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Gleanings — §68

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 68 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

ورائي ويقول صرّف القول على تصريف آخر لئلّا يحزن الّذي أراد الوجه من وجهك وقل إنّي ما استنصرت من أحد من قبل ولن استنصر من بعد بفضل اللّه وقدرته وإنّه قد نصرني بالحقّ إذ كنت في العراق وجادل معي كلّ الملل وحفظني بالحق وأخرجني عن المدينة بسلطان الّذي لا ينكره إلّا كلّ منكر مكّار قل إنّ جندي توكّلي وحزبي اعتماد

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Methinks that I hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit calling from behind Me saying: Vary Thou Thy theme, and alter Thy tone, lest the heart of him who hath fixed his gaze upon Thy face be saddened. Say: I have through the grace of God and His might besought the help of no one in the past, neither will I seek the help of anyone in the future. He it is Who aided Me, through the power of truth, during the days of My banishment in ‘Iráq. He it is Who overshadowed Me with His protection at a time when the kindreds of the earth were contending with Me. He it is Who enabled Me to depart out of the city, clothed with such majesty as none, except the denier and the malicious, can fail to admit.

Translation Notes

ورائي
w-r-y → “men” Distinctive

literal: behind; beyond; after

ويقول
q-w-l → “saying”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

صرّف
ṣ-r-f → “treatment” Distinctive

literal: pure; absolute; to turn away; to expend

على
ʿ-l-w → “upon” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

آخر
ʾ-kh-r → “end”

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

لئلّا
l-y-l → “night”

literal: night; darkness

يحزن
ḥ-z-n → “saddened”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish

الّذي
l-dh-y → “which”

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

أراد
r-y-d → “desire” Distinctive

literal: to will, to intend, to wish, to desire; to want; to intend; to desire

الوجه
w-j-h → “face” Distinctive

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

من
m-n → “of”

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

إنّي
ʾ-n-n → “I”

literal: I, verily; behold I

ما
m-ʾ → “no” Distinctive

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

استنصرت
n-ṣ-r → “aid” Distinctive

literal: aid, help, succor, victory, support

أحد
ʾ-ḥ-d → “one”

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

قبل
q-b-l

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

ولن
l-n → “neither”

literal: will not (negation of future)

بعد
b-ʿ-d → “in the future” Distinctive

literal: after; behind; distance

بفضل
f-ḍ-l → “through the grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

اللّه
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

وقدرته
q-d-r → “His might” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

وإنّه
h-w → “He”

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

قد
q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

بالحقّ
ḥ-q-q → “through the power of truth”

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

إذ
ʾ-dh-dh → “whilst”

literal: when; since

كنت
k-w-n

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

في
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

العراق
ʿ-r-q → “vein”

literal: Iraq; sweat

وجادل
j-d-l → “conflict” Distinctive

literal: to argue; to dispute; to contend; argument

معي
m-ʿ → “notwithstanding” Distinctive

literal: with; together with; alongside

كلّ
k-l-l → “the”

literal: for us; to us

الملل
m-l-l → “people”

literal: nation; people; religion; community

وحفظني
ḥ-f-ẓ → “protect” Distinctive

literal: protection; protect; preserve

وأخرجني
kh-r-j → “depart”

literal: go out; exit; outside

عن
ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

المدينة
m-d-n → “city”

literal: city; town

بسلطان
s-l-ṭ → “majesty” Distinctive

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

لا
l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

ينكره
n-k-r → “denied” Distinctive

literal: denial; rejection; repudiation; wrong; evil; to deny; to reject

منكر
n-k-r → “denier”

literal: denial; rejection; repudiation; wrong; evil; to deny; to reject

مكّار
m-k-r → “device” Distinctive

literal: blind; darkness

إنّ
ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

جندي
j-n-d

literal: hosts, armies, troops

توكّلي
w-k-l

literal: agency; representation; trusteeship; delegated authority

وحزبي
ḥ-z-b

literal: party; people; community

اعتماد
ʿ-m-d

literal: intent; deliberately; to intend

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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