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Gleanings — §365

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 365 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

کتاب الهی ظاهر و کلمه ناطق ولکن نفوسی که باو متمسّک و سبب و علّت انتشار گردند مشاهده نمی‌شود الّا قلیل و آن قلیل اکسیر احمر است از برای نحاس عالم و دریاق اکبر از برای صحّت بنی‌آدم حیات باقیه منوط بقبول این امر اعزّ ابدع اعلی است ای دوستان الهی بشنوید ندای مظلوم را و

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that afflict the children of men. No man can obtain everlasting life, unless he embraceth the truth of this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation.

Translation Notes

کتاب
k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

الهی
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

ظاهر
ẓ-h-r → “Revelation” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

کلمه
k-l-m → “Word”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

ناطق
n-ṭ-q → “spoken” Distinctive

literal: to speak; to utter; to pronounce; to articulate

ولکن
l-k-n → “however”

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

نفوسی
n-f-s → “souls” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

که
k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

باو
ʾ-w-w → “Him”

literal: sale; to sell; to swear allegiance; to pledge; to make covenant

متمسّک
m-s-k → “cleave” Distinctive

literal: musk; to seize; grip

سبب
s-b-b → “Cause”

literal: cause; reason; means; instrument

علّت
ʿ-l-l

literal: for us; to us

انتشار
n-sh-r → “spreading”

literal: to scatter; to spread; to unfold; to disseminate

گردند
g-r-d → “become”

literal: to become; to happen; to come to pass

مشاهده
sh-h-d → “hath been found” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

نمی‌شود
sh-w-d → “been” Distinctive

literal: to not become; to not be

الّا
ʾ-kh-r

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

قلیل
q-l-l → “few”

literal: little; few; scanty; small in quantity

آن
ʾ-n → “These”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

اکسیر
إكسير (non-Arabic) → “Elixir”

literal: breaking; ravening; destructive

احمر
ḥ-m-r

literal: to be red; to redden

است
b-w-d

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

از
ʾ-z

literal: from

برای
b-r-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

نحاس
n-ḥ-s → “copper”

literal: copper; brass; base metal

عالم
ʿ-l-m → “world”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

دریاق
d-r-y-q → “sovereign remedy”

literal: antidote; remedy; panacea

اکبر
k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large

صحّت
ṣ-ḥ-ḥ

literal: health; sound; correct

بنی‌آدم
ʾ-d-m → “children of men”

literal: Adam; sons-of-Adam

حیات
ḥ-y-y → “life”

literal: life; vitality; living

باقیه
b-q-y → “everlasting”

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

منوط
n-w-ṭ

literal: to be dependent upon, to hang upon, to hinge upon

بقبول
q-b-l → “embraceth” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

این
ʾ-y-n → “this”

literal: this; these

امر
ʾ-m-r → “Revelation”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

اعزّ
ʿ-z-z → “glory” Distinctive

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

ابدع
b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

اعلی
ʿ-l-w → “sublime” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

ای
ʾ-y-y

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

دوستان
d-w-s-t

literal: friend; beloved

بشنوید
sh-n-w

literal: most ugly; most abominable; most heinous

ندای
n-d-y

literal: call; voice; cry; summons; to call; to proclaim; to cry out; to summon

مظلوم
ẓ-l-m

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

را
r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶