Gleanings — §528

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 528 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

أُخری فیما کان کذلک ینبّئکم العلیم الخبیر والیوم نراه تحت أیدي الّذین أخذهم سکر خمر الغرور علی شأن لا یعرفون خیر أنفسهم فکیف هذا الأمر الأوعر الخطیر إن سعی أحد من هؤلآء في صحّته لم یکن مقصوده إلّا بأن ینتفع به إسمًا کان أو رسمًا لذا لا یقدر علی برئه

Shoghi Effendi Translation

We behold it, in this day, at the mercy of rulers so drunk with pride that they cannot discern clearly their own best advantage, much less recognize a Revelation so bewildering and challenging as this. And whenever any one of them hath striven to improve its condition, his motive hath been his own gain, whether confessedly so or not; and the unworthiness of this motive hath limited his power to heal or cure.

Translation Notes

أُخری

ʾ-kh-r

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

فیما

f-y

literal: in a day; during a day; one day after another

کذلک

dh-l-k

literal: thus; likewise; also

ینبّئکم

n-b-ʾ

literal: prophet; messenger

العلیم

ʿ-l-m

literal: world; universe; the worlds

الخبیر

kh-b-r

literal: all-knowing; aware; well-informed; omniscient

والیوم

y-w-m → “in this day”

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

نراه

r-ʾ-y → “We behold it”

literal: way; path; road

تحت

t-ḥ-t → “at the mercy”

literal: under; under, beneath; beneath

أیدي

y-d-y → “hands”

literal: hand; power; action; possession

الّذین

l-dh-y → “that they”

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

أخذهم

ʾ-kh-dh → “laid hold”

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

سکر

s-k-r → “inebriated”

literal: to become drunk; intoxication; inebriation

خمر

kh-m-r → “wine”

literal: wine; intoxicating drink

الغرور

gh-r-r → “with pride”

literal: delusion, deceit; deluded, deceived

علی

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

شأن

sh-ʾ-n

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

یعرفون

ʿ-r-f

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

خیر

kh-y-r → “best advantage” Distinctive

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

أنفسهم

n-f-s → “their own”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence