Gleanings — §506

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 506 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

أن يا ملوك المسيحيّة أما سمعتم ما نطق به الرّوح بأنّي ذاهب وآت فلمّا أتى في ظلل من الغمام لم ما تقرّبتم به لتفوزوا بلقائه وتكوننّ من الفائزين، وفي مقام آخر يقول فإذا جاء روح الحقّ الآتي فهو يرشدكم وإذا جاءكم بالحقّ ما توجّهتم إليه وكنتم بلعب أنفسكم لمن اللّاعبين، وما استقبلتم إليه وما حضرتم بين يديه لتسمعوا آيات الله من لسانه وتطّلعوا بحكمة الله العزيز الحكيم، وبذلك منعت نسمات الله عن قلوبكم ونفحات الله عن فؤادكم وكنتم في وادي الشّهوات لمن المحبرين، فوالله أنتم وما عندكم ستفنى وترجعون إلى الله وتسئلون عمّا اكتسبتم في أيّامكم في مقرّ الّذي تحشر فيه الخلائق أجمعين...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O kings of Christendom! Heard ye not the saying of Jesus, the Spirit of God, “I go away, and come again unto you”? Wherefore, then, did ye fail, when He did come again unto you in the clouds of heaven, to draw nigh unto Him, that ye might behold His face, and be of them that attained His Presence? In another passage He saith: “When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.” And yet, behold how, when He did bring the truth, ye refused to turn your faces towards Him, and persisted in disporting yourselves with your pastimes and fancies. Ye welcomed Him not, neither did ye seek His Presence, that ye might hear the verses of God from His own mouth, and partake of the manifold wisdom of the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. Ye have, by reason of your failure, hindered the breath of God from being wafted over you, and have withheld from your souls the sweetness of its fragrance. Ye continue roving with delight in the valley of your corrupt desires. Ye, and all ye possess, shall pass away. Ye shall, most certainly, return to God, and shall be called to account for your doings in the presence of Him Who shall gather together the entire creation.…

Translation Notes

أن

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

ملوك

m-l-k → “kings”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

المسيحيّة

m-s-ḥ → “rubbeth” Distinctive

literal: to wipe, anoint, touch lightly; to pass over

أما

ʾ-m-m

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

سمعتم

s-m-ʿ → “Heard ye not”

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

نطق

n-ṭ-q → “spoken”

literal: to speak; to utter; to pronounce; to articulate

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

الرّوح

r-w-ḥ → “the Spirit”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

بأنّي

ʾ-n-n

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

ذاهب

dh-h-b → “gold” Distinctive

literal: religion; creed; doctrine; belief; sect

وآت

ʾ-t-y → “and come again unto” Distinctive

literal: coming; returning

فلمّا

l-m-m → “No sooner”

literal: when; as soon as; thereupon

في

f-y → “in”

literal: faithfulness; loyalty; fulfillment; fidelity; to be faithful; faithful, loyal

ظلل

ẓ-l-l → “clouds”

literal: to take shelter; to dwell in shadow

من

m-n → “of”

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

الغمام

gh-m-m → “clouds”

literal: cloud; clouds

لم

l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

تقرّبتم

q-r-b → “to draw nigh”

literal: place of sacrifice; altar

لتفوزوا

f-w-z → “attain” Distinctive

literal: to attain; to gain; to succeed; to win

بلقائه

l-q-y → “attained His Presence”

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

وتكوننّ

k-w-n → “and be”

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

مقام

q-w-m → “another passage” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

آخر

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

يقول

q-w-l → “saith”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

فإذا

ʾ-dh → ““When”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

جاء

j-y-ʾ → “come”

literal: to come; to arrive; to happen

الحقّ

ḥ-q-q → “of Truth”

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

فهو

h-w → “He will”

literal: He; He is

يرشدكم

r-sh-d → “illumined” Distinctive

literal: truthfulness; righteousness; right guidance

وإذا

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: permission; ear; ears

توجّهتم

w-j-h → “refused to turn”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

إليه

ʾ-l-y → “besmirch”

literal: to; to him; besmirch

بلعب

l-ʿ-b → “disportest” Distinctive

literal: to play; to sport; to jest

أنفسكم

n-f-s → “yourselves”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

استقبلتم

q-б-l → “former” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

حضرتم

ḥ-ḍ-r → “His Majesty” Distinctive

literal: presence; majesty; His/Your Excellency

بين

b-y-n

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

يديه

y-d-y → “hands”

literal: hand; power; action; possession

آيات

ʾ-y-y → “verses”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof

الله

ʾ-l-h → “of God”

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

لسانه

l-s-n

literal: tongue; language

وتطّلعوا

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring” Distinctive

literal: rising-place; dawning-place; countenance

بحكمة

ḥ-k-m → “of the manifold wisdom”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

العزيز

ʿ-z-z → “the All-Glorious”

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

وبذلك

dh-l-k → “Thus”

literal: that; this; it; by that

منعت

m-n-ʿ → “hindered”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

نسمات

n-s-m → “breath” Distinctive

literal: breeze; gentle wind; fragrance

عن

ʿ-n → “from being wafted over”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

قلوبكم

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ونفحات

n-f-ḥ → “fragrance”

literal: breeze; fragrance; whiff; breath; emanation

فؤادكم

f-ʾ-d → “your souls”

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind; heart; inner consciousness; mind; one who benefits; advantageous

وادي

w-d-y → “valley”

literal: valley

الشّهوات

sh-h-w → “your corrupt desires”

literal: desire; desires, lusts; desires

المحبرين،

ḥ-b-r

literal: delighted; rejoicing, joyous; explore, study deeply

فوالله

w-l-h

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

أنتم

n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

عندكم

ʿ-n-d → “all ye possess”

literal: vessel; container; circumstance; adroitness

ستفنى

f-n-y → “shall pass away”

literal: annihilation; perish; perishing

وترجعون

r-j-ʿ → “return”

literal: return; reference; place of return; resort

إلى

ʾ-l-y → “towards”

literal: to; to him; besmirch

وتسئلون

s-ʾ-l → “I beseech Thee” Distinctive

literal: ask; ask/request; ask/beseech

اكتسبتم

k-s-b → “have wrought” Distinctive

literal: to acquire, earn, gain; to bring upon (oneself); to gain; to acquire; earning; livelihood

أيّامكم

y-w-m

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

مقرّ

q-r-r

literal: matter; affair; thing

الّذي

l-dh-y → “which”

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

تحشر

ḥ-sh-r → ““resurrection,”” Distinctive

literal: gather; gathered; gathering, resurrection

الخلائق

kh-l-q → “the entire creation.…” Distinctive

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

أجمعين...

j-m-ʿ → “all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

Bahá’u’lláh

The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

Published in 1938, this companion volume to Gleanings contains 184 prayers and meditations selected by Shoghi Effendi from Bahá’u’lláh’s devotional writings revealed across successive exiles from Baghdad to ‘Akká. Shoghi Effendi described it as a volume whose perusal would deepen the spirit of devotion and faith.

858 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

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 ¶