Gleanings — §717

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 717 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

للّه الحمد عالم را به طرازی مزیّن نموده و به ردائی متردّی فرموده که صاحبان جنود و صفوف و عزّت و ثروت قادر بر نزع آن نه. قل إنّ القدرة کلّها للّه مقصود العالمین و العظمة کلّها للّه معبود من فی السّموات و الأرضین. این مظاهر ترابیّه قابل ذکر نبوده و نیستند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

All praise be to God Who hath adorned the world with an ornament, and arrayed it with a vesture, of which it can be despoiled by no earthly power, however mighty its battalions, however vast its wealth, however profound its influence. Say: the essence of all power is God’s, the highest and the last End of all creation. The source of all majesty is God’s, the Object of the adoration of all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Such forces as have their origin in this world of dust are, by their very nature, unworthy of consideration.

Translation Notes

للّه

ʾ-l-h → “to God”

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

الحمد

ḥ-m-d → “All praise be”

literal: praise; to praise

عالم

ʿ-l-m → “world”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

را

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

به

b-h → “with” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

طرازی

ṭ-r-z → “ornament”

literal: ornament; adornment; embroidery; stripe

مزیّن

z-y-n → “adorned”

literal: to adorn; ornament; beauty

نموده

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

ردائی

r-d-y → “mantle” Distinctive

literal: rejected; repudiated

فرموده

f-r-m → “Who hath” Distinctive

literal: to say; to decree; to ordain; to command

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

صاحبان

literal: possessor; those who have; companion; followers

جنود

j-n-d → “hosts”

literal: hosts, armies, troops

صفوف

literal: rows; ranks; battalions; lines

عزّت

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

ثروت

th-r-w → “vast its wealth”

literal: wealth, riches, affluence

قادر

q-d-r → “can” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

بر

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

نزع

n-z-ʿ → “contention” Distinctive

literal: to pull out; to deprive; to contest; to wrench away

آن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

نه.

n-h-y → “forbidden”

literal: end; ended; utmost

قل

q-w-l → “Say”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

کلّها

k-l-l → “all”

literal: all; every; whole; entirety; entire; completely

مقصود

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

العظمة

ʿ-ẓ-m → “The source of all majesty”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

معبود

ʿ-b-d → “Object of the adoration” Distinctive

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

من

m-n → “all that” Distinctive

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

فی

f-y → “is in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

السّموات

s-m-w → “the heavens”

literal: heaven; sky

الأرضین.

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

این

ʾ-y-n → “this”

literal: this; these

مظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

ترابیّه

t-r-b → “world of dust”

literal: to carve; to hew; to shape; dust of carving

قابل

q-b-l → “unworthy”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

ذکر

dh-k-r → “mention”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

نبوده

b-w-d → “are, by their very nature” Distinctive

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

نیستند.

h-s-t → “have” Distinctive

literal: is not; not to be; does not exist; negation, denial, banishment; to negate, deny, banish; contradiction; opposition; contrariety

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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160 ¶

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59 ¶