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Gleanings — §423

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 423 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

إنّا نراكم تفرحون بما جمعتموه لغيركم وتمنعون أنفسكم عن العوالم الّتي لم يحصها إلاّ لوحي المحفوظ قد شغلتكم الأموال عن المئال هذا لا ينبغي لكم لو أنتم تعلمون طهّروا قلوبكم عن ذَفَرِ الدّنيا مسرعين إلى ملكوت ربّكم فاطر الأرض والسّمآء الّذي به ظهرت الزّلازل وناحت القبآئل إلاّ من نبذ الورى وأخذ ما أمر به في لوح مكنون

Shoghi Effendi Translation

We see you rejoicing in that which ye have amassed for others and shutting out yourselves from the worlds which naught except My guarded Tablet can reckon. The treasures ye have laid up have drawn you far away from your ultimate objective. This ill beseemeth you, could ye but understand it. Wash your hearts from all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter the Kingdom of your Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, Who caused the world to tremble and all its peoples to wail, except them that have renounced all things and clung to that which the Hidden Tablet hath ordained.

Translation Notes

إنّا
ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

نراكم
r-ʾ-y → “see”

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

تفرحون
f-r-ḥ → “joy” Distinctive

literal: to rejoice; to be glad; joy

بما
m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

جمعتموه
j-m-ʿ → “all” Distinctive

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

لغيركم
gh-y-r → “for others”

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

وتمنعون
m-n-ʿ → “hinder” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

أنفسكم
n-f-s → “yourselves”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

عن
ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

العوالم
ʿ-l-m → “worlds”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

الّتي
ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

لم
l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

يحصها
ḥ-ṣ-y → “can reckon”

literal: unnumbered, innumerable, countless, beyond count; to count; to enumerate; to be reckoned

إلاّ
ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

لوحي
l-w-ḥ → “My”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

المحفوظ
ḥ-f-ẓ → “guarded”

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

قد
q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

شغلتكم
sh-gh-l → “busied” Distinctive

literal: to occupy; to engage; to busy; occupation

الأموال
m-l-k → “Kingdom” Distinctive

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

المئال
ʾ-w-l → “beginning” Distinctive

literal: inclination; leaning; preference

هذا
h-dh-ʾ → “This”

literal: this; that

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

ينبغي
n-b-gh → “beseemeth”

literal: it is proper; it is fitting; it is necessary; it behooves

لكم
l-k-m → “you”

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

لو
l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

أنتم
n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

طهّروا
ṭ-h-r → “pure” Distinctive

literal: to purify; to cleanse

قلوبكم
q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ذَفَرِ
dh-f-r → “defilements”

literal: filth; defilement; refuse

الدّنيا
d-n-w → “world”

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

مسرعين
s-r-ʿ → “hasten”

literal: speed; swiftness; haste

إلى
ʾ-l-y → “towards”

literal: to; to, toward; to, until

ربّكم
r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: Lord; Master; Sustainer; Cherisher

فاطر
f-ṭ-r → “Creator”

literal: creator; the one who splits/creates

الأرض
ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

والسّمآء
s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

الّذي
l-dh-y → “which”

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

به
b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

ظهرت
ẓ-h-r → “Revelation” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

الزّلازل
z-l-z-l → “dismayed” Distinctive

literal: to shake; to quake; to be shaken; to be moved

وناحت
n-w-ḥ → “wail”

literal: to wail; to lament; lamentation

القبآئل
q-b-l → “peoples” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

من
m-n → “them” Distinctive

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

نبذ
n-b-dh → “cast away”

literal: to cast; to reject; to abandon; to throw away

الورى
w-r-y → “all things” Distinctive

literal: mankind; people; human beings; behind; after

وأخذ
ʾ-kh-dh → “seized”

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

أمر
ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

في
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

مكنون
k-n-n → “Hidden”

literal: to do; to make; to perform

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶