Gleanings — §450

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 450 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

فسبحان الله عمّا أنتم تظنّون يا ملأ المبغضين، إن كان هذا الأمر حقّ من عند الله لن يقدر أحد أن يمنعه، وإن لم يكن من عنده يكفيه علماءكم والّذين هم اتّبعوا هواهم وكانوا من المعرضين، أما سمعت ما قال مؤمن آل فرعون من قبل وحكى الله

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Know thou, moreover, that He it is Who hath, by His own behest, created all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. How can, then, the thing that hath been created at His bidding prevail against Him? High is God exalted above what ye imagine about Him, ye people of malice! If this Cause be of God, no man can prevail against it; and if it be not of God, the divines amongst you, and they that follow their corrupt desires and such as have rebelled against Him will surely suffice to overpower it.

Translation Notes

فسبحان

s-b-ḥ → “High is God exalted” Distinctive

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted; dawn; daybreak; morning

الله

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

عمّا

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: with them; in their company

أنتم

n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

تظنّون

ẓ-n-n → “imagine about Him”

literal: fancy; supposition; vain imagination; idle conjecture

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

ملأ

m-l-ʾ → “people of” Distinctive

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

المبغضين،

b-gh-ḍ → “malice”

literal: hatred; enmity; animosity

إن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

كان

k-w-n → “be”

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

الأمر

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “of” Distinctive

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

من

m-n → “of”

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

عند

ʿ-n-d → “God”

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

لن

l-n → “no” Distinctive

literal: will not (negation of future)

يقدر

q-d-r → “can”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

أحد

ʾ-ḥ-d → “man” Distinctive

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

يمنعه،

m-n-ʿ → “hinder” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

وإن

ʾ-n-n → “and if”

literal: that; indeed/verily; indeed

لم

l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

يكفيه

k-f-y → “will surely suffice to”

literal: to be content; to suffice; to be satisfied; to be satisfied with

علماءكم

ʿ-l-m → “divines amongst you”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

والّذين

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

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

هم

h-m-m → “that” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

اتّبعوا

t-b-ʿ → “follow”

literal: to follow; to obey; to pursue

هواهم

h-w-y → “their corrupt desires”

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

المعرضين،

ʿ-r-ḍ → “have rebelled against Him” Distinctive

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

أما

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair

سمعت

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

ما

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

قال

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

مؤمن

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure

آل

literal: first; beginning; family

فرعون

literal: branch; offshoot; to branch off

قبل

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

وحكى

literal: telling; indicative; narrator; testifier; narrative; story; account; tale; to relate; one who relates; speaking of

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