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Gleanings — §349

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 349 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

و سموّ ارتفاع خود مقدّس از ذکر ما سواه بوده و خواهد بود و خلق هم بوده و مظاهر عزّ احدیّه و مطالع قدس باقیه در قرون لا اوّلیّه مبعوث شده‌اند و خلق را بحقّ دعوت فرموده‌اند ولکن نظر باختلافات و تغییر احوال عالم بعضی اسماء و اذکار باقی نمانده در کتب ذکر طوفان مذکور و در آن حادثه آنچه بر روی ارض بوده جمیع غرق شده چه از کتب تواریخ و

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Our purpose in revealing these words is to show that the one true God hath, in His all-highest and transcendent station, ever been, and will everlastingly continue to be, exalted above the praise and conception of all else but Him. His creation hath ever existed, and the Manifestations of His Divine glory and the Daysprings of eternal holiness have been sent down from time immemorial, and been commissioned to summon mankind to the one true God. That the names of some of them are forgotten and the records of their lives lost is to be attributed to the disturbances and changes that have overtaken the world.

Translation Notes

سموّ
s-m-w → “all-highest and transcendent” Distinctive

literal: heaven; sky

ارتفاع
r-f-ʿ → “exalted”

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

خود
kh-w-d → “His” Distinctive

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

از
ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

ذکر
dh-k-r → “praise”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

ما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

سواه
s-w-y → “else but Him” Distinctive

literal: other than; other-than; besides

بوده
b-w-d → “been”

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

خواهد
kh-w-h → “will”

literal: will; to wish; to want

خلق
kh-l-q → “creation”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

هم
h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

مظاهر
ẓ-h-r → “Manifestations”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

عزّ
ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

احدیّه
ʾ-ḥ-d → “Divine” Distinctive

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

مطالع
ṭ-l-ʿ → “Daysprings”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

قدس
q-d-s → “holiness”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

باقیه
b-q-y → “eternal” Distinctive

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal

در
d-r-r → “from” Distinctive

literal: in; in, at; radiant

قرون
q-r-n → “centuries”

literal: conjunction; union; coupling; association

لا
l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

اوّلیّه
ʾ-w-l

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

مبعوث
b-ʿ-th → “sent”

literal: strong; severe; intense; violent

شده‌اند
sh-d → “was” Distinctive

literal: become; turned into; has become; to become; to be

را
r-ʾ-ʾ → “to”

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

بحقّ
ḥ-q-q → “one true God”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

دعوت
d-ʿ-w → “summon”

literal: call; invitation; claim

فرموده‌اند
f-r-m → “saith” Distinctive

literal: to say; to decree; to ordain; to command

ولکن
l-k-n

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

نظر
n-ẓ-r

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

باختلافات
kh-l-f → “contrary” Distinctive

literal: opposing; contrary; conflicting

تغییر
gh-y-r

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

احوال
ḥ-w-l

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

عالم
ʿ-l-m → “world”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بعضی
b-ʿ-ḍ → “some”

literal: part; some; portion

باقی
b-q-y

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal

نمانده
m-ʾ-n → “remain” Distinctive

literal: to remain; to stay; to be left

کتب
k-t-b

literal: book; scripture; writing

طوفان
ṭ-w-f

literal: flood, deluge, tempest

مذکور
dh-k-r

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

آن
ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

حادثه
ḥ-d-th

literal: events, occurrences, accidents, changes and chances

بر
b-r-r

literal: on; on, upon; upon

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

ارض
ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

جمیع
j-m-ʿ

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

غرق
gh-r-q

literal: to drown; drowned

چه
ch-h

literal: what; what/for; whatsoever, that which

تواریخ
ʾ-r-kh

literal: history; historical record; to date

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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