Gleanings — §313
Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 313 of 729.
Source (Arabic)
اینکه از حقیقت نفس سؤال نمودید انّها آیة الهیّة و جوهرة ملکوتیّة الّتی عجز کلّ ذی علم عن عرفان حقیقتها و کلّ ذی عرفان عن معرفتها انّها اوّل شیء حکی عن الله موجده و اقبل الیه و تمسّک به و سجد له در اینصورت بحقّ منسوب و باو راجع و من غیر آن بهوی منسوب و باو راجع
Shoghi Effendi Translation
Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths.
Translation Notes
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §33: tribunalsgleaningsGWB §327: its mysterykitab-i-ahdAhd §3: righteousnesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §101: of all thingsprayers-and-meditationsP&M §344: meritthe-hidden-wordsHW §137: of your deservingwill-and-testamentW&T §7: blindlyepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §142: truly
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §132: soulgleaningsGWB §555: of the soulkitab-i-iqanKIQ §32: their own personsprayers-and-meditationsP&M §331: for Thine own Selftablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §37: within thyselfthe-hidden-wordsHW §32: thy deedswill-and-testamentW&T §44: souls such as theseepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §60: residents
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §227: We praygleaningsGWB §306: Thou hast asked Mekitab-i-iqanKIQ §203: questionersprayers-and-meditationsP&M §682: Dealepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §8: I beseech TheegleaningsGWB §506: and shall be called to accountkitab-i-iqanKIQ §133: ponderprayers-and-meditationsP&M §835: we beseech Thee
SE rendered اینکه (iynkh), از (iz), حقیقت (ḥqíqt), نفس (nfs), سؤال (sʾál), نمودید (nmúdíd), انّها (innhá), آیة (áyh), الهیّة (al-híhh), جوهرة (júhrh) as “Thou hast, concerning, nature, soul, asked, the soul is, sign, God, gem”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §143: versefire-tabletFire §26: utterancegleaningsGWB §628: and all the signs of the universekitab-i-iqanKIQ §146: scripturesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §575: on Thy signstablet-of-ahmadAhmad §7: by whatthe-hidden-wordsHW §147: wert thou to attain theretowill-and-testamentW&T §6: by the holy verse
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §159: God isfire-tabletFire §41: after GodgleaningsGWB §385: with the Lordkitab-i-ahdAhd §10: the divine Testatorkitab-i-iqanKIQ §280: is Godprayers-and-meditationsP&M §10: Who worshippeth no onetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §50: By the Lordthe-hidden-wordsHW §154: heaven
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §101: QueengleaningsGWB §280: glorykitab-i-iqanKIQ §12: the peoples and kindreds of the earthprayers-and-meditationsP&M §261: and all the kingdomstablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §15: the worldsthe-hidden-wordsHW §2: that thine may bewill-and-testamentW&T §15: farepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §131: Him Who is the Lord
This form usually rendered as “powerlessness”, “impotence”, “helplessness” (37 occurrences)
powerlessness 44% impotence 15% helplessness 11% none 7% tearful 4% can 4% failure 4% failed 4% man 4% futility 4%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §135: thy powerlessnessgleaningsGWB §297: powerlessnesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §157: the miracleprayers-and-meditationsP&M §86: prevail against Theewill-and-testamentW&T §49: overwhelmed meepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §229: helplessnessgleaningsGWB §586: frustratekitab-i-iqanKIQ §105: incapacity
SE rendered جوهرة (júhrh), ملکوتیّة (mlkútíth), عجز (ʿjz), ذی (dhí), علم (ʿlm), عرفان (ʿrfán), حقیقتها (ḥqíqthá), ذی (dhí), عرفان (ʿrfán) as “gem, heavenly, failed, mind, of, ever, reality”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §158: of divinesfire-tabletFire §13: ensignsgleaningsGWB §174: world.”kitab-i-ahdAhd §2: recognizedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §201: imagesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §663: world of Thy worldstablet-of-ahmadAhmad §17: of all the worldstablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §13: which we have taught
This form usually rendered as “knowledge”, “understanding”, “recognize” (144 occurrences)
knowledge 32% understanding 23% recognize 8% recognition 7% comprehension 7% know 6% divine 5% recognizing 4% wisdom 3% insight 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §205: reveal HimgleaningsGWB §461: making known to otherskitab-i-ahdAhd §13: perform praiseworthy deedskitab-i-iqanKIQ §25: failed to apprehendprayers-and-meditationsP&M §177: discoveredtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §12: to seethe-hidden-wordsHW §3: of thine own knowledgeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §93: but understand
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §168: We wishgleaningsGWB §2: of Thy Purposekitab-i-iqanKIQ §61: sameprayers-and-meditationsP&M §640: it may please Theetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §6: desirethtablet-of-carmelCarmel §2: created things.’the-hidden-wordsHW §13: elsewill-and-testamentW&T §5: this one, unworthy though he be
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §33: attempt upon the lifegleaningsGWB §358: testifykitab-i-iqanKIQ §62: such incidentsprayers-and-meditationsP&M §837: speak ofgleaningsGWB §93: expressionskitab-i-iqanKIQ §149: eloquently testify toprayers-and-meditationsP&M §80: attestgleaningsGWB §93: the Exponents on earth
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §48: man’s lifefire-tabletFire §49: thou canst breathegleaningsGWB §234: that perceiveth from theekitab-i-iqanKIQ §240: Althoughprayers-and-meditationsP&M §438: any one of Thy creaturestablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §36: Shouldst thou inhalethe-hidden-wordsHW §21: has made in thee its homewill-and-testamentW&T §38: are to be found
This form usually rendered as “hath”, “set”, “turned” (52 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §11: be unworthyfire-tabletFire §46: press onwardgleaningsGWB §629: and set their affectionskitab-i-ahdAhd §3: agokitab-i-iqanKIQ §207: turned their face unto itprayers-and-meditationsP&M §787: to facetablet-of-carmelCarmel §1: been lifted upontablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §39: “And kiss
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §63: lay hold ongleaningsGWB §606: Cleave thou untokitab-i-iqanKIQ §277: depend uponprayers-and-meditationsP&M §675: I am but a wretched creaturetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §2: Launchepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §39: cleaveth fast untogleaningsGWB §680: Set all thy hopekitab-i-iqanKIQ §281: have held fast
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §235: bow downgleaningsGWB §313: to bow down in adoration before Himkitab-i-iqanKIQ §54: Mosque.”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §766: boweth down in worshipthe-hidden-wordsHW §121: Ye bow the kneeepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §245: MasjidgleaningsGWB §135: fell down in adorationkitab-i-iqanKIQ §70: to worship
SE rendered تمسّک (tmssk), سجد (sjd), اینصورت (iynṣúrt), بحقّ (bḥqq), منسوب (mnsúb), باو (báw), راجع (rájʿ) as “cleave, bow, God, faithful, it, return”
This form usually rendered as “according”, “ordained”, “faithful” (7 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §231: on My kinship with HimgleaningsGWB §371: His relationshipkitab-i-ahdAhd §10: My Kindredkitab-i-iqanKIQ §55: In the eyes ofprayers-and-meditationsP&M §790: the bondwill-and-testamentW&T §34: causing them to deem meepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §40: beargleaningsGWB §383: How vast the distance that separateth
return 28% applicable 22% repaired 11% returned 6% will 6% concerning 6% attain 6% who 6% fell 6% resume 6%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §113: returngleaningsGWB §319: attainkitab-i-iqanKIQ §182: cast themselvesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §387: and singled me out forthe-hidden-wordsHW §22: Return thenwill-and-testamentW&T §25: must be referredepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §8: to turn asidegleaningsGWB §245: shall ye return
This form usually rendered as “others”, “other”, “without” (150 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §242: any one elsefire-tabletFire §21: pervertedgleaningsGWB §200: unhesitatinglykitab-i-ahdAhd §2: changethkitab-i-iqanKIQ §32: by any other thanprayers-and-meditationsP&M §854: aught else except Thyselfthe-hidden-wordsHW §12: other than Mewill-and-testamentW&T §44: insincere
This form usually rendered as “corrupt”, “desire”, “desires” (105 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: of mine own desirefire-tabletFire §21: passiongleaningsGWB §362: selfish desirekitab-i-iqanKIQ §162: heavenprayers-and-meditationsP&M §238: the precinctstablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §9: and passionthe-hidden-wordsHW §122: idlewill-and-testamentW&T §15: self
