Gleanings — §475

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 475 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

إيّاك أن لا تدع زمام الأمور عن كفّك ولا تطمئنّ بهم ولا تكن من الغافلين، وإنّ الّذين تجد قلوبهم إلى غيرك فاحترز عنهم ولا تأمنهم على أمرك وأمور المسلمين، ولا تجعل الذّئب راعي أغنام الله ولا تدع محبّيه تحت أيدي المبغضين، إنّ الذّين يخانون الله في أمره لن تطمع منهم الأمانة ولا الدّيانة وتجنّب عنهم وكن في حفظ عظيم، لئلاّ يرد عليك مكرهم وضرّهم فأعرض عنهم ثمّ أقبل إلى الله ربّك العزيز الكريم، من كان لله كان الله له ومن يتوكّل عليه إنّه هو يحرسه عن كلّ ما يضرّه وعن شرّ كلّ مكّار لئيم، وإنّك لو تسمع قولي وتستنصح بنصحي يرفعك الله إلى مق

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Take heed that thou resign not the reins of the affairs of thy state into the hands of others, and repose not thy confidence in ministers unworthy of thy trust, and be not of them that live in heedlessness. Shun them whose hearts are turned away from thee, and place not thy confidence in them, and entrust them not with thine affairs and the affairs of such as profess thy faith. Beware that thou allow not the wolf to become the shepherd of God’s flock, and surrender not the fate of His loved ones to the mercy of the malicious. Expect not that they who violate the ordinances of God will be trustworthy or sincere in the faith they profess. Avoid them, and preserve strict guard over thyself, lest their devices and mischief hurt thee. Turn away from them, and fix thy gaze upon God, thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful. He that giveth up himself wholly to God, God shall, assuredly, be with him; and he that placeth his complete trust in God, God shall, verily, protect him from whatsoever may harm him, and shield him from the wickedness of every evil plotter.

Translation Notes

إيّاك

ʾ-y-y → “verse” Distinctive

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

أن

ʾ-n → “that thou”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تدع

w-d-ʿ → “entrusted” Distinctive

literal: call, invocation, summons; to call, invite, summon

زمام

z-m-m → “reins”

literal: reins; bridle; control; governance

الأمور

ʾ-m-r → “the affairs”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

عن

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

كفّك

k-f-f

literal: separated; detached; parted

ولا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

تطمئنّ

ṭ-m-n → “confidence” Distinctive

literal: be tranquil; be at peace; be composed; be assured

بهم

h-m → “all”

literal: them (feminine or general); by them; through them

تكن

k-w-n → “be”

literal: to be; existence

من

m-n → “of them”

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

الغافلين،

gh-f-l → “heedlessness”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

وإنّ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; indeed/verily; indeed

الّذين

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

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

تجد

w-j-d

literal: monarch; crowned ruler; king

قلوبهم

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

إلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

غيرك

gh-y-r → “others” Distinctive

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

فاحترز

ḥ-r-z → “repudiated” Distinctive

literal: to guard; to be cautious; to beware

عنهم

ʿ-n-d → “thee”

literal: with; at; with/at

تأمنهم

ʾ-m-n → “faith”

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

على

ʿ-l-w → “with thine affairs” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

المسلمين،

s-l-m

literal: resignation; submission; surrender; submissiveness

تجعل

j-ʿ-l → “allow not”

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

الذّئب

dh-ʾ-b → “wolves”

literal: wolf

راعي

r-ʿ-y → “shepherd”

literal: to guard, watch over, regard, heed, respect, maintain; care; protection; guardianship; watchfulness

أغنام

gh-n-m → “flock”

literal: booty; spoil; gain; treasure; advantage

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God’s”

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

محبّيه

ḥ-b-b → “His loved ones”

literal: love; affection

تحت

t-ḥ-t

literal: under; under, beneath; beneath

أيدي

y-d-y → “hands”

literal: hand; power; action; possession

المبغضين،

b-gh-ḍ → “hate” Distinctive

literal: hatred; enmity; animosity

يخانون

kh-w-n → “disloyalty”

literal: blood; betray; betrayal, disloyalty

في

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

لن

l-n → “neither”

literal: will not (negation of future)

تطمع

ṭ-m-ʿ

literal: expect; make covetous; desire

الدّيانة

d-y-n → “sincere in the faith”

literal: religion; faith; creed

وتجنّب

j-n-b → “thee” Distinctive

literal: excellency; side; presence

حفظ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “strict guard” Distinctive

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

عظيم،

ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

لئلاّ

l-y-l → “night”

literal: night; darkness

يرد

w-r-d

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

عليك

ʿ-l-y → “over thyself” Distinctive

literal: upon; on; exalted

مكرهم

m-k-r → “device”

literal: to scheme; to plot; deceit

وضرّهم

ḍ-r-r → “and mischief hurt thee”

literal: harm; damage; injury; detriment

فأعرض

ʿ-r-ḍ → “Turn away” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

ثمّ

th-m-m → “and” Distinctive

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

أقبل

q-b-l → “before” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

ربّك

r-b-b → “thy Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

العزيز

ʿ-z-z → “the All-Glorious”

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

الكريم،

k-r-m → “the Most Bountiful”

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field

له

h-w → “is”

literal: for them both; to both of them (dual pronoun)

يتوكّل

w-k-l → “placeth his complete trust”

literal: trust; agents; rely upon

إنّه

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; indeed/verily; indeed

يحرسه

ḥ-r-s → “protect”

literal: guard; guarding; security

كلّ

k-l-l → “whatsoever” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

ما

m-ʾ

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

شرّ

sh-r-r → “ungodly” Distinctive

literal: evil; harm; wickedness

لئيم،

l-ʾ-m

literal: wicked

لو

l-w

literal: if; would that; O that

تسمع

s-m-ʿ

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

قولي

q-w-l

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

وتستنصح

n-ṣ-ḥ

literal: counsel; advice; admonition

يرفعك

r-f-ʿ

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

مق

q-d-s

literal: holiness; holy; sanctified

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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