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Gleanings — §632

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 632 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

أن یا نبیل الأعظم اسمع ما ینادیک به لسان القِدم عن جبروت إسمه الأکرم وإنّه ینطق حینئذ في ملکوت الأعلی ویغنّ في قلب کلّ الأشیآء بأنّي أنا الله لا إله إلّا أنا لم یزل کنت سلطانًا مقتدرًا ولا یزال أکون ملیکًا مهیمنًا وإنّ برهاني قدرتي ثمّ سلطاني بین العالمین جمیعًا...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Let thine ear be attentive, O Nabíl-i-A‘ẓam, to the Voice of the Ancient of Days, crying to thee from the Kingdom of His all-glorious Name. He it is Who is now proclaiming from the realms above, and within the inmost essence of all created things: “I truly am God, there is none other God but Me. I am He Who, from everlasting, hath been the Source of all sovereignty and power, He Who shall continue, throughout eternity, to exercise His kingship and to extend His protection unto all created things. My proof is the greatness of My might and My sovereignty that embraceth the whole of creation.”…

Translation Notes

یا
y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

نبیل
n-b-l → “Báb”

literal: noble; exalted; distinguished; the Báb

الأعظم
ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

اسمع
s-m-ʿ → “Let thine ear be attentive” Distinctive

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

ما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

ینادیک
n-d-y → “voice” Distinctive

literal: call; voice; cry; summons; to call; to proclaim; to cry out; to summon

به
b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

لسان
l-s-n

literal: tongue; language

القِدم
q-d-m → “the Ancient of Days”

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

عن
ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

جبروت
j-b-r → “dominion”

literal: compelled; forced; constrained

إسمه
s-m-w → “Name”

literal: heaven; sky

الأکرم
k-r-m → “bounty” Distinctive

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

وإنّه
h-w → “He it is Who” Distinctive

literal: deviation; divergence; straying from the path; to be weak, to flag, to show reluctance

ینطق
n-ṭ-q → “proclaiming” Distinctive

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

حینئذ
ḥ-y-n → “moment”

literal: time; moment; while; season

في
f-y → “within the inmost essence”

literal: in; in-it; in it

ملکوت
m-l-k → “realms” Distinctive

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

الأعلی
ʿ-l-w → “above” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

ویغنّ
gh-n-y

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with; rich; wealthy; needless

قلب
q-l-b

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

کلّ
k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الأشیآء
sh-y-ʾ → “created things”

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

بأنّي
ʾ-n-n

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

أنا
ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

الله
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

إله
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

إلّا
ʾ-kh-r → “but” Distinctive

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

لم
l-y-s → “from” Distinctive

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

یزل
z-w-l → “everlasting”

literal: cease; to cease; decline

کنت
k-w-n → “hath been” Distinctive

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

سلطانًا
s-l-ṭ → “all sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

مقتدرًا
q-d-r → “and power” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

ولا
w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: friend; lord; guardian

مهیمنًا
h-y-m-n → “Help in Peril”

literal: Guardian; Preserver; Protector; Overseer

وإنّ
ʾ-n-n

literal: building, structure, edifice; to build, construct; structure, edifice

برهاني
b-r-h → “My proof”

literal: proof, evidence, demonstration, argument

ثمّ
th-m-m → “and” Distinctive

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

بین
b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

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

العالمین
ʿ-l-m → “creation.”…” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

جمیعًا...
j-m-ʿ → “whole” Distinctive

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶
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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 ¶
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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 ¶
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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 ¶
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Prayers and Meditations

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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 ¶
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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 ¶
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5 ¶
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57 ¶
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160 ¶
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59 ¶