم

ʿ-l-m → “Know”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بأنّ

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

کلّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

النّاس

n-ʾ-s → “men”

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

قد

q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

خلقوا

kh-l-q → “have been created”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

علی

ʿ-l-w → “in” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

المهیمن

h-m-n → “the Help in Peril”

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian; inspiration; revelation; intuition

القیّوم

q-w-m → “Self-Subsisting”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

وقدّر

q-d-r → “power”

literal: and indeed; and already; conjunction indicating completed action

نفس

n-f-s → “one” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

رقم

r-q-m → “recorded”

literal: written; inscribed; marked; recorded

في

f-y → “in”

literal: in a day; during a day; one day after another

ألواح

l-w-ḥ → “Tablets”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

عزّ

ʿ-z-z → “mighty” Distinctive

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

محفوظ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “guarded”

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

ولکن

l-k-n → “however”

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

یظهر

ẓ-h-r → “be manifested” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

ذلک

dh-l-k → “that which” Distinctive

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

بإرادات

r-w-d → “desire” Distinctive

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

کما

k-m → “loss” Distinctive

literal: as; like; how much; lane; street; quarter; abode

أنتم

n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

أعمالکم

ʿ-m-l → “acts”

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

تشهدون

sh-h-d → “testify”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

مثلاً

m-th-l → “Consider”

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

فانظر

n-ẓ-r

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

حرّم

ḥ-r-m → “hath been forbidden”

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

العباد

ʿ-b-d → “men”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الکتاب

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

من

m-n

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

البیان

b-y-n → “Bayán”

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

بحیث

ḥ-y-th

literal: where; in which; inasmuch as; in such wise that; whereby; in that; respect, aspect

أحلّ

ḥ-l-l → “place” Distinctive

literal: place; place, location; lawful

أراد

r-y-d → “hath pleased” Distinctive

literal: want; desire; will

بأمره

ʾ-m-r → “by His behest” Distinctive

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

شآء

sh-y-ʾ → “He elected” Distinctive

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

بسلطانه

s-l-ṭ → “sovereign might” Distinctive

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

قل

q-w-l

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

أفلا

b-ṣ-r

literal: sight; insight; eyes

بعد

b-ʿ-d → “when” Distinctive

literal: after; behind; distance

نهوا

n-h-y → “forbidden”

literal: end; ended; utmost

هم

h-m-m

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

یرتکبون

r-k-b → “have wittingly broken”

literal: to ride; to commit; to undertake; composition; combination; structure

هل

h-l

literal: interrogative particle; whether; is it that

ینسب

n-s-b → “attributed”

literal: relation; relationship; connection; attribution; proportion

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

إلی

ʾ-l-y → “to”

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

أو

h-w-w → “or” Distinctive

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

إن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تنصفون

n-ṣ-f → “Be fair”

literal: justice; fairness; equity

حسنة

ḥ-s-n → “good thing” Distinctive

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

إلّا

ʾ-kh-r

literal: end; hereafter; other

عند

ʿ-n-d → “of” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

سیّئة

s-w-ʾ → “evil thing”

literal: evil; evil_deeds; evil deeds

تعرفون

ʿ-r-f → “Will ye not comprehend”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

نزل

n-z-l → “hath been revealed”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

بلی

b-l-y

literal: affliction; trial; calamity; trial, tribulation, affliction, calamity; yes; indeed; verily

إنّه

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

قبل

q-b-l → “is” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

وإنّه

h-w → “He”

literal: He; He is

إله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

قدس

q-d-s → “holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

مکنون

k-n-n → “hidden”

literal: to do; to make; to perform

لم

l-y-s → “not and can never be” Distinctive

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

یکن

k-w-n → “be”

literal: is; to be (third person singular present); to be one; oneness; unity

علّة

ʿ-l-l → “caused”

literal: cause; reason; illness; defect

الفعل

f-ʿ-l → “actions”

literal: to do, act, make; deed, action

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

Bahá’u’lláh

The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

Published in 1938, this companion volume to Gleanings contains 184 prayers and meditations selected by Shoghi Effendi from Bahá’u’lláh’s devotional writings revealed across successive exiles from Baghdad to ‘Akká. Shoghi Effendi described it as a volume whose perusal would deepen the spirit of devotion and faith.

858 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶