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Gleanings — §311

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 311 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

وأمّا ما سألت عن الرّوح و بقائه بعد صعوده اعلم إنّه یصعد حین ارتقائه إلی أن یحضر بین یدي الله في هیکل لا تغیّره القرون والأعصار ولا حوادث العالم وما یظهر فیه ویکون باقیاً بدوام ملکوت الله وسلطانه وجبروته واقتداره ومنه تظهر آثار الله وصفاته وعنایة الله وألطافه إنّ القلم لا یقدر أن یتحرّک علی ذکر هذا المقام وعلوّه وسموّه علی ما هو علیه وتدخله ید الفضل إلی مقام لا یعرف بالبیان ولا یذکر بما في الإمکان طوبی لروح خرج من البدن مقدّسا عن شبهات الأمم إنّه یتحرّک في هوآء إرادة ربّه ویدخل في الجنّة العلیا وتطوفه طلعات الفردوس الأعلی ویعاشر مع أنبیآء الله وأولیائه ویتکلّم معهم ویقصّ لهم ما ورد علیه في سبیل الله ربّ العالمین لو یطّلع أحد علی ما قدّر له في عوالم الله ربّ العرش والثّری لیشتعل في الحین شوقا لذاک المقام الأمنع الأرفع الأقدس الأبهى به لسان پارسی بشنو، يا عبدالوهاب عليك بهائى اينكه سؤال از بقاى روح نمودى اين مظلوم شهادت مى دهد بر بقاى آن و اينكه سؤال از كيفيّت آن نمودى انّه لا یوصف و لا ینبغی ان یذکر الّا علی قدر معلوم انبیا و مرسلین محض هدایت خلق بصراط مستقیم حقّ آمده‌اند و مقصود آنکه عباد تربیت شوند تا در حین صعود با کمال تقدیس و تنزیه و انقطاع قصد رفیق اعلی نمایند لعمر الله اشراقات آن ارواح سبب ترقّیات عالم و مقامات امم است ایشانند مایهٴ وجود و علّت عظمی از برای ظهورات و صنایع عالم

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and bounty. The movement of My Pen is stilled when it attempteth to befittingly describe the loftiness and glory of so exalted a station. The honor with which the Hand of Mercy will invest the soul is such as no tongue can adequately reveal, nor any other earthly agency describe. Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation from the body, is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the peoples of the world. Such a soul liveth and moveth in accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the all-highest Paradise. The Maids of Heaven, inmates of the loftiest mansions, will circle around it, and the Prophets of God and His chosen ones will seek its companionship. With them that soul will freely converse, and will recount unto them that which it hath been made to endure in the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. If any man be told that which hath been ordained for such a soul in the worlds of God, the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, his whole being will instantly blaze out in his great longing to attain that most exalted, that sanctified and resplendent station.… The nature of the soul after death can never be described, nor is it meet and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes of men. The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High. The light which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto leaven which leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest.

Translation Notes

الفردوس
al-frdús f-r-d-w-s → “of”

literal: paradise; paradise, highest heaven

SE rendered الجنّة (al-jnnh), العلیا (al-ʿlíá), وتطوفه (wtṭúfh), طلعات (ṭlʿát), الفردوس (al-frdús), الأعلی (al-ʾaʿlí), ویعاشر (wíʿáshr), أنبیآء (ʾanbíáʾ), الله (al-lh) as “all-highest, circle, Maids, of, loftiest, seek, Prophets, God”

paradise 67% heaven 11% abode 11% unto 11%
لسان
lsán l-s-n

literal: tongue; tongue, language; tongues

SE rendered الأمنع (al-ʾamnʿ), الأرفع (ar-rfʿ), الأقدس (al-ʾaqds), الأبهى (al-ʾabhى), لسان (lsán) as “exalted, most, sanctified, resplendent”

tongue 78% language 5% languages 3% voice 3% words 3% tongues 3% mouth 3% said 1% own 1% through 1%
پارسی
pársí f-r-s

literal: persian; contemplate; discerning

SE rendered الأرفع (ar-rfʿ), الأقدس (al-ʾaqds), الأبهى (al-ʾabhى), لسان (lsán), پارسی (pársí) as “most, sanctified, resplendent”

knight 11% observed 11% discerning 11% who 11% ye 11% into 11% heroes 11% ponder 11% west 11%
نمودى
nmúdى nmúdn

literal: do; to do; show

SE rendered سؤال (sʾál), از (iz), بقاى (bqáى), روح (rúḥ), نمودى (nmúdى), مظلوم (mẓlúm), شهادت (shhádt), مى (mى), دهد (dhd), بر (br) as “nature, soul, described, death”

thou 43% didst 29% hast 14% committed 14%
مظلوم
mẓlúm ẓ-l-m

literal: wronged

SE rendered سؤال (sʾál), از (iz), بقاى (bqáى), روح (rúḥ), نمودى (nmúdى), مظلوم (mẓlúm), شهادت (shhádt), مى (mى), دهد (dhd), بر (br), بقاى (bqáى) as “nature, after, soul, described, death”

wronged 89% whom 3% oppressed 2% victim 1% one 1% downtrodden 1% who 1% men 1% sore 1% sorely 1%
شهادت
shhádt sh-h-d

literal: witness; witnessed

SE rendered روح (rúḥ), نمودى (nmúdى), مظلوم (mẓlúm), شهادت (shhádt), مى (mى), دهد (dhd), بر (br), بقاى (bqáى) as “soul, described, death, after”

كيفيّت
kífíft k-y-f

literal: how; how, why; how/whithersoever

SE rendered بر (br), بقاى (bqáى), اينكه (iynkh), سؤال (sʾál), از (iz), كيفيّت (kífíft) as “death, after, to”

how 61% why 11% wherefore 9% nature 7% what 4% “how 2% character 2% into 2% whithersoever 2%
محض
mḥḍ m-ḥ-ḍ

literal: pure; mere; pure, merely

SE rendered معلوم (mʿlúm), انبیا (inbíá), مرسلین (mrslín), محض (mḥḍ), هدایت (hdáyt), خلق (khlq), بصراط (bṣráṭ), مستقیم (mstqím), حقّ (ḥqq) as “character, Prophets, Messengers, guiding, straight, Truth, of”

utter 33% essence 13% token 13% wholly 7% sole 7% sheer 7% open 7% grievous 7% sign 7%
حقّ
ḥqq ḥ-q-q → “of”

literal: truth; true; right

SE rendered هدایت (hdáyt), خلق (khlq), بصراط (bṣráṭ), مستقیم (mstqím), حقّ (ḥqq), آمده‌اند (ámdh‌ánd), مقصود (mqṣúd), آنکه (ánkh), عباد (ʿbád) as “guiding, straight, Truth, of, been, purpose, all”

god 29% truth 29% one 20% true 8% who 6% through 3% eternal 3% right 1% unto 1% righteousness 1%
لعمر
lʿmr ʿ-m-r

literal: life; by my life; by the life

SE rendered انقطاع (inqṭáʿ), قصد (qṣd), رفیق (rfíq), اعلی (iʿlí), نمایند (nmáynd), لعمر (lʿmr), الله (al-lh), اشراقات (ishráqát), ارواح (irúáḥ), سبب (sbb) as “detachment, the, Most, radiate, light, souls, through”

righteousness 35% swear 26% life 13% years 6% god 3% age 3% precious 3% days 3% beareth 3% witness! 3%

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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50 ¶

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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 ¶

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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 ¶

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Prayers and Meditations

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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 ¶

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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 ¶

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5 ¶

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶