Gleanings — §523

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 523 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

يريد، يا معشر الملوك إنّا نراكم في كلّ سنة تزدادون مصارفكم وتحمّلونها على الرّعيّة إن هذا إلاّ ظلم عظيم، اتّقوا زفرات المظلوم وعبراته ولا تحمّلوا على الرّعيّة فوق طاقتهم ولا تخربوهم لتعمير قصوركم، أن اختاروا لهم ما تختارونه لأنفسكم كذلك نبيّن لكم ما ينفعكم إن أنتم من المتفرّسين، إنّهم خزائنكم إيّاكم أن تحكموا عليهم ما لا حكم به الله وإيّاكم أن تسلّموها بأيدي السّارقين، بهم تحكمون وتأكلون وتغلبون وعليهم تستكبرون إن هذا إلاّ أمر عجيب، لمّا نبذتم الصّلح الأكبر عن ورائكم تمسّكوا بهذا الصّلح الأصغر لعلّ به تصلح

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O kings of the earth! We see you increasing every year your expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily, is wholly and grossly unjust. Fear the sighs and tears of this wronged One, and lay not excessive burdens on your peoples. Do not rob them to rear palaces for yourselves; nay rather choose for them that which ye choose for yourselves. Thus We unfold to your eyes that which profiteth you, if ye but perceive. Your people are your treasures. Beware lest your rule violate the commandments of God, and ye deliver your wards to the hands of the robber. By them ye rule, by their means ye subsist, by their aid ye conquer. Yet, how disdainfully ye look upon them! How strange, how very strange!

Translation Notes

يريد،

r-y-d

literal: will; intention; to will; to intend; to wish

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

معشر

ʿ-sh-r

literal: association; companionship; social interaction; عشرين (twenty) is from numeral root ع-ش-ر, distinct from ‘association’ meaning

الملوك

m-l-k → “kings”

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

إنّا

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

نراكم

r-ʾ-y → “see you”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look

في

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

كلّ

k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

سنة

s-n-h → “year”

literal: year; way; tradition; custom

تزدادون

z-y-d → “increasing”

literal: increase; excess; more; additional; to increase; to grow; to be added

مصارفكم

ṣ-r-f → “treatment” Distinctive

literal: pure; disposal; assayer

وتحمّلونها

ḥ-m-l → “laying the burden thereof”

literal: to bear; to endure; to carry; to tolerate

على

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الرّعيّة

r-ʿ-y → “subjects”

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

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “This”

literal: this; that

إلاّ

ʾ-kh-r

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

ظلم

ẓ-l-m → “unjust” Distinctive

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

عظيم،

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

اتّقوا

w-q-y → “Fear”

literal: to fear; to frighten; afraid

زفرات

z-f-r → “sighs”

literal: sigh; sob; lamentation

وعبراته

ʿ-b-r → “tears”

literal: expression; phrase; utterance; statement; passage; wording

ولا

w-l-y → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

فوق

f-w-q

literal: above; over; beyond

طاقتهم

ṭ-w-q → “who can abide” Distinctive

literal: strength; ability; capacity; power

تخربوهم

kh-r-b → “most desolate” Distinctive

literal: ruin; desolation

لتعمير

ʿ-m-r → “By My life” Distinctive

literal: life; age; duration; by the life of (oath)

قصوركم،

q-ṣ-r → “powerlessness” Distinctive

literal: shortcoming; negligence; falling short; to be deficient

اختاروا

kh-y-r → “choose”

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

لهم

l-h-m → “inspiration” Distinctive

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

لأنفسكم

n-f-s → “for yourselves”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

كذلك

dh-l-k → “Thus”

literal: thus; likewise; also

نبيّن

b-y-n → “unfold”

literal: between; utterance; clear

لكم

l-k-m → “to your eyes”

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

ينفعكم

n-f-ʿ → “profiteth” Distinctive

literal: benefits; profits; advantages

أنتم

n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

من

m-n

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

المتفرّسين،

f-r-s → “send” Distinctive

literal: Persian; Persia

إنّهم

ʾ-n-n → “that” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

خزائنكم

kh-z-n → “your treasures”

literal: to store, to treasure; storehouse, depository, treasury

تحكموا

ḥ-k-m → “your rule”

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

عليهم

ʿ-l-y → “upon them”

literal: exalted; highest; supreme; most high; upon you; on; over; Ali (name); upon

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

به

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

تسلّموها

s-l-m → “resignation” Distinctive

literal: peace; submission; greeted

بأيدي

y-d-y → “to the hands”

literal: hand; power; action; possession

السّارقين،

s-r-q → “stolen” Distinctive

literal: thief; robber; stealer

بهم

h-m → “all”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

وتأكلون

ʾ-k-l → “share with them their food” Distinctive

literal: eat; to eat

وتغلبون

gh-l-b → “ascendancy” Distinctive

literal: to overcome, overpower, vanquish, prevail

تستكبرون

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

أمر

ʾ-m-r

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

عجيب،

ʿ-j-b → “How strange, how very strange”

literal: wonder; amazement; marvelous; strange

لمّا

l-m-ʾ

literal: when; certainly-not; when, since

نبذتم

n-b-dh

literal: cast-away; cast away; cast

الصّلح

ṣ-l-ḥ

literal: peace; reconciliation

عن

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

ورائكم

w-r-ʾ

literal: to see; to perceive; to look

تمسّكوا

m-s-k

literal: musk; to seize; grip

الأصغر

ṣ-gh-r

literal: smallness; insignificance; youth; to belittle

لعلّ

l-ʿ-l

literal: perhaps; perchance; hopefully

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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291 ¶

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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

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5 ¶

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57 ¶

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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 ¶