Gleanings — §61

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 61 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

مَطْلِعُ وَحِيِ اللهِ لَوْ أَنْتُمْ تَعْرِفُونَ، وَهَذَا مَشْرِقُ أَمْرِ اللهِ لَوْ أَنْتُمْ تُوقِنُونَ، وَهَذَا مَبْدَأُ حُكْمِ اللهِ لَوْ أَنْتُمْ تُنْصِفُونَ، هَذَا لَهُوَ السِّرُّ الظَّاهِرُ الْمَسْتُورُ لَوْ أَنْتُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ، قُلْ يَا مَلأَ الإِنْشَاءِ دَعُوا مَا عِنْدَكُمْ بِاسْمِيَ الْمُهَيْمِنِ عَلَى الأَسْمَاءِ وَتَغَمَّسُوا فِي هَذَا الْبَحْرِ الَّذِي فِيْهِ سُتِرَ لَئَالِئُ الْحِكْمَةِ وَالتِّبْيَانِ وَتَمَوَّجَ بِاسْمِيَ الرَّحْمنِ، كَذَلِكَ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ،

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Attract the hearts of men, through the call of Him, the one alone Beloved. Say: This is the Voice of God, if ye do but hearken. This is the Dayspring of the Revelation of God, did ye but know it. This is the Dawning-Place of the Cause of God, were ye to recognize it. This is the Source of the commandment of God, did ye but judge it fairly. This is the manifest and hidden Secret; would that ye might perceive it. O peoples of the world! Cast away, in My name that transcendeth all other names, the things ye possess, and immerse yourselves in this Ocean in whose depths lay hidden the pearls of wisdom and of utterance, an ocean that surgeth in My name, the All-Merciful. Thus instructeth you He with Whom is the Mother Book.

Translation Notes

مَطْلِعُ

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

وَحِيِ

w-ḥ-y → “Revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

اللهِ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

لَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

أَنْتُمْ

n-t-m

literal: you

تَعْرِفُونَ،

ʿ-r-f → “it” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

وَهَذَا

h-dh-ʾ → “This is the”

literal: this; that

مَشْرِقُ

sh-r-q → “Dawning-Place” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

أَمْرِ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

تُوقِنُونَ،

y-q-n → “it”

literal: to be certain; to know with certainty

مَبْدَأُ

b-d-ʾ → “Source”

literal: beginning; source; origin, beginning

حُكْمِ

ḥ-k-m → “commandment” Distinctive

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

تُنْصِفُونَ،

n-ṣ-f → “fairly”

literal: justice; fairness; equity

لَهُوَ

h-w

literal: to distract; to divert; to amuse

السِّرُّ

s-r-r → “Secret”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

الظَّاهِرُ

ẓ-h-r → “manifest”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

الْمَسْتُورُ

s-t-r → “hidden”

literal: to veil; to conceal; to cover; veil; covering

تَنْظُرُونَ،

n-ẓ-r → “it” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

قُلْ

q-w-l → “Say”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

يَا

y-ʾ

literal: O; or

مَلأَ

m-l-ʾ → “peoples” Distinctive

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

الإِنْشَاءِ

n-sh-ʾ → “creation”

literal: creation; bringing into existence; establishment; God willing; if God wishes; please God

دَعُوا

w-d-ʿ → “Cast away”

literal: call, invocation, summons; to call, invite, summon

مَا

m-ʾ → “that”

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

عِنْدَكُمْ

ʿ-n-d → “ye possess”

literal: vessel; container; circumstance; adroitness

بِاسْمِيَ

s-m-w → “in My name”

literal: heaven; sky

الْمُهَيْمِنِ

h-m-n → “the Help in Peril”

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian; inspiration; revelation; intuition

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “all other” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

وَتَغَمَّسُوا

gh-m-s → “immerse”

literal: immerse; submerged; immersed

فِي

f-y

literal: alas; woe; oh

الْبَحْرِ

b-ḥ-r → “Ocean”

literal: sea; ocean

الَّذِي

l-dh-y → “which”

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

لَئَالِئُ

l-ʾ-l → “pearls”

literal: night; darkness

وَالتِّبْيَانِ

b-y-n → “utterance”

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

وَتَمَوَّجَ

m-w-j → “surged”

literal: wave; waves; surge

الرَّحْمنِ،

r-ḥ-m → “All-Merciful”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

كَذَلِكَ

dh-l-k → “Thus”

literal: thus; likewise; also

يُعَلِّمُكُمْ

ʿ-l-m → “instructeth”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

مَنْ

m-n → “from”

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

أُمُّ

ʾ-m-m → “Mother”

literal: mother

الْكِتَابِ،

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶