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Gleanings — §635

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 635 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

بما أیّدک علی أمره وأنبت في ریاض قلبک سنبلات العلم والحکمة وکذلک کان فضله علیک وعلی العالمین مسبوقًا إیّاک أن لا یحزنک شيء عمّا خلق بین الأرض والسّمآء عرّ نفسک عن کلّ الإشارات ودع عن ورائک کلّ الدّلالات من أهل الحجبات ثمّ انطق بما یلهمک روح الأعظم في أمر ربّک لتقلّب الممکنات إلی شطر قدس محمودًا...

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Wherefore, be thankful to God, for having strengthened thee to aid His Cause, for having made the flowers of knowledge and understanding to spring forth in the garden of thine heart. Thus hath His grace encompassed thee, and encompassed the whole of creation. Beware, lest thou allow anything whatsoever to grieve thee. Rid thyself of all attachment to the vain allusions of men, and cast behind thy back the idle and subtle disputations of them that are veiled from God. Proclaim, then, that which the Most Great Spirit will inspire thee to utter in the service of the Cause of thy Lord, that thou mayest stir up the souls of all men and incline their hearts unto this most blessed and all-glorious Court.…

Translation Notes

بما
m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

أیّدک
ʾ-y-d → “having strengthened” Distinctive

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

علی
ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

أمره
ʾ-m-r → “His Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وأنبت
n-б-t

literal: to grow, to spring forth, to produce; plant, growth

في
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

ریاض
r-w-ḍ → “garden”

literal: garden; meadow; enclosed garden

قلبک
q-l-b → “of thine heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

سنبلات
s-n-b-l → “Hyacinth”

literal: spike of grain; ear of corn; hyacinth

العلم
ʿ-l-m → “of knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

والحکمة
ḥ-k-m → “wisdom”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

وکذلک
k-dh-l → “Thus”

literal: that; thus; likewise

کان
k-w-n → “hath” Distinctive

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

فضله
f-ḍ-l → “His grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

علیک
ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: upon; on; exalted

مسبوقًا
s-b-q

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

إیّاک
ʾ-y-y → “Beware”

literal: beware (imperative); you; would that, I wish, if only (optative particle)

أن
ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

یحزنک
ḥ-z-n → “to grieve”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish

شيء
sh-y-ʾ → “anything whatsoever”

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

خلق
kh-l-q

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

بین
b-y-n

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

الأرض
ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

والسّمآء
s-m-w

literal: heaven; sky

عرّ
ʿ-r-y → “Rid”

literal: strip; devoid; strip/rid

نفسک
n-f-s → “thyself”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

عن
ʿ-n → “of”

literal: with them; in their company

کلّ
k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الإشارات
sh-y-r → “vain allusions”

literal: explanation; commentary; to explain; to open

ودع
w-d-ʿ → “and cast”

literal: to let, allow, leave

ورائک
w-r-ʾ → “them” Distinctive

literal: mankind; people; human beings; behind; after

الدّلالات
d-l-l → “proof” Distinctive

literal: to argue; to demonstrate; proof

من
m-n → “of them”

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

أهل
ʾ-h-l → “of men” Distinctive

literal: people; inhabitants; family; kin; worthy; deserving; my family; my people; my kin

الحجبات
ḥ-j-b → “that are veiled”

literal: path, way; clear path

ثمّ
th-m-m → “Proclaim, then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

انطق
n-ṭ-q → “spoken” Distinctive

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

یلهمک
l-h-m → “will inspire”

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

روح
r-w-ḥ → “Most Great Spirit”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

الأعظم
ʿ-ẓ-m

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

أمر
ʾ-m-r → “service of the Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

ربّک
r-b-b → “of thy Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

الممکنات
m-k-n → “the souls of all men” Distinctive

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

إلی
ʾ-l-y → “towards”

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

شطر
sh-ṭ-r → “this” Distinctive

literal: side, direction; half; to split

قدس
q-d-s → “most blessed” Distinctive

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

محمودًا...
ḥ-m-d → “and all-glorious Court.…”

literal: praise; to praise

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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57 ¶
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160 ¶
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59 ¶