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Gleanings — §76

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 76 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

الأرض بما فيها والمجرمون أثقالها لو كنتم من العارفين وانشقّ قمر الوهم وأتت السّمآء بِدُخَانٍ مُبِيْنٍ نرى النّاس صَرْعَى من خشية ربّك المقتدر القدير نادى المناد وانقعرت أعجاز النّفوس ذلك قهرٌ شديد إنّ اصحاب الشّمال في زفرة وشهيق وأصحاب اليمين في مقام كريم يشربون خمر الحيوان من أيادي

Shoghi Effendi Translation

This is the Day whereon the earth shall tell out her tidings. The workers of iniquity are her burdens, could ye but perceive it. The moon of idle fancy hath been cleft, and the heaven hath given out a palpable smoke. We see the people laid low, awed with the dread of thy Lord, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. The Crier hath cried out, and men have been torn away, so great hath been the fury of His wrath. The people of the left hand sigh and bemoan. The people of the right abide in noble habitations: they quaff the Wine that is life indeed, from the hands of the All-Merciful, and are, verily, the blissful.

Translation Notes

الأرض
ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

بما
m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

فيها
f-y

literal: in it; in them

والمجرمون
j-r-m → “crime” Distinctive

literal: crime; sin; boldness

أثقالها
th-q-l → “her burdens”

literal: weight; heavy; weighty testimony

لو
l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

كنتم
k-w-n → “been” Distinctive

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

من
m-n → “with” Distinctive

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

العارفين
ʿ-r-f → “perceive” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

وانشقّ
sh-q-q → “discord” Distinctive

literal: discord; dissension; rebellion; strife

قمر
q-m-r → “moon”

literal: moon

الوهم
w-h-m → “idle fancy”

literal: to imagine, suppose; fancy, idle imagination

وأتت
ʾ-t-y → “come”

literal: to come; to arrive; to bring; to go; coming; arrival; the one coming; to give; Revelation; came; gave; brought

السّمآء
s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

بِدُخَانٍ
d-kh-n → “smoke”

literal: give; grant; bestow; award

مُبِيْنٍ
b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

نرى
r-ʾ-y → “see”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

النّاس
n-ʾ-s → “people”

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

صَرْعَى
ṣ-r-ʿ → “laid low”

literal: prostrate; vanquished; slain

خشية
kh-sh-y → “fear of”

literal: fear; awe; reverence

ربّك
r-b-b → “thy Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

المقتدر
q-d-r → “Almighty”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

نادى
n-d-w → “Voice” Distinctive

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

وانقعرت
q-ʿ-r → “been uprooted”

literal: to be uprooted; to be overturned

أعجاز
ʿ-j-z → “powerlessness” Distinctive

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence; أعجاز (roots of trees/extremities) is Pattern II plural, distinct from ‘inability’ forms

النّفوس
n-f-s → “men”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

ذلك
dh-l-k

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

قهرٌ
q-h-r → “supreme” Distinctive

literal: to overpower; to vanquish; wrath; might; force; compulsion; overwhelming

شديد
sh-d-d

literal: strong; severe; intense; violent

إنّ
ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

اصحاب
ṣ-ḥ-b → “people” Distinctive

literal: possessor; those who have; companion; followers

الشّمال
sh-m-l → “left hand”

literal: to comprehend; to include; whole; all

زفرة
z-f-r → “sigh”

literal: sighs; sigh; sighing

وشهيق
sh-h-q → “sighs” Distinctive

literal: sighing; wailing

اليمين
y-m-n → “right”

literal: right hand; oath; right side

مقام
q-w-m → “noble habitations” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

كريم
k-r-m → “bounty” Distinctive

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

يشربون
sh-r-b → “quaff”

literal: to drink; to imbibe

خمر
kh-m-r → “Wine”

literal: wine; dough; wine/intoxication

الحيوان
ḥ-y-w → “life”

literal: life; living being; animal

أيادي
y-d-y → “hands”

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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