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Gleanings — §323

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 323 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

شهود و لکلّ ثوابت سیّارات و لکلّ سیّارة خلق عجز عن احصائه المحصون یا ایّها النّاظر الی وجهی امروز افق اعلی مشرق و ندآء الله مرتفع قد انزلنا فی الألواح لیس الیوم یوم السّؤال ینبغی لمن سمع النّدآء من الأفق الأعلی یقوم و یقول لبّیک لبّیک یا اله الأسمآء لبّیک لبّیک یا فاطر السّمآء اشهد انّ بظهورک ظهر ما کان مکنوناً فی کتب الله و مستوراً فی صحف المرسلین

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O thou that hast fixed thine eyes upon My countenance! The Dayspring of Glory hath, in this Day, manifested its radiance, and the Voice of the Most High is calling. We have formerly uttered these words: “This is not the day for any man to question his Lord. It behooveth whosoever hath hearkened to the Call of God, as voiced by Him Who is the Dayspring of Glory, to arise and cry out: ‘Here am I, here am I, O Lord of all Names; here am I, here am I, O Maker of the heavens! I testify that, through Thy Revelation, the things hidden in the Books of God have been revealed, and that whatsoever hath been recorded by Thy Messengers in the sacred Scriptures hath been fulfilled.’”

Translation Notes

لکلّ
k-l-l

literal: for each; for every; to each

ثوابت
th-b-t

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed

سیّارات
s-y-r

literal: captive; prisoner; captivity; to journey; to move; course

خلق
kh-l-q

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

عجز
ʿ-j-z

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence; أعجاز (roots of trees/extremities) is Pattern II plural, distinct from ‘inability’ forms

عن
ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

احصائه
ḥ-ṣ-y

literal: unnumbered, innumerable, countless, beyond count; to count; to enumerate; to be reckoned

یا
y-ʾ → “O ye”

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

ایّها
ʾ-y-y

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

النّاظر
n-ẓ-r → “hast fixed thine eyes” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

الی
ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

وجهی
w-j-h → “My countenance” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

امروز
r-w-z → “Day”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

افق
ʾ-f-q → “Dayspring of Glory” Distinctive

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

اعلی
ʿ-l-w → “Most High”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

مشرق
sh-r-q → “Dayspring”

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

ندآء
n-d-y → “Voice”

literal: call; voice; proclamation; forty; forty years

الله
ʾ-l-h → “of God”

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

مرتفع
r-f-ʿ → “raised”

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

قد
q-d → “We have been”

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

انزلنا
n-z-l

literal: to descend, to be revealed

فی
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الألواح
l-w-ḥ

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

لیس
l-y-s → “is not”

literal: is not; to be not

الیوم
y-w-m → “the day”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

السّؤال
s-ʾ-l → “to question his Lord”

literal: question; problem; issue; matter; asking; petition; request

ینبغی
n-b-gh → “It behooveth”

literal: it is proper; it is fitting; it is necessary; it behooves

لمن
m-n → “whosoever hath hearkened” Distinctive

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

سمع
s-m-ʿ

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

یقوم
q-w-m → “to arise”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

یقول
q-w-l → “cry out” Distinctive

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

لبّیک
l-b-y → “Here am I”

literal: at your service; here am I; here I am (response)

اله
ʾ-l-h → “Lord”

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

الأسمآء
s-m-w → “of all Names”

literal: heaven; sky

فاطر
f-ṭ-r → “Maker”

literal: creator; the one who splits/creates

اشهد
sh-h-d → “I testify”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

انّ
ʾ-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

بظهورک
ẓ-h-r → “through Thy Revelation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

ما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

کان
k-w-n

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

مکنوناً
k-n-n → “hidden”

literal: to do; to make; to perform

کتب
k-t-b → “Books”

literal: book; scripture; writing

مستوراً
s-t-r → “hidden”

literal: to veil; to conceal; to cover; veil; covering

صحف
ṣ-ḥ-f → “sacred Scriptures”

literal: page; tablet; scroll; book

المرسلین
r-s-l → “by Thy Messengers”

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶