Gleanings — §547

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 547 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

ارضین و سموات از علوّ جود بحت و سموّ کرم صرف در کلّ شیء ممّا یشهد و یری آیهٴ عرفان خود را ودیعه گذارده تا هیچ شیء از عرفان حضرتش علی مقداره و مراتبه محروم نماند و آن آیه مرآت جمال او است در آفرینش و هر قدر سعی و مجاهده در تلطیف این مرآت ارفع ابدع امنع شود ظهورات اسماء و صفات و شئونات علم و آیات در آن مرآت منطبع و مرتسم گردد علی مقام یشهد کلّ شیء فی مقامه و یعرف کلّ شیء حدّه و مقداره و یسمع عن کلّ شیء علی انّه لا اله الّا هو...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

From the exalted source, and out of the essence of His favor and bounty He hath entrusted every created thing with a sign of His knowledge, so that none of His creatures may be deprived of its share in expressing, each according to its capacity and rank, this knowledge. This sign is the mirror of His beauty in the world of creation. The greater the effort exerted for the refinement of this sublime and noble mirror, the more faithfully will it be made to reflect the glory of the names and attributes of God, and reveal the wonders of His signs and knowledge. Every created thing will be enabled (so great is this reflecting power) to reveal the potentialities of its preordained station, will recognize its capacity and limitations, and will testify to the truth that “He, verily, is God; there is none other God besides Him.”…

Translation Notes

ارضین

ʾ-r-ḍ → “From the” Distinctive

literal: earth; land; ground; country

سموات

s-m-w → “exalted source” Distinctive

literal: heaven; sky

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

علوّ

ʿ-l-w → “essence” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

جود

j-w-d → “favor and bounty”

literal: generosity; bounty; liberality

بحت

b-ḥ-t

literal: mere; pure; absolute; sheer

کرم

k-r-m

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field; honor; generosity; nobility

صرف

ṣ-r-f → “of” Distinctive

literal: pure; absolute; to turn away; to expend

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

کلّ

k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

شیء

sh-y-ʾ → “created thing” Distinctive

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

یشهد

sh-h-d → “testify”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

یری

r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest” Distinctive

literal: ability; capability; capacity

آیهٴ

ʾ-y-y → “of His”

literal: sign; signs; verse

عرفان

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

خود

kh-w-d → “His” Distinctive

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

ودیعه

w-d-ʿ → “entrusted”

literal: deposit, trust, pledge

گذارده

g-dh-r → “renounced” Distinctive

literal: to place, leave; to set

تا

t-y-y → “so that”

literal: so that/until

هیچ

h-y-ch → “any”

literal: nothing; any; not a single

حضرتش

ḥ-ḍ-r → “His Majesty” Distinctive

literal: presence; present; presence, majesty

مقداره

q-d-r → “power” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

مراتبه

r-t-b → “rank”

literal: rank; station; degree; time; instance

محروم

ḥ-r-m → “deprived”

literal: sanctity, inviolability, dignity, honor, respect

نماند

m-ʾ-n → “remain” Distinctive

literal: to remain; to stay; to be left

آن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مرآت

r-ʾ-y → “mirror”

literal: ability; capability; capacity

جمال

j-m-l → “beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

او

h-w-w → “He” Distinctive

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

آفرینش

kh-l-q → “creation”

literal: creation; create; created

هر

h-r

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

سعی

s-ʿ-y → “to strive”

literal: endeavor; effort; striving; exertion; endeavour

مجاهده

j-h-d → “Strive”

literal: effort; striving; exertion; endeavor

تلطیف

l-ṭ-f → “loving-kindness” Distinctive

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

این

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

ارفع

r-f-ʿ

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

ابدع

b-d-ʿ → “wonders” Distinctive

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

امنع

m-n-ʿ

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

شود

sh-w-d → “be made”

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

ظهورات

ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

صفات

w-ṣ-f → “attributes”

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

شئونات

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

علم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

آیات

ʾ-y-y → “signs and”

literal: sign; signs; verse

منطبع

ṭ-b-ʿ → “stamped”

literal: nature; disposition; to seal; to imprint

مرتسم

r-s-m

literal: form; custom; tradition; design; symbol

گردد

g-r-d

literal: become; to become; make

مقام

q-w-m → “station”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

فی

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

حدّه

ḥ-d-d → “limitations”

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

یسمع

s-m-ʿ

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

عن

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

انّه

ʾ-n-n

literal: I, verily; behold I

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

اله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

الّا

ʾ-kh-r

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

هو...

h-w

literal: He; He is

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