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Gleanings — §356

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 356 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

یتوقّف ذکره علی عرفان المشارق الّتي فیها فصّلنا العلوم وأظهرنا المکتوم نسأل الله بأن یوفّقک ویؤیّدک علی عرفان المعلوم لتنقطع عن العلوم لأنّ طلب العلم بعد حصول المعلوم مذموم تمسّک بأصل العلم ومعدنه لتری نفسک غنیًّا عن الّذین یدّعون العلم من ‌دون بیّنة ولا کتاب منیر...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Of these truths some can be disclosed only to the extent of the capacity of the repositories of the light of Our knowledge, and the recipients of Our hidden grace. We beseech God to strengthen thee with His power, and enable thee to recognize Him Who is the Source of all knowledge, that thou mayest detach thyself from all human learning, for, “what would it profit any man to strive after learning when he hath already found and recognized Him Who is the Object of all knowledge?” Cleave to the Root of Knowledge, and to Him Who is the Fountain thereof, that thou mayest find thyself independent of all who claim to be well versed in human learning, and whose claim no clear proof, nor the testimony of any enlightening book, can support.

Translation Notes

یتوقّف
w-q-f → “hesitated” Distinctive

literal: to stop; to halt; to pause; to hesitate

ذکره
dh-k-r → “mention”

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

علی
ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

عرفان
ʿ-r-f → “to recognize”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

المشارق
sh-r-q → “Dayspring”

literal: evil; harm; wickedness

الّتي
ʾ-l-l

literal: who; which/that; which

فیها
f-y

literal: in it; in them

فصّلنا
f-ṣ-l

literal: detail; distinction; differentiation; to detail; to separate

العلوم
ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

وأظهرنا
ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

المکتوم
k-t-m

literal: concealment; hiding; secrecy

نسأل
s-ʾ-l → “We beseech”

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

الله
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

بأن
ʾ-n-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

یوفّقک
w-f-q → “aid” Distinctive

literal: accord, agreement, harmony; to agree, accord with

ویؤیّدک
ʾ-y-d → “aid”

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

لتنقطع
q-ṭ-ʿ → “that thou mayest detach”

literal: to cease; to be cut off; to break off

عن
ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

لأنّ
ʾ-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

طلب
ṭ-l-b → “theme” Distinctive

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

بعد
b-ʿ-d → “after”

literal: after; behind; distance

حصول
ḥ-ṣ-l → “attained” Distinctive

literal: obtained; result; sum

مذموم
dh-m-m

literal: to blame, censure; blameworthy, reprehensible

تمسّک
m-s-k → “Cleave”

literal: musk; to seize; grip; to hold fast; to cling to; to grasp

بأصل
ʾ-ṣ-l → “to” Distinctive

literal: principles; origin, essence; origin

ومعدنه
ʿ-d-n

literal: mine; source; origin; repository

لتری
r-ʾ-y → “that thou mayest find” Distinctive

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

نفسک
n-f-s → “thyself”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

غنیًّا
gh-n-y → “independent” Distinctive

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with

الّذین
l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

یدّعون
d-ʿ-w → “claim”

literal: call, invocation, summons; to call, invite, summon

من
m-n

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

‌دون
d-w-n

literal: below; lower than; beneath

بیّنة
b-y-n → “no clear proof” Distinctive

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

ولا
w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: no; not; negation particle

کتاب
k-t-b → “book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

منیر...
n-w-r → “light” Distinctive

literal: light; illumination

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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