Gleanings — §440

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 440 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

ای احزاب مختلفه باتّحاد توجّه نمائید و بنور اتّفاق منوّر گردید لوجه الله در مقرّی حاضر شوید و آنچه سبب اختلاف است از میان بردارید تا جمیع عالم بانوار نیّر اعظم فائز گردند و در یک مدینه وارد شوند و بر یک سریر جالس این مظلوم از اوّل ایّام الی حین مقصودی جز آنچه ذکر شد نداشته و ندارد شکّی نیست جمیع احزاب بافق اعلی متوجّهند و بامر حقّ عامل نظر بمقتضیات عصر اوامر و احکام مختلف شده ولکن کل من عند الله بوده و از نزد او نازل شده و بعضی از امور هم از عناد ظاهر گشته باری بعضد ایقان اصنام اوهام و اختلاف را بشکنید و باتّحاد و اتّفاق تمسّک نمائید این است کلمهٴ علیا که از امّ الکتاب نازل شده یشهد بذلک لسان العظمة فی مقامه الرّفیع...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O contending peoples and kindreds of the earth! Set your faces towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you. Gather ye together, and for the sake of God resolve to root out whatever is the source of contention amongst you. Then will the effulgence of the world’s great Luminary envelop the whole earth, and its inhabitants become the citizens of one city, and the occupants of one and the same throne. This wronged One hath, ever since the early days of His life, cherished none other desire but this, and will continue to entertain no wish except this wish. There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Arise and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you. Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you. This, verily, is the most exalted Word which the Mother Book hath sent down and revealed unto you. To this beareth witness the Tongue of Grandeur from His habitation of glory.

Translation Notes

ای

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

احزاب

ḥ-z-b → “contending”

literal: party; people; community

مختلفه

kh-l-f → “contrary” Distinctive

literal: opposing; contrary; conflicting

باتّحاد

w-ḥ-d → “towards unity”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

توجّه

w-j-h → “Set your faces” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

نمائید

n-m-ʾ → “will” Distinctive

literal: to show, to display, to manifest, to exhibit; to manifest; to display; to show

بنور

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

اتّفاق

w-f-q

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

گردید

g-r-d → “become” Distinctive

literal: Persian verb گردیدن (to become/turn), not from Arabic ك-ر-د

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

در

d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

مقرّی

q-r-r → “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: village; town; hamlet

حاضر

ḥ-ḍ-r → “Gather ye together” Distinctive

literal: presence; majesty; His/Your Excellency

شوید

sh-w-d → “be” Distinctive

literal: to become; to be

آنچه

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; indeed; that, to

سبب

s-b-b → “cause”

literal: cause; reason; means; instrument

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

میان

m-y-n → “midst”

literal: between; among; amid; in the midst of

بردارید

b-r-d-ʾ-r → “lift not” Distinctive

literal: brother

تا

t-y-y → “so that”

literal: so that/until

جمیع

j-m-ʿ → “whole” Distinctive

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

عالم

ʿ-l-m → “world’s”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

اعظم

ʿ-ẓ-m → “great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

فائز

f-w-z → “attain”

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

یک

y-k → “one”

literal: one; a single

مدینه

m-d-n → “city”

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

وارد

w-r-d

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

بر

b-r-r → “righteous” Distinctive

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

سریر

s-r-r → “throne”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

جالس

j-l-s → “seated”

literal: council; assembly; gathering; session

این

ʾ-y-n → “This”

literal: this; these

مظلوم

ẓ-l-m → “wronged One”

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

اوّل

ʾ-w-l → “early”

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

ایّام

y-w-m → “days”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

الی

ʾ-l-y

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

حین

ḥ-y-n

literal: time; moment; while; season

مقصودی

q-ṣ-d → “desire”

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

جز

j-z → “apart from”

literal: except

ذکر

dh-k-r → “this” Distinctive

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

شد

sh-d → “this” Distinctive

literal: to become; to be

نداشته

d-ʾ-sh-t → “have no”

literal: to have; to possess; to hold

ندارد

d-ʾ-r → “repository” Distinctive

literal: below; lower than; beneath

شکّی

sh-k-k → “It is evident”

literal: complaint; lamentation; protestation

بافق

ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

اعلی

ʿ-l-w → “one heavenly” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

بامر

ʾ-m-r

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

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “God”

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

عامل

ʿ-m-l

literal: to work; to act; to do; to perform

نظر

n-ẓ-r

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

بمقتضیات

q-ḍ-y → “decree” Distinctive

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

عصر

ʿ-ṣ-r → “age”

literal: age; era; century; period of time

اوامر

ʾ-m-r → “Cause” Distinctive

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

احکام

ḥ-k-m

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

ولکن

l-k-n

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

کل

k-l-l → “All of them”

literal: for us; to us

من

m-n

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

نزد

n-z-d → “unto”

literal: near; beside; with; in the presence of

او

h-w-w

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

نازل

n-z-l → “revealed”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

بعضی

b-ʿ-ḍ → “few” Distinctive

literal: part; some; portion

هم

h-m-m

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

عناد

ʿ-n-d → “possess” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

ظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation” Distinctive

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

گشته

g-sh-t → “were”

literal: become; became; to become

باری

b-r-y → “Briefly”

literal: well; cistern; pit

بعضد

ʿ-ḍ-d → “defender of”

literal: supporter; arm, support; support

ایقان

y-q-n → “certitude”

literal: certainty; certitude; conviction; faith

اصنام

ṣ-n-m → “idols”

literal: idol; statue

اوهام

w-h-m → “your vain imaginings”

literal: to imagine, suppose; fancy, idle imagination

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

بشکنید

sh-k-n → “scatter”

literal: to break; to shatter; to scatter

تمسّک

m-s-k → “cleave”

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

کلمهٴ

k-l-m → “Word”

literal: word; words; speak

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

امّ

ʾ-m-m → “Mother Book”

literal: mother

الکتاب

k-t-b → “hath” Distinctive

literal: book; scripture; writing

یشهد

sh-h-d → “beareth witness”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بذلک

dh-l-k → “this”

literal: that; this; it; by that

لسان

l-s-n → “Tongue”

literal: tongue; language

فی

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

مقامه

q-w-m → “habitation” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

الرّفیع...

r-f-ʿ → “raised” Distinctive

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶