Skip to main content

Gleanings — §564

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 564 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

ای دوستان باخلاق مرضیّه و اعمال طیّبه حقّ جلّ جلاله را نصرت نمائید الیوم هر نفسی ارادهٴ نصرت نماید باید به ما له ناظر نباشد بل به ما عند الله لیس له ان ینظر الی ما ینفعه بل بما ترتفع به کلمة الله المطاعة قلب باید از شئونات نفس و هوی مقدّس باشد چه که سلاح فتح و سبب اوّلیّهٴ نصر تقوی الله بوده و هست او است درعی که هیکل امر را حفظ میکند و حزب الله را نصرت مینماید لازال رایت تقوی مظفّر بوده و از اقوی جنود عالم محسوب بها فتح المقرّبون مدن القلوب باذن الله ربّ الجنود...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O friends! Help ye the one true God, exalted be His glory, by your goodly deeds, by such conduct and character as shall be acceptable in His sight. He that seeketh to be a helper of God in this Day, let him close his eyes to whatever he may possess, and open them to the things of God. Let him cease to occupy himself with that which profiteth him, and concern himself with that which shall exalt the all-compelling name of the Almighty. He should cleanse his heart from all evil passions and corrupt desires, for the fear of God is the weapon that can render him victorious, the primary instrument whereby he can achieve his purpose. The fear of God is the shield that defendeth His Cause, the buckler that enableth His people to attain to victory. It is a standard that no man can abase, a force that no power can rival. By its aid, and by the leave of Him Who is the Lord of Hosts, they that have drawn nigh unto God have been able to subdue and conquer the citadels of the hearts of men.

Translation Notes

هر
hr h-r

literal: every; every/each; each

SE rendered جلّ (jll)جلاله (jlálh)نصرت (nṣrt)نمائید (nmáʾíd)الیوم (al-yúm)هر (hr)نفسی (nfsí)ارادهٴ (irádhٴ)نصرت (nṣrt)نماید (nmáyd)باید (báyd) as “exalted, be, helper, ye, in this Day, He that seeketh, purpose, may, should”

ناظر
náẓr n-ẓ-r

literal: look; looking

SE rendered ارادهٴ (irádhٴ)نصرت (nṣrt)نماید (nmáyd)باید (báyd)ناظر (náẓr)نباشد (nbáshd)الله (al-lh) as “purpose, helper, may, should, of God”

fix 24% turned 17% fixed 10% gaze 10% hast 7% consider 7% keep 7% guided 7% turn 7% looking 3%
نباشد
nbáshd b-w-d

literal: be; to be

SE rendered نصرت (nṣrt)نماید (nmáyd)باید (báyd)ناظر (náẓr)نباشد (nbáshd)الله (al-lh) as “helper, may, should, of God”

bereft 50% unknown 50%
المطاعة
al-mṭáʿh ṭ-w-ʿ

literal: obeyed

SE rendered ترتفع (trtfʿ)کلمة (klmh)الله (al-lh)المطاعة (al-mṭáʿh)قلب (qlb)باید (báyd)از (iz)شئونات (shʾúnát)نفس (nfs)هوی (húy) as “shall exalt, all-compelling name, of the Almighty, heart, from, all evil, passions, desires”

obeyed 50% “obeyed 17% art 17% thou 17%
چه
chh ch-h

literal: what; what/for; whatsoever, that which

SE rendered شئونات (shʾúnát)نفس (nfs)هوی (húy)مقدّس (mqdds)باشد (báshd)چه (chh)سلاح (sláḥ)فتح (ftḥ)سبب (sbb)اوّلیّهٴ (iwwlílhٴ)نصر (nṣr) as “all evil, passions, desires, cleanse, weapon, primary instrument, victory”

what 50% whatsoever 50%
اوّلیّهٴ
iwwlílhٴ ʾ-w-l

literal: first; firstness; beginning

SE rendered سلاح (sláḥ)فتح (ftḥ)سبب (sbb)اوّلیّهٴ (iwwlílhٴ)نصر (nṣr)تقوی (tqúy)الله (al-lh)هست (hst) as “weapon, primary instrument, victory, the fear, of God, is”

هست
hst h-s-t “is”

literal: is; be; are

SE rendered نصر (nṣr)تقوی (tqúy)الله (al-lh)هست (hst)درعی (drʿí)هیکل (híkl)امر (imr) as “victory, the fear, of God, is, shield, Cause”

remaineth 17% recorded 17% still 17% remain 17% people 17% hath 17%
درعی
drʿí d-r-ʿ “shield”

literal: shield

2 occurrences in corpus

هیکل
híkl h-y-k-l

literal: temple; form; temples

SE rendered هست (hst)درعی (drʿí)هیکل (híkl)امر (imr)حفظ (ḥfẓ)میکند (míknd)حزب (ḥzb)الله (al-lh) as “is, shield, Cause, defendeth, people, God”

temple 29% form 24% embodiment 6% immortal 6% incarnation 6% glory 6% state 6% idol 6% one 6% age 6%
میکند
míknd k-r-d

literal: do; to do; do, make

SE rendered درعی (drʿí)هیکل (híkl)امر (imr)حفظ (ḥfẓ)میکند (míknd)حزب (ḥzb)الله (al-lh) as “shield, Cause, defendeth, people, God”

لازال
lázál z-w-l

literal: cease; to cease; decline

SE rendered حزب (ḥzb)الله (al-lh)نصرت (nṣrt)مینماید (mínmáyd)لازال (lázál)رایت (ráyt)تقوی (tqúy)مظفّر (mẓffr) as “people, God, standard, The fear, victorious”

all 25% invariably 13% time 13% hath 13% perpetually 13% everlasting 13% eternity 13%
عالم
ʿálm ʿ-l-m

literal: world; knowledge; worlds

SE rendered مظفّر (mẓffr)از (iz)اقوی (iqúy)جنود (jnúd)عالم (ʿálm)محسوب (mḥsúb)فتح (ftḥ)المقرّبون (al-mqrrbún)مدن (mdn) as “victorious, power, subdue and conquer, they that have drawn nigh, citadels”

world 68% earth 8% mankind 7% realm 4% men 3% whole 2% all 2% all-knowing 2% knoweth 2% dwell 1%
محسوب
mḥsúb ḥ-s-b

literal: according to; according; reckoned

SE rendered اقوی (iqúy)جنود (jnúd)عالم (ʿálm)محسوب (mḥsúb)فتح (ftḥ)المقرّبون (al-mqrrbún)مدن (mdn)القلوب (al-qlúb) as “power, subdue and conquer, they that have drawn nigh, citadels, hearts”

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 ¶