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Gleanings — §452

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 452 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

سمعتم أمر الله وحكمه وما استنصحتم بنصح الّذي نزّل في الكتاب وكنتم من الغافلين، وكم من عباد قتلتموهم في كلّ شهور وسنين وكم من ظلم ارتكبتموه في أيّامكم ولم ير شبهها عين الإبداع ولن يخبر مثلها أحد من المؤرّخين، وكم من رضيع بقي من غير أمّ ووالد وكم من أب قتل ابنه من ظلمكم يا ملأ الظّالمين، وكم من أخت ضجّت في فراق أخيها

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And yet, ye have failed to incline your ears unto His bidding, have disregarded His law, have rejected His counsel as recorded in His Book, and have been of them that have strayed far from Him. How many those who, every year, and every month, have because of you been put to death! How manifold the injustices ye have perpetrated — injustices the like of which the eye of creation hath not seen, which no chronicler hath ever recorded! How numerous the babes and sucklings who were made orphans, and the fathers who lost their sons, because of your cruelty, O ye unjust doers! How oft hath a sister pined away and mourned over her brother, and how oft hath a wife lamented after her husband and sole sustainer!

Translation Notes

سمعتم
s-m-ʿ

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

أمر
ʾ-m-r → “His bidding” Distinctive

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

الله
ʾ-l-h

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

وحكمه
ḥ-k-m → “His law”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

وما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

استنصحتم
n-ṣ-ḥ → “counsel” Distinctive

literal: counsel; advice; admonition

الّذي
l-dh-y → “which”

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

نزّل
n-z-l

literal: to descend, to be revealed

في
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الكتاب
k-t-b → “His Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

وكنتم
k-w-n → “have been” Distinctive

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

من
m-n → “of”

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

الغافلين،
gh-f-l → “them that have strayed” Distinctive

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

وكم
k-m-m → “How many”

literal: how many; how much

عباد
ʿ-b-d → “who” Distinctive

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

قتلتموهم
q-t-l → “been put to death”

literal: slayer; killer; murderer

كلّ
k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

شهور
sh-h-r → “well-known” Distinctive

literal: city; month; fame, renown

وسنين
s-n-h

literal: year; way; tradition; custom

ظلم
ẓ-l-m → “injustices” Distinctive

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

ارتكبتموه
r-k-b → “ye have perpetrated”

literal: to ride; to commit; to undertake; composition; combination; structure

أيّامكم
y-w-m

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

ولم
l-m → “wherefore”

literal: did not; has not (negative particle with past tense)

ير
r-ʾ-y

literal: see; to see; see/behold

شبهها
sh-b-h → “like of which”

literal: doubt; uncertainty; suspicion; resemblance; semblance

عين
ʿ-y-n → “eye”

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

الإبداع
b-d-ʿ → “of creation”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

ولن
l-n → “neither”

literal: will not (negation of future)

يخبر
kh-b-r → “All-Informed” Distinctive

literal: all-knowing; aware; well-informed; omniscient

مثلها
m-th-l

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

أحد
ʾ-ḥ-d

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

المؤرّخين،
ʾ-r-kh → “historical records” Distinctive

literal: history; chronicler

رضيع
r-ḍ-ʿ → “suckling babe”

literal: suckling/infant; suckling

بقي
b-q-y → “eternal” Distinctive

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

غير
gh-y-r → “other”

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

أمّ
ʾ-m-m

literal: mother

ووالد
w-l-d

literal: to give birth; to be born; child, offspring

أب
m-w-h → “water”

literal: father; ancestry; forefathers

ابنه
b-n-y → “their sons”

literal: son

يا
y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

ملأ
m-l-ʾ → “ye” Distinctive

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

أخت
ʾ-kh-t → “sister”

literal: sister; sisters

ضجّت
ḍ-j-j → “sighing” Distinctive

literal: clamor; clamor/noise; noise

فراق
f-r-q

literal: faction; sect; group; company

أخيها
ʾ-kh-y → “her brother”

literal: my sister; brother

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