Gleanings — §655

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 655 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

جمیع را مشتعل نماید قل یا الهی و محبوبی و محرّکی و مجذبی و المنادی فی قلبی و محبوب سرّی لک الحمد بما جعلتنی مقبلاً الی وجهک و مشتعلاً بذکرک و منادیاً باسمک و ناطقاً بثنائک ای ربّ ای ربّ ان لم تظهر الغفلة من این نصبت اعلام رحمتک و رفعت رایات کرمک و ان لم یعلن الخطآء کیف یعلم بأنّک انت السّتّار الغفّار العلیم الحکیم نفسی لغفلة غافلیک الفدآء بما مرّت عن ورائها نسمات رحمة اسمک الرّحمن الرّحیم ذاتی لذنب مذنبیک الفدآء بما عرفت به اریاح فضلک و تضوّعات مسک الطافک کینونتی لعصیان عاصیک الفدآء لأنّ به اشرقت شمس مواهبک من افق

Shoghi Effendi Translation

My God, my God! If none be found to stray from Thy path, how, then, can the ensign of Thy mercy be unfurled, or the banner of Thy bountiful favor be hoisted? And if iniquity be not committed, what is it that can proclaim Thee to be the Concealer of men’s sins, the Ever-Forgiving, the Omniscient, the All-Wise? May my soul be a sacrifice to the trespasses of them that trespass against Thee, for upon such trespasses are wafted the sweet savors of the tender mercies of Thy Name, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful. May my life be laid down for the transgressions of such as transgress against Thee, for through them the breath of Thy grace and the fragrance of Thy loving-kindness are made known and diffused amongst men. May my inmost being be offered up for the sins of them that have sinned against Thee, for it is as a result of such sins that the Daystar of Thy manifold favors revealeth itself above the horizon of Thy bounty, and the clouds of Thy never-failing providence rain down their gifts upon the realities of all created things.

Translation Notes

جمیع

j-m-ʿ

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

مشتعل

sh-ʿ-l

literal: to burn; to be inflamed; to kindle; burning; blazing

نماید

n-m-ʾ

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

قل

q-w-l

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

یا

y-ʾ

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

الهی

ʾ-l-h → “My God, my God”

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

محبوبی

ḥ-b-b

literal: love; affection

محرّکی

ḥ-r-k

literal: movement; motion; trembling; activity; حراک is unusual; possible typo or dialectal. Standard Arabic would be حرك or اهتزاز for ‘trembling’

مجذبی

j-dh-b

literal: to draw, attract, pull; to be enraptured

المنادی

n-d-y

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

فی

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

قلبی

q-l-b

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

سرّی

s-r-r

literal: secrets; mysteries; hidden things; mysteries of divine knowledge; Syriac; pertaining to Syria

لک

literal: for; for you; for him

الحمد

ḥ-m-d

literal: praise; to praise

بما

m-ʾ

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

جعلتنی

j-ʿ-l

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

مقبلاً

q-b-l

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

الی

ʾ-l-y

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

وجهک

w-j-h

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

بذکرک

dh-k-r

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

ناطقاً

n-ṭ-q

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

بثنائک

th-n-y

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy; glorification; praise, commendation, eulogy

ای

ʾ-y-y

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

ربّ

r-b-b

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

ان

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

لم

l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

تظهر

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation” Distinctive

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

الغفلة

gh-f-l → “heedless” Distinctive

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

من

m-n

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

این

ʾ-y-n

literal: this; these

نصبت

n-ṣ-b → “portion” Distinctive

literal: share; portion; lot; fate

اعلام

ʿ-l-m → “ensign”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

رحمتک

r-ḥ-m → “of Thy mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

رفعت

r-f-ʿ → “raised” Distinctive

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

رایات

r-w-y → “banners”

literal: banner; banner/flag; banners

کرمک

k-r-m → “of Thy bountiful favor” Distinctive

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

یعلن

ʿ-l-n → “committed”

literal: declaration; be-announced; proclamation/declaration

الخطآء

kh-ṭ-ʾ → “sins” Distinctive

literal: error; mistake; fault; transgression; sin

کیف

k-y-f → “how, then”

literal: how; in what manner

بأنّک

ʾ-n-n → “Thee to be”

literal: that; indeed/verily; indeed

انت

ʾ-n-t

literal: you (masculine singular)

السّتّار

s-t-r → “the Concealer”

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

الغفّار

gh-f-r → “the Ever-Forgiving”

literal: to forgive; forgiveness

الحکیم

ḥ-k-m → “the All-Wise”

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

نفسی

n-f-s → “May my soul”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

الفدآء

f-d-y → “be a sacrifice”

literal: to sacrifice; to ransom; to redeem

مرّت

m-r-r → “are wafted”

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

عن

ʿ-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

ورائها

w-r-ʾ → “them”

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

نسمات

n-s-m → “sweet savors”

literal: breeze; gentle wind; fragrance

اسمک

s-m-w → “of Thy Name”

literal: to name, to nominate, to designate, to appoint; name; noun; to name, to appoint, to designate

ذاتی

dh-w-t → “Essence” Distinctive

literal: essence; self; being

لذنب

dh-n-b → “sins”

literal: sin; crime; offense; fault

عرفت

ʿ-r-f → “made known”

literal: knowledge; know; knower

به

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

اریاح

r-w-ḥ → “breath” Distinctive

literal: to throw; to cast; Aramaic/Persian proper name reference; to throw, cast, shoot; to pelt; to shoot

فضلک

f-ḍ-l → “of Thy grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

تضوّعات

ḍ-w-ʿ → “and diffused”

literal: emitting fragrance; diffusing; exuding

مسک

m-s-k

literal: hold fast; clinging; cling

الطافک

l-ṭ-f → “the fragrance of Thy loving-kindness” Distinctive

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

کینونتی

k-w-n → “May my inmost being”

literal: beings; creatures; existents; creation; rancour; grudge; enmity; being; existence (as philosophical term)

لعصیان

ʿ-ṣ-y

literal: disobey; transgress; rebel

لأنّ

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

اشرقت

sh-r-q → “revealeth itself” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

شمس

sh-m-s → “Daystar”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

مواهبک

w-h-b → “of Thy manifold favors” Distinctive

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

افق

ʾ-f-q → “above the horizon”

literal: horizon; sphere; realm; quarter

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶