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Gleanings — §461

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 461 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

وأنت يا سفير تفكّر في نفسك أقلّ من آن ثمّ أنصف في ذاتك بأيّ جرم افتريت علينا عند هؤلاء الوكلاء واتّبعت هواك وأعرضت عن الصّدق وكنت من المفترين، بعد الّذي ما عاشرتني وما عاشرتك وما رأيتني إلّا في بيت أبيك أيّام الّتي فيها يذكر مصائب الحسين وفي تلك المجالس لم يجد الفرصة أحد ليفتح اللّسان ويشتغل بالبيان حتّى يعرف مطالبه أو عقائده وأنت تصدّقني في ذلك لو تكون من الصّادقين، وفي غير تلك المجالس ما دخلت لتراني أنت أو يراني غيرك مع ذلك كيف أفتيت عليّ ما لا سمعت منّي، أما سمعت ما قال عزّ وجلّ: ﴿لا تقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقَى إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا﴾ ولا تطرد الّذين يدعون ربّهم بالغداة والعشيّ يريدون وجهه وأنت خالفت حكم الكتاب بعد الّذي حسبت نفسك من المؤمنين،

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Pause for but a little while and reflect, O Minister, and be fair in thy judgment. What is it that We have committed that could justify thee in having slandered Us unto the King’s Ministers, in following thy desires, in perverting the truth, and in uttering thy calumnies against Us? We have never met each other except when We met thee in thy father’s house, in the days when the martyrdom of Imám Ḥusayn was being commemorated. On those occasions no one could have the chance of making known to others his views and beliefs in conversation or in discourse. Thou wilt bear witness to the truth of My words, if thou be of the truthful. I have frequented no other gatherings in which thou couldst have learned My mind or in which any other could have done so. How, then, didst thou pronounce thy verdict against Me, when thou hadst not heard My testimony from Mine own lips? Hast thou not heard what God, exalted be His glory, hath said: “Say not to every one who meeteth you with a greeting, ‘Thou art not a believer’.” “Thrust not away those who cry to their Lord at morn and even, craving to behold His face.” Thou hast indeed forsaken what the Book of God hath prescribed, and yet thou deemest thyself to be a believer!

Translation Notes

تفكّر
tfkkr f-k-r

literal: reflection; reflect

SE rendered وأنت (wʾant), سفير (sfír), تفكّر (tfkkr), نفسك (nfsk), أقلّ (ʾaqll), أنصف (ʾanṣf) as “and reflect, Minister, judgment, little, fair”

ذاتك
dhátk dh-w-t

literal: essence; essence, self; essence, being

SE rendered نفسك (nfsk), أقلّ (ʾaqll), أنصف (ʾanṣf), ذاتك (dhátk), بأيّ (bʾayy), جرم (jrm), افتريت (iftrít), علينا (ʿlíná) as “judgment, little, fair, What, committed, slandered, Us”

own 26% essence 24% self 18% thyself 11% thee 8% judgment 3% all 3% one 3% oneness 3% unto 3%
أبيك
ʾabík ʾ-b → “water” Distinctive

literal: water; father

This form usually rendered as “father’s” (1 occurrences)

water 67% father’s 33%
أحد
ʾaḥd ʾ-ḥ-d

literal: anyone; one; oneness

SE rendered المجالس (al-mjáls), يجد (yjd), الفرصة (al-frṣh), أحد (ʾaḥd), ليفتح (líftḥ), اللّسان (al-lsán), ويشتغل (wíshtghl) as “occasions, one, chance, the, making, of”

one 27% any 22% man 18% anyone 14% none 6% others 3% neighbor 3% who 2% incomparable 2% other 2%
ليفتح
líftḥ f-t-ḥ → “the”

literal: open; opened

SE rendered المجالس (al-mjáls), يجد (yjd), الفرصة (al-frṣh), أحد (ʾaḥd), ليفتح (líftḥ), اللّسان (al-lsán), ويشتغل (wíshtghl) as “occasions, one, chance, the, making, of”

unlocked 25% opened 25% unlock 25% openeth 25%
ويشتغل
wíshtghl sh-gh-l → “of”

literal: occupied; busy; occupy

SE rendered يجد (yjd), الفرصة (al-frṣh), أحد (ʾaḥd), ليفتح (líftḥ), اللّسان (al-lsán), ويشتغل (wíshtghl), بالبيان (bálbíán), يعرف (yʿrf), مطالبه (mṭálbh) as “one, chance, the, making, of, known, views”

busied 31% occupied 24% busy 10% have 8% engaged 7% will 5% immersed 5% occupy 3% busying 3% hath 3%
بالبيان
bálbíán b-y-n

literal: utterance

SE rendered ليفتح (líftḥ), اللّسان (al-lsán), ويشتغل (wíshtghl), بالبيان (bálbíán), يعرف (yʿrf), مطالبه (mṭálbh), عقائده (ʿqáʾdh) as “the, making, of, known, views, beliefs”

ربّهم
rbbhm r-b-b → “to”

literal: lord; lordship

SE rendered مُؤْمِنًا﴾ (muʾminan﴾), تطرد (tṭrd), الّذين (adh-dhín), يدعون (ydʿún), ربّهم (rbbhm), بالغداة (bálghdáh), والعشيّ (wálʿshíh), يريدون (yrídún), وجهه (wjhh) as “not, those, cry, to, their, morn, and, craving”

lord 95% god 5%

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