Gleanings — §460

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 460 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

بأنّكم لو تقتلونني يقوم لله أحد مقامي وهذه من سنّة الله الّتي قد خلت من قبل ولن تجدوا لسنّته لا من تبديل ولا من تحويل، أتريدون أن تطفئوا نور الله في أرضه أبى الله إلّا أن يتمّ نوره ولو أنتم تكرهوه في أنفسكم وتكوننّ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Give heed to My warning, ye people of Persia! If I be slain at your hands, God will assuredly raise up one who will fill the seat made vacant through My death, for such is God’s method carried into effect of old, and no change can ye find in God’s method of dealing. Seek ye to put out God’s light that shineth upon His earth? Averse is God from what ye desire. He shall perfect His light, albeit ye abhor it in the secret of your hearts.

Translation Notes

بأنّكم

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; indeed; moment

لو

l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

تقتلونني

q-t-l → “I be slain”

literal: slayer; killer; murderer

يقوم

q-w-m → “raise up” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

لله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

أحد

ʾ-ḥ-d → “one”

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

وهذه

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

من

m-n → “of”

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

سنّة

s-n-h → “years”

literal: year

الّتي

ʾ-l-l

literal: who; which/that; which

قد

q-d → “We have been”

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

خلت

kh-l-w → “bygone” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

قبل

q-b-l → “old”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

ولن

l-n → “neither”

literal: will not (negation of future)

تجدوا

w-j-d → “can ye find”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

لسنّته

s-n-n → “in God’s method”

literal: arrow; pointed weapon; spear-point; edge

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

تبديل

b-d-l

literal: in place of; instead of; to change; to alter (preposition or verb stem)

ولا

w-l-y

literal: friend; lord; guardian

تحويل،

ḥ-w-l

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

أتريدون

r-y-d → “Seek ye”

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

أن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تطفئوا

ṭ-f-ʾ → “put out”

literal: to extinguish, put out, quench; to be extinguished; to perish; to go out

نور

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

في

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

أرضه

ʾ-r-ḍ → “upon His earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

أبى

ʾ-b-w → “fathers” Distinctive

literal: father; paternal; his father; to refuse; to decline

إلّا

ʾ-kh-r

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

يتمّ

t-m-m → “perfect”

literal: most complete; to complete; perfect; fullness

أنتم

n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

تكرهوه

k-r-h → “abhor”

literal: to dislike; to hate; sphere; ball

أنفسكم

n-f-s → “secret of your hearts”

literal: self; soul; psyche

وتكوننّ

k-w-n

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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160 ¶

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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 ¶