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Gleanings — §8

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 8 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

امريکه لم يزل و لا يزال مقصود نبيّين و غاية رجای مرسلين بوده باراده مطلقه و مشيّت نافذه ظاهر شده اوست موعودی که جميع کتب الهی باو بشارت داده مع ذلک اهل ارض از او غافل و محجوب مشاهده ميشوند بگو ای اوليای حق جهد نمائيد شايد بعرفانش فائز گرديد

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The Revelation which, from time immemorial, hath been acclaimed as the Purpose and Promise of all the Prophets of God, and the most cherished Desire of His Messengers, hath now, by virtue of the pervasive Will of the Almighty and at His irresistible bidding, been revealed unto men. The advent of such a Revelation hath been heralded in all the sacred Scriptures. Behold how, notwithstanding such an announcement, mankind hath strayed from its path and shut out itself from its glory.

Translation Notes

امريکه
ʾ-m-r → “Revelation”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

لم
l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

يزل
z-w-l → “at all times” Distinctive

literal: cease; to cease; decline

لا
l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

مقصود
q-ṣ-d → “Purpose”

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

نبيّين
n-b-ʾ → “Prophets”

literal: prophet; prophets

غاية
gh-w-y → “Desire”

literal: goal; aim; purpose; ultimate end

رجای
r-j-w

literal: hope; expectation

مرسلين
r-s-l → “Messengers”

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

بوده
b-w-d → “hath been acclaimed” Distinctive

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

باراده
r-w-d → “desire”

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

مطلقه
ṭ-l-q → “applied” Distinctive

literal: divorce; release; freeing

مشيّت
sh-y-ʾ → “Will”

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

نافذه
n-f-dh → “irresistible”

literal: penetrating, effective; piercing; decisive

ظاهر
ẓ-h-r → “revealed”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

شده
sh-d

literal: to become; to be

اوست
h-s-t → “hath” Distinctive

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

موعودی
w-ʿ-d → “promised” Distinctive

literal: promised; the Promised One

که
k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

جميع
j-m-ʿ → “all the”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

کتب
k-t-b → “Scriptures”

literal: book; scripture; writing

الهی
ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

باو
ʾ-w-w

literal: sale; to sell; to swear allegiance; to pledge; to make covenant

بشارت
b-sh-r → “heralded” Distinctive

literal: human; mankind; human nature

داده
d-ʾ-d

literal: below; lower than; beneath

مع
m-ʿ → “notwithstanding”

literal: with; together with; alongside

ذلک
dh-l-k

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

اهل
ʾ-h-l → “people”

literal: people; inhabitants; family; kin; worthy; deserving; my family; my people; my kin

ارض
ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

از
ʾ-z

literal: from

او
h-w-w

literal: he; He; he/him

غافل
gh-f-l → “strayed” Distinctive

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

محجوب
ḥ-j-b → “shut out itself” Distinctive

literal: to veil oneself, to be veiled

مشاهده
sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

ميشوند
sh-w-d → “been” Distinctive

literal: become; to become; became

بگو
g-w-y → “I say”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

ای
ʾ-y-y

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

اوليای
w-l-y

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

حق
ḥ-q-q

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

جهد
j-h-d

literal: effort; striving; exertion; endeavor

نمائيد
n-m-ʾ → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to show, to display, to manifest, to exhibit; to manifest; to display; to show

شايد
sh-y-d

literal: perhaps, perchance, haply, maybe, possibly; to become; to be; to happen; to occur

بعرفانش
ʿ-r-f

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

فائز
f-w-z

literal: benefit, profit, advantage; usefulness; bounty; effusion; grace

گرديد
g-r-d

literal: Persian verb گردیدن (to become/turn), not from Arabic ك-ر-د

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶