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Gleanings — §470

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 470 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

إيّاك أن لا تغمض عيناك في مواقع الإنصاف وتوجّه إلى شطر العدل بقلبك ولا تبدّل أمر الله وكن بما نزّل في الكتاب لمن النّاظرين، أن لا تتّبع هواك في أمر واتّبع حكم الله ربّك المنّان القديم، سترجع إلى التّراب ولن يبقى نفسك ولا ما تسرّ به في أيّامك وهذا ما ظهر من

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Beware lest thou be led to connive at injustice. Set thy heart firmly upon justice, and alter not the Cause of God, and be of them whose eyes are directed towards the things that have been revealed in His Book. Follow not, under any condition, the promptings of thine evil desires. Keep thou the law of God, thy Lord, the Beneficent, the Ancient of Days. Thou shalt most certainly return to dust, and shalt perish like all the things in which thou takest delight. This is what the Tongue of truth and glory hath spoken.

Translation Notes

إيّاك
ʾ-y-y → “Beware”

literal: beware (imperative); you; would that, I wish, if only (optative particle)

أن
ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تغمض
gh-m-ḍ → “ignore the” Distinctive

literal: closing of the eye; overlooking; disregarding

عيناك
ʿ-y-n

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

في
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

مواقع
w-q-ʿ → “at”

literal: to fall, to occur, to happen; incident, event

الإنصاف
n-ṣ-f → “injustice”

literal: justice; fairness; equity

وتوجّه
w-j-h → “Set thy heart firmly” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إلى
ʾ-l-y → “to”

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

شطر
sh-ṭ-r → “direction”

literal: side, direction; half; to split

العدل
ʿ-d-l → “justice”

literal: justice; equity

بقلبك
q-l-b

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ولا
w-l-y

literal: friend; lord; guardian

تبدّل
b-d-l → “alter”

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

أمر
ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

الله
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

وكن
k-w-n → “and be”

literal: to be; existence

نزّل
n-z-l → “revealed”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

الكتاب
k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

لمن
m-n → “of them”

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

النّاظرين،
n-ẓ-r → “whose eyes are directed” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

تتّبع
t-b-ʿ → “Follow”

literal: to follow; to obey; to pursue

هواك
h-w-y → “thine evil desires”

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

حكم
ḥ-k-m → “law”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

ربّك
r-b-b → “thy Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

المنّان
m-n-n → “Beneficent”

literal: to grant, bestow favor; grace, bounty, kindness

القديم،
q-d-m → “the Ancient of Days”

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

سترجع
r-j-ʿ → “shalt most certainly return”

literal: return; reference; place of return; resort

التّراب
t-r-b → “dust”

literal: dust; earth; soil

ولن
l-n

literal: will not (negation of future)

يبقى
b-q-y → “eternal” Distinctive

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

نفسك
n-f-s → “souls” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

ما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

تسرّ
s-r-r → “mysteries” Distinctive

literal: secret; secrets; secret, mystery

به
b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

أيّامك
y-w-m

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

وهذا
h-dh-ʾ → “This”

literal: this; that

ظهر
ẓ-h-r → “hath spoken” Distinctive

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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