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Gleanings — §652

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 652 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

غفرانی و اهتزّت سدرة عنایتی و دارت سمآء فضلی قسم بآفتاب افق باقی که از حزنت محزونم و از همّت مهموم آهت از سرادق ابهی نفوذ نمود و به مقر امنع اقدس اعلی فائز شد ناله ات استماع گشت و نوحه ات به سمع مالک قدم رسید طوبی لک ثم طوبی لک اقرارات در مکمن مختار به هیکل بدیع ظاهر و اعترافت در منظر غفار به

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The words thou hadst written have, as soon as they were read in My Presence, caused the ocean of My fidelity to surge within Me, and the breeze of My forgiveness to be wafted over thy soul, and the tree of My loving-kindness to overshadow thee, and the clouds of My bounty to rain down upon thee their gifts. I swear by the Daystar that shineth above the horizon of eternity, I sorrow for thee in thy grief, and lament with thee in thy tribulation.… I bear witness to the services thou hast rendered Me, and testify to the various troubles thou hast sustained for My sake. All the atoms of the earth declare My love for thee.

Translation Notes

غفرانی
gh-f-r → “My forgiveness”

literal: to forgive; forgiveness

اهتزّت
h-z-z

literal: to shake, quiver, vibrate, tremble with emotion

سدرة
s-d-r → “tree”

literal: lote-tree; divine tree

عنایتی
ʿ-n-y → “My loving-kindness”

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from; bounty; loving-kindness; grace; divine care; attention; meaning; significance; inner sense

دارت
d-w-r

literal: to have; to hold; to possess; to maintain

سمآء
s-m-w → “clouds” Distinctive

literal: heaven; sky

فضلی
f-ḍ-l → “My bounty”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

قسم
q-s-m → “I swear”

literal: oath; division; kind; type

بآفتاب
sh-m-s → “Daystar”

literal: horizon, direction, region; horizon; sun

افق
ʾ-f-q → “horizon”

literal: horizon, direction, region; horizon; sun

باقی
b-q-y → “of eternity” Distinctive

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal

که
k-h → “that shineth above”

literal: that; who; who, that

از
ʾ-z

literal: from

حزنت
ḥ-z-n → “thy grief”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish; to grieve; to sorrow; to be sad

همّت
h-m-m → “endeavor”

literal: them (feminine or general); by them; through them

آهت
ʾ-h-h

literal: sigh

سرادق
s-r-d-q

literal: pavilion; tabernacle; canopy; tent

ابهی
b-h-w

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

نفوذ
n-f-dh

literal: penetrating, effective; piercing; decisive

نمود
n-m-ʾ

literal: to become; to be

به
b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

مقر
q-r-r

literal: matter; affair; thing

امنع
m-n-ʿ

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

اقدس
q-d-s

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

اعلی
ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

فائز
f-w-z

literal: benefit, profit, advantage; usefulness; bounty; effusion; grace

شد
sh-d

literal: to become; to be

ناله
n-ʾ-l

literal: moaning; lamentation; cry; complaint

ات
ʾ-t-y

literal: come; came; bring

استماع
s-m-ʿ → “bear witness”

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

گشت
g-sh-t → “were”

literal: to become; to turn; to be

نوحه
n-w-ḥ → “groan”

literal: to wail; to lament; lamentation

مالک
m-l-k

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

قدم
q-d-m

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

رسید
r-s-d

literal: Persian verb رسیدن (to arrive/reach), not Arabic ر-س-د

طوبی
ṭ-w-b

literal: happiness; blessedness; felicity

لک
l

literal: for; for you; for him

ثم
th-m-m

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

در
d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

مکمن
k-m-n

literal: repository; treasury; hidden place; to hide; to conceal; latency; concealment

مختار
kh-y-r

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

هیکل
h-y-k-l

literal: temple; structure; form; body

بدیع
b-d-ʿ

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

ظاهر
ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

اعترافت
ʿ-r-f

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

منظر
n-ẓ-r

literal: look; looking; view

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶
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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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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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17 ¶
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5 ¶
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57 ¶
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160 ¶
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59 ¶