Gleanings — §541

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 541 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

اگر نفسی در کتب منزلهٴ از سماء احدیّه بدیدهٔ بصیرت مشاهده نماید و تفکّر کند ادراک مینماید که مقصود آن است جمیع نفوس نفس واحده مشاهده شوند تا در جمیع قلوب نقش خاتم الملک للّه منطبع شود و شموس عنایت و اشراقات انجم فضل و رحمت جمیع را احاطه نماید حقّ جلّ جلاله از برای خود چیزی اخذ ننموده نه از طاعت عالم باو نفعی راجع و نه از ترک آن نقصی وارد در هر آن طیر ملکوت بیان باین کلمه ناطق جمیع را از برای تو خواستم و تو را از برای خود اگر علمای عصر بگذارند و من فی الأرض رائحهٴ محبّت و اتّحاد را بیابند در آن حین نفوس عارفه بر حرّیّت حقیقی آگاه شوند راحت اندر راحت مشاهده نمایند آسایش اندر آسایش اگر ارض بانوار آفتاب این مقام منوّر شود اذاً یصدق ان یقال لَا نَرَی فِیْهَا عِوَجًا وَ لَا أَمْتًا...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

If any man were to meditate on that which the Scriptures, sent down from the heaven of God’s holy Will, have revealed, he would readily recognize that their purpose is that all men shall be regarded as one soul, so that the seal bearing the words “The Kingdom shall be God’s” may be stamped on every heart, and the light of Divine bounty, of grace, and mercy may envelop all mankind. The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath wished nothing for Himself. The allegiance of mankind profiteth Him not, neither doth its perversity harm Him. The Bird of the Realm of Utterance voiceth continually this call: “All things have I willed for thee, and thee, too, for thine own sake.” If the learned and worldly-wise men of this age were to allow mankind to inhale the fragrance of fellowship and love, every understanding heart would apprehend the meaning of true liberty, and discover the secret of undisturbed peace and absolute composure. Were the earth to attain this station and be illumined with its light it could then be truly said of it: “Thou shall see in it no hollows or rising hills.”

Translation Notes

اگر

ʾ-g-r → “were they”

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

نفسی

n-f-s → “any man” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

در

d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

کتب

k-t-b → “Scriptures”

literal: book; scripture; writing

منزلهٴ

n-z-l → “sent down” Distinctive

literal: to descend, to be revealed

از

ʾ-z → “from”

literal: from

سماء

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

احدیّه

ʾ-ḥ-d → “none”

literal: oneness; uniqueness; absolute unity; singularity of God

بدیدهٔ

d-y-d

literal: Persian noun دیده (eye) from دیدن, not Arabic د-ي-د

بصیرت

b-ṣ-r

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

مشاهده

sh-h-d → “regarded” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

نماید

n-m-ʾ → “may”

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

تفکّر

f-k-r → “meditate”

literal: thoughts; ideas; fancies; opinions; to think; to reflect; to contemplate

کند

k-r-d → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to do; to make; to act; to dig, excavate; slow

ادراک

d-r-k → “recognize” Distinctive

literal: to overtake; to catch; to reach; to attain; to perceive; to comprehend

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

مقصود

q-ṣ-d → “purpose”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

آن

ʾ-n → “that which”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

است

b-w-d → “is”

literal: to be; are (third person plural present copula)

جمیع

j-m-ʿ → “all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

واحده

w-ḥ-d → “one”

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

شوند

sh-w-d

literal: to come; to go; to arrive; came

تا

t-y-y

literal: so that/until

قلوب

q-l-b → “every heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

نقش

n-q-sh

literal: design; pattern; to inscribe; imprint

خاتم

kh-t-m → “seal”

literal: to seal; to conclude; to end; seal

الملک

m-l-k → “Kingdom”

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

للّه

ʾ-l-h → “God’s””

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

منطبع

ṭ-b-ʿ → “stamped”

literal: nature; disposition; to seal; to imprint

شموس

sh-m-s

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

عنایت

ʿ-n-y → “Divine bounty” Distinctive

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

اشراقات

sh-r-q

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

انجم

n-j-m

literal: star

فضل

f-ḍ-l → “grace, and”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

رحمت

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

احاطه

ḥ-w-ṭ → “envelop”

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “one true God”

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

جلّ

j-l-l → “exalted”

literal: majesty; glory; exaltation; magnificence

برای

b-r-y

literal: for; on; briefly

خود

kh-w-d → “thine own sake.””

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

چیزی

ch-y-z → “something”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

اخذ

ʾ-kh-dh

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

نه

n-h-y

literal: end; ended; utmost

طاعت

ṭ-w-ʿ → “obey”

literal: obedient; obedience; to obey

باو

ʾ-w-w → “Him”

literal: sale; to sell; to swear allegiance; to pledge; to make covenant

نفعی

n-f-ʿ → “profiteth”

literal: benefits; profits; advantages

راجع

r-j-ʿ

literal: return; reference; place of return; resort

ترک

t-r-k → “renounce”

literal: to leave; to abandon; to forsake

نقصی

n-q-ṣ

literal: deficiency; lack; diminution

وارد

w-r-d → “hath befallen” Distinctive

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

هر

h-r

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

طیر

ṭ-y-r → “Bird”

literal: bird; birds; flying creature; flying; flight

بیان

b-y-n → “Utterance”

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

باین

b-y-n → “words” Distinctive

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

کلمه

k-l-m → “words”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

ناطق

n-ṭ-q → “voiceth” Distinctive

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

تو

t-w-w → “thou”

literal: you

خواستم

kh-w-s → “hath been to confer” Distinctive

literal: to wish, to desire, to want, to ask, to request; wish, desire, will

علمای

ʿ-l-m → “learned” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

عصر

ʿ-ṣ-r → “age”

literal: age; era; century; period of time

بگذارند

g-dh-r → “renounced” Distinctive

literal: to place, to put, to leave, to set, to pass

من

m-n

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

الأرض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

رائحهٴ

r-w-ḥ → “fragrance”

literal: rest; ease; comfort; tranquility; wind; breeze; spirit; fragrance; scent; aroma

محبّت

ḥ-b-b → “fellowship and love”

literal: love; affection

بیابند

y-ʾ-b → “they may find”

literal: to find; to obtain; to discover

حین

ḥ-y-n → “continually” Distinctive

literal: time; moment; while; season

عارفه

ʿ-r-f

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

بر

b-r-r

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

حرّیّت

ḥ-r-r → “liberty”

literal: life; living; vitality; existence; fish; whale

آگاه

ʾ-g-h

literal: aware; cognizant; informed; apprised; awareness; knowledge; consciousness

اندر

d-r-y

literal: in, within, into

آسایش

ʾ-s-y → “well-being”

literal: shadow; shade; shelter; protection

ارض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

بانوار

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

آفتاب

ʾ-f-t-ʾ-b

literal: horizon, direction, region; horizon; sun

این

ʾ-y-n

literal: this; these

مقام

q-w-m → “station”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

اذاً

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

یصدق

ṣ-d-q → “truth” Distinctive

literal: to confirm; to verify; to acknowledge; to testify to truth

یقال

q-w-l

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

لَا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

نَرَی

r-ʾ-y → “see”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

فِیْهَا

f-y → “in”

literal: in it; in them

عِوَجًا

ʿ-w-j → “hollows”

literal: crookedness; apex; crooked

أَمْتًا...

ʾ-m-t → “rising hills.””

literal: mother

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 ¶