Gleanings — §327

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 327 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

صرف و مفقود بحت است و اگر الی ما لا نهایه بعقول اوّلیّه و آخریّه در این لطیفهٴ ربّانیّه و تجلّی عزّ صمدانیّه تفکّر نمائی البتّه از عرفان او کما هو حقّه خود را عاجز و قاصر مشاهده نمائی و چون عجز و قصور خود را از بلوغ بعرفان آیهٴ موجودهٔ در خود مشاهده نمودی البتّه عجز خود و عجز ممکنات را از عرفان ذات احدیّه و شمس عزّ قدمیّه بعین سر و سرّ ملاحظه نمائی و اعتراف بر عجز در این مقام از روی بصیرت منتها مقام عرفان عبد است و منتها بلوغ عباد...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Wert thou to ponder in thine heart, from now until the end that hath no end, and with all the concentrated intelligence and understanding which the greatest minds have attained in the past or will attain in the future, this divinely ordained and subtle Reality, this sign of the revelation of the All-Abiding, All-Glorious God, thou wilt fail to comprehend its mystery or to appraise its virtue. Having recognized thy powerlessness to attain to an adequate understanding of that Reality which abideth within thee, thou wilt readily admit the futility of such efforts as may be attempted by thee, or by any of the created things, to fathom the mystery of the Living God, the Daystar of unfading glory, the Ancient of everlasting days. This confession of helplessness which mature contemplation must eventually impel every mind to make is in itself the acme of human understanding, and marketh the culmination of man’s development.

Translation Notes

صرف

ṣ-r-f

literal: pure; absolute; to turn away; to expend

مفقود

f-q-d

literal: to lose; to miss; lost; missing

بحت

b-ḥ-t

literal: mere; pure; absolute; sheer

است

b-w-d → “is”

literal: to be; are (third person plural present copula)

اگر

ʾ-g-r → “were they”

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

الی

ʾ-l-y → “from now until”

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

ما

m-ʾ

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

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

نهایه

n-h-y → “end”

literal: end, limit, utmost, extreme; final; the end, limit, utmost bound; Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing; end; limit; terminus

بعقول

ʿ-q-l → “mind”

literal: intellect; wise persons; to understand

اوّلیّه

ʾ-w-l → “first” Distinctive

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

آخریّه

ʾ-kh-r → “future” Distinctive

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

این

ʾ-y-n

literal: this; these

لطیفهٴ

l-ṭ-f → “loving-kindness” Distinctive

literal: kindness; subtle; kindness, grace

ربّانیّه

r-b-b → “divinely ordained”

literal: divine; of God; lordly

تجلّی

j-l-w → “sign of the revelation”

literal: effulgence; manifestation; revelation

عزّ

ʿ-z-z → “All-Glorious” Distinctive

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

صمدانیّه

ṣ-m-d → “everlasting”

literal: eternal, self-sufficient, divine, the Eternal

تفکّر

f-k-r → “to ponder”

literal: thoughts; ideas; fancies; opinions; to think; to reflect; to contemplate

نمائی

n-m-ʾ → “may”

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

البتّه

b-t-t → “assuredly”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

از

ʾ-z

literal: from

عرفان

ʿ-r-f → “understanding”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

او

h-w-w

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

کما

k-m

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

هو

h-w

literal: He; He is

حقّه

ḥ-q-q → “God”

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

خود

kh-w-d → “thy” Distinctive

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

عاجز

ʿ-j-z → “fail”

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence

قاصر

q-ṣ-r

literal: shortcoming; negligence; falling short; to be deficient

مشاهده

sh-h-d → “Having recognized” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

چون

ch-w-n

literal: since; when; as

بلوغ

b-l-gh → “to attain”

literal: to reach; to attain; to deliver; to proclaim

آیهٴ

ʾ-y-y → “signs” Distinctive

literal: sign; signs; verse

موجودهٔ

w-j-d → “being”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

نمودی

n-m-ود → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

ممکنات

m-k-n → “created things”

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

ذات

dh-w-t → “Essence”

literal: self; essence; being

احدیّه

ʾ-ḥ-d → “Living God” Distinctive

literal: oneness; uniqueness; absolute unity; singularity of God

شمس

sh-m-s → “Daystar”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

قدمیّه

q-d-m → “Ancient of everlasting days”

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

بعین

ʿ-y-n

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

سر

s-r-r → “mystery”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

ملاحظه

l-ḥ-ẓ → “Consider”

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

بر

b-r-r

literal: on; on, upon; upon

مقام

q-w-m → “people” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

روی

r-w-y

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

بصیرت

b-ṣ-r → “eyes” Distinctive

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

عبد

ʿ-b-d → “man’s” Distinctive

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶