Gleanings — §533

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 533 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

ته ثمّ عظمته وکبریائه فویل لکم یا معشر المغلّین اسمعوا قولي ولا تصبروا أَقَلَّ من آنٍ وکذلک أمرکم جمال الرّحمن لعلّ تنقطعنّ عمّا عندکم وتصعدنّ إلی هوآء الّذي تشهدنّ في ظلّ الأمر کلّ العالمین قل لا مهرب لأحد

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Blinded are your eyes! Perceived ye not the greatness of the power of God and of His sovereignty? Beheld ye not His majesty and glory? Woe unto you, ye congregation of the malicious and envious! Hearken unto My speech, and tarry not though it be for less than a moment. Thus biddeth you He Who is the Beauty of the All-Merciful, that haply ye may detach yourselves from the things ye possess, and ascend to the heights from which ye can discover the whole creation sheltered beneath the shadow of His Revelation.

Translation Notes

ته

ʿ-m-h → “Blinded are your eyes”

literal: to be blind; blind (in spiritual sense); wander-blindly

ثمّ

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

عظمته

ʿ-ẓ-m → “greatness of the power”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

وکبریائه

k-b-r → “grandeur”

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

فویل

w-y-l → “Woe”

literal: woe; alas; grief

لکم

l-k-m → “unto you”

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

یا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

literal: O; or

معشر

ʿ-sh-r → “congregation”

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

المغلّین

gh-l-l → “the malicious and envious”

literal: one who envies; envious; malicious

اسمعوا

s-m-ʿ → “Hearken”

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

قولي

q-w-l → “speech”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

ولا

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: no; not; negation particle

تصبروا

ṣ-b-r → “patience” Distinctive

literal: patience; forbearance; endurance; to be patient

أَقَلَّ

q-l-l → “for less”

literal: little; few; scanty; small in quantity

من

m-n → “from”

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

آنٍ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

وکذلک

k-dh-l → “Thus”

literal: that; thus; likewise

أمرکم

ʾ-m-r → “biddeth”

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

جمال

j-m-l → “Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

الرّحمن

r-ḥ-m → “of the All-Merciful”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

لعلّ

l-ʿ-l → “that haply”

literal: perhaps; perchance; hopefully

تنقطعنّ

q-ṭ-ʿ → “may detach yourselves”

literal: to cease; to be cut off; to break off

عمّا

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: with them; in their company

عندکم

ʿ-n-d → “things ye possess”

literal: vessel; container; circumstance; adroitness

وتصعدنّ

ṣ-ʿ-d → “ascend”

literal: ascent; ascension; rising; elevation

إلی

ʾ-l-y → “to”

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

هوآء

h-w-y → “heights”

literal: air; atmosphere; void

الّذي

l-dh-y → “from which”

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

تشهدنّ

sh-h-d → “ye can discover”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

في

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

ظلّ

ẓ-l-l → “sheltered beneath the shadow”

literal: to take shelter; to dwell in shadow

کلّ

k-l-l → “whole” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

العالمین

ʿ-l-m → “creation” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

لا

literal: no; not; negation particle

مهرب

literal: kindness, affection, clemency; kind, compassionate

لأحد

ʾ-ḥ-d → “of God” Distinctive

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

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