Gleanings — §359

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 359 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

و از جملهٔ ادلّه بر اثبات این امر آنکه در هر عهد و عصر که غیب هویّه در هیکل بشریّه ظاهر میشد بعضی از مردمی که معروف نبودند و علاقه بدنیا و جهتی نداشته‌اند بضیاء شمس نبوّت مستضیء و بانوار قمر هدایت مهتدی میشدند و بلقآء الله فائز میگشتند لهذا این بود که علمای عصر و اغنیای عهد استهزاء مینمودند چنانچه از لسان آن گمراهان میفرماید: ﴿فَقَالَ المَلَأُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا مِن قَومِهِ مَا نَراکَ إِلَّا بَشَرًا مِثْلَنَا وَمَا نَراکَ اتَّبَعَکَ إِلَّا الَّذِیْنَ هُمْ أَرَاذِلَنَا بَادِيَ الرَّأْيِ وَمَا نَرَی لَکُم عَلَیْنَا مِن فَضْلٍ بَلْ نَظُنَّکُمْ کَاذِبِینَ﴾، اعتراض مینمودند و بآن مظاهر قدسیّه میگفتند که متابعت شما نکرده مگر اراذل ما که اعتنائی بشأن آنها نیست و مقصودشان این بوده که علما و اغنیا و معارف قوم بشما ایمان نیاوردند و باین دلیل و امثال آن استدلال بر بطلان من له الحقّ مینمودند

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Amongst the proofs demonstrating the truth of this Revelation is this, that in every age and Dispensation, whenever the invisible Essence was revealed in the person of His Manifestation, certain souls, obscure and detached from all worldly entanglements, would seek illumination from the Sun of Prophethood and Moon of Divine guidance, and would attain unto the Divine Presence. For this reason, the divines of the age and those possessed of wealth, would scorn and scoff at these people. Even as He hath revealed concerning them that erred: “Then said the chiefs of His people who believed not, ‘We see in Thee but a man like ourselves; and we see not any who have followed Thee except our meanest ones of hasty judgment, nor see we any excellence in you above ourselves: nay, we deem you liars.’” They caviled at those holy Manifestations, and protested saying: “None hath followed you except the abject amongst us, those who are worthy of no attention.” Their aim was to show that no one amongst the learned, the wealthy, and the renowned believed in them. By this and similar proofs they sought to demonstrate the falsity of Him that speaketh naught but the truth.

Translation Notes

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

جملهٔ

j-m-l → “Beauty” Distinctive

literal: beauty; totality; beautiful

ادلّه

d-l-l → “proof”

literal: to argue; to demonstrate; proof

بر

b-r-r

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

اثبات

th-b-t → “established” Distinctive

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed

این

ʾ-y-n → “this”

literal: this; these

امر

ʾ-m-r → “Revelation”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

آنکه

ʾ-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

هر

h-r → “every”

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

عهد

ʿ-h-d → “Dispensation”

literal: covenant; testament; promise; command

عصر

ʿ-ṣ-r → “age”

literal: age; era; century; period of time

که

k-h → “which”

literal: that; who; who, that

غیب

gh-y-b → “invisible”

literal: the unseen; the invisible; the hidden; the unknowable; stranger; foreign; alien; separated

هویّه

h-w-y → “Essence” Distinctive

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

هیکل

h-y-k-l → “form”

literal: temple; structure; form; body

ظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “revealed”

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

میشد

sh-d → “was” Distinctive

literal: become; to become; became

بعضی

b-ʿ-ḍ → “certain”

literal: part; some; portion

مردمی

m-r-d → “people”

literal: rebellion; mutiny; revolt

معروف

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

نبودند

b-w-d → “was” Distinctive

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

علاقه

ʿ-l-q → “dependent” Distinctive

literal: attachment; connection; relationship

بدنیا

d-n-w → “all worldly”

literal: this world; earthly life; temporal realm; lowest; base; mean; of little account; to know; to be acquainted with

جهتی

j-h-t → “side”

literal: direction; aspect; side; regard

نداشته‌اند

d-ʾ-sh-t → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to have; to possess; to hold

بضیاء

ḍ-w-ʾ → “shineth” Distinctive

literal: to shine; to illuminate; to light up; illumined; shining; radiant

شمس

sh-m-s → “Sun”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

نبوّت

n-b-w → “Prophethood”

literal: prophethood; prophets

بانوار

n-w-r

literal: light; illumination

قمر

q-m-r → “Moon”

literal: moon

هدایت

h-d-y → “Divine guidance”

literal: guidance; to guide; direction; leading rightly; this; this one

بلقآء

l-q-y → “Divine Presence”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

فائز

f-w-z → “attain”

literal: benefit, profit, advantage; usefulness; bounty; effusion; grace

میگشتند

g-sh-t

literal: to become; to turn; to be

لهذا

l-dh-ʾ → “For this reason”

literal: therefore; for this reason; hence; so

علمای

ʿ-l-m → “divines”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

اغنیای

gh-n-y → “those possessed of wealth”

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

استهزاء

h-z-ʾ → “scorn and scoff” Distinctive

literal: to mock; to ridicule; mockery

مینمودند

n-m-w

literal: to appear; to show; to display; to exhibit

چنانچه

ch-n-n → “Even as”

literal: thus; in such manner; as

لسان

l-s-n

literal: tongue; language

گمراهان

g-m-r → “waywardness”

literal: to immerse; to submerge; depths; ocean

میفرماید:

f-r-m → “hath revealed” Distinctive

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

﴿فَقَالَ

q-w-l → “said”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

المَلَأُ

m-l-ʾ → “the Concourse”

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

الَّذِینَ

l-dh-y

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

کَفَرُوا

k-f-r → “believed not” Distinctive

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

مِن

m-n → “of”

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

قَومِهِ

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

نَراکَ

r-ʾ-y → “see” 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

إِلَّا

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

بَشَرًا

b-sh-r → “man”

literal: human; mankind; human nature

مِثْلَنَا

m-th-l → “like ourselves”

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

وَمَا

m-ʾ → “that”

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

اتَّبَعَکَ

t-b-ʿ → “have followed”

literal: to follow; to obey; to pursue

هُمْ

h-m-m

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

أَرَاذِلَنَا

r-dh-l → “meanest”

literal: lowest; basest; most vile; worst

بَادِيَ

b-d-w → “lest” Distinctive

literal: by hand; with hands; eternal; perpetual; everlasting

لَکُم

l-k-m → “in you”

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

عَلَیْنَا

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: exalted; highest; supreme; most high; upon you; on; over; Ali (name); upon

فَضْلٍ

f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

بَلْ

b-l → “nay”

literal: rather; but; rather/nay

نَظُنَّکُمْ

ẓ-n-n

literal: conjecture; think; suppositions

کَاذِبِینَ﴾،

k-dh-b → “falsehood” Distinctive

literal: liar; lie; falsehood

اعتراض

ʿ-r-ḍ → “caviled” Distinctive

literal: objection, protest, denial; cavil

بآن

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

قدسیّه

q-d-s → “holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

میگفتند

g-f-t → “saying”

literal: say; to say; said

شما

sh-m-ʾ

literal: you (plural); your

نکرده

k-r-d → “made” Distinctive

literal: to do; to make; to perform; deed; action; conduct; behavior

مگر

m-g-r → “save through”

literal: matter; affair; thing

اعتنائی

ʿ-n-y → “meaning” Distinctive

literal: meaning; grace; spiritual

بشأن

sh-ʾ-n

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

آنها

null

literal: that, it; to be; indeed

مقصودشان

q-ṣ-d → “aim”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

اغنیا

gh-n-y → “wealthy”

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

ایمان

ʾ-m-n → “believed” Distinctive

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

نیاوردند

ʾ-w-r → “refuse”

literal: bring; to bring; to_bring

باین

b-y-n → “By this” Distinctive

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

بطلان

b-ṭ-l → “falsehood” Distinctive

literal: falsehood, false; vain, null

له

h-w

literal: for them both; to both of them (dual pronoun)

الحقّ

ḥ-q-q → “truth”

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

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Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

Bahá’u’lláh

The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

Published in 1938, this companion volume to Gleanings contains 184 prayers and meditations selected by Shoghi Effendi from Bahá’u’lláh’s devotional writings revealed across successive exiles from Baghdad to ‘Akká. Shoghi Effendi described it as a volume whose perusal would deepen the spirit of devotion and faith.

858 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

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Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

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Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

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Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶