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Gleanings — §613

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 613 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

شيء ولو تسجدون ببقآء سلطنة الله أو تکوننّ من الّذینهم یرکعون لأنّ کلّ الأمور معلّق بأمره وکلّ الأعمال منوط بإذنه وکلّ حینئذ بین یدیه ککفّ طین مقبوض ولن یرفع الیوم ندآء أحد إلی الله إلّا بعد حبّه وهذا من أصل الدّین لو أنتم تعرفون أرضیتم

Shoghi Effendi Translation

By My Beauty! Nothing whatsoever shall, in this Day, be accepted from you, though ye continue to worship and prostrate yourselves before God throughout the eternity of His dominion. For all things are dependent upon His Will, and the worth of all acts is conditioned upon His acceptance and pleasure. The whole universe is but a handful of clay in His grasp. Unless one recognize God and love Him, his cry shall not be heard by God in this Day. This is of the essence of His Faith, did ye but know it.

Translation Notes

شيء
sh-y-ʾ → “Nothing” Distinctive

literal: thing; something

ولو
l-w → “If”

literal: were it not for; if not for; save for

تسجدون
s-j-d → “worship and prostrate yourselves”

literal: mosque; place of prostration

ببقآء
b-q-y → “eternity”

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

سلطنة
s-l-ṭ → “dominion”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

الله
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

أو
h-w-w

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

تکوننّ
k-w-n

literal: to do; to make; to perform; to be; was

من
m-n → “of”

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

الّذینهم
l-dh-y

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

یرکعون
r-k-ʿ

literal: bowing; bending in worship; a unit of Islamic prayer consisting of prescribed motions and recitations

لأنّ
ʾ-n → “For” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

کلّ
k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الأمور
ʾ-m-r → “things”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

معلّق
ʿ-l-q → “dependent”

literal: attachment; connection; relationship

الأعمال
ʿ-m-l → “acts”

literal: to work; to act; to do; to perform

منوط
n-w-ṭ → “conditioned upon” Distinctive

literal: to be dependent upon, to hang upon, to hinge upon

بإذنه
ʾ-dh-n → “ear”

literal: ear; permission; leave; to permit; to allow; to listen

حینئذ
ḥ-y-n

literal: time; moment; while; season

بین
b-y-n

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

یدیه
y-d-y

literal: hand; power; action; possession

ککفّ
k-f-f → “thine hands” Distinctive

literal: to stop; restrain; abstain from

طین
ṭ-y-n → “clay”

literal: clay; mire; mud

مقبوض
q-b-ḍ → “grasp”

literal: grasp; grip; control; seize

ولن
l-n → “not be” Distinctive

literal: will not (negation of future)

یرفع
r-f-ʿ → “raised” Distinctive

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

الیوم
y-w-m → “Day”

literal: day; age; period; era

ندآء
n-d-y → “cry” Distinctive

literal: call; voice; cry; summons

أحد
ʾ-ḥ-d → “one”

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

إلی
ʾ-l-y

literal: to; to, toward; to, until

إلّا
ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

بعد
b-ʿ-d

literal: after; behind; distance

حبّه
ḥ-b-b → “love”

literal: love; affection

وهذا
h-dh-ʾ → “This”

literal: this; that

أصل
ʾ-ṣ-l → “essence”

literal: evening; afternoon; noble; ancient; nightfall; genesis

الدّین
d-y-n → “Faith”

literal: religion; faith; creed

أنتم
n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

تعرفون
ʿ-r-f → “know”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

أرضیتم
r-ḍ-y → “accepted”

literal: pleasure; pleasure/satisfaction; pleasure, satisfaction

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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291 ¶
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59 ¶