Gleanings — §706

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 706 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

قل الحرّيّة في اتّباع أوامري لو أنتم من العارفين لو اتّبع النّاس ما نزّلناه لهم من سمآء الوحي ليجدنّ أنفسهم في حرّيّة بحتة طوبى لمن عرف مراد الله فيما نزّل من سمآء مشيّته المهيمنة على العالمين قل الحرّيّة الّتي تنفعكم إنّها في العبوديّة لله الحقّ والّذي وجد حلاوتها لا يبدّلها بملكوت ملك السّموات والأرضين

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Say: True liberty consisteth in man’s submission unto My commandments, little as ye know it. Were men to observe that which We have sent down unto them from the Heaven of Revelation, they would, of a certainty, attain unto perfect liberty. Happy is the man that hath apprehended the Purpose of God in whatever He hath revealed from the Heaven of His Will, that pervadeth all created things. Say: The liberty that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in complete servitude unto God, the Eternal Truth. Whoso hath tasted of its sweetness will refuse to barter it for all the dominion of earth and heaven.

Translation Notes

قل

q-w-l → “Say”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

الحرّيّة

ḥ-r-r → “True liberty”

literal: to set free; to write down; to compose; حرارة (heat) is from ح-ر-ر but distinct semantic development from ‘free/write’

في

f-y → “in”

literal: in a day; during a day; one day after another

اتّباع

t-b-ʿ → “follow”

literal: to follow; to obey; to pursue

أوامري

ʾ-m-r → “commandments”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

لو

l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

أنتم

n-t-m → “you”

literal: you

من

m-n → “from”

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

العارفين

ʿ-r-f → “little as ye know it”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

النّاس

n-ʾ-s → “men”

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

نزّلناه

n-z-l → “sent down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

لهم

l-h-m → “inspiration” Distinctive

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

سمآء

s-m-w → “Heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

الوحي

w-ḥ-y → “Revelation”

literal: revelation; inspiration; divine communication

ليجدنّ

w-j-d → “being” Distinctive

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

أنفسهم

n-f-s → “they” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

بحتة

b-ḥ-t → “utter”

literal: mere; pure; absolute; sheer

طوبى

ṭ-w-b → “Happy”

literal: happiness; blessedness; felicity

مراد

r-w-d → “Purpose”

literal: to will; to intend; to wish

الله

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

مشيّته

sh-y-ʾ → “Will”

literal: way; manner; gait; to walk; to go; to proceed

المهيمنة

h-m-n → “the Help in Peril”

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian

على

literal: highest; most high; supreme

العالمين

ʿ-l-m → “all created things” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

الّتي

ʾ-l-l → “that” Distinctive

literal: who; which/that; which

تنفعكم

n-f-ʿ → “profiteth”

literal: benefit; beneficial; benefited

إنّها

null → ““death””

literal: that, it; to be; indeed

العبوديّة

ʿ-b-d → “complete servitude”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

الحقّ

ḥ-q-q → “Eternal Truth”

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

والّذي

dh-w-y → “and” Distinctive

literal: who; which; that which

حلاوتها

ḥ-l-w → “sweetness”

literal: sweetest; most sweet; most pleasant

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يبدّلها

b-d-l → “barter”

literal: change; transformation; exchange

بملكوت

m-l-k → “dominion” Distinctive

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

والأرضين

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

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