Gleanings — §86

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 86 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

هذه نفخة أُخرى إلى مَن تنظرون هذا ربّكم الرّحمن وأنتم تجحدون قد زُلْزِلَت الأرض وَأَخْرَجَت أثقالها أفأنتم تنكرون قل أَمَا تَرَوْنَ الجبال كَالْعِهْنِ والقوم من سطوة الأمر مضطربون تلك بيوتهم خَاوِيَة على عروشها وهم جُنْدٌ مُغْرَقُونَ هذا يومٌ فيه

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Speed out of your sepulchers. How long will ye sleep? The second blast hath been blown on the trumpet. On whom are ye gazing? This is your Lord, the God of Mercy. Witness how ye gainsay His signs! The earth hath quaked with a great quaking, and cast forth her burdens. Will ye not admit it? Say: Will ye not recognize how the mountains have become like flocks of wool, how the people are sore vexed at the awful majesty of the Cause of God? Witness how their houses are empty ruins, and they themselves a drowned host.

Translation Notes

نفخة

n-f-kh → “breathe”

literal: to blow; to breathe; to inflate; to sound (a trumpet)

أُخرى

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

إلى

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

مَن

m-n → “whom are ye gazing” Distinctive

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

تنظرون

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “This is”

literal: this; that

ربّكم

r-b-b → “your Lord”

literal: Lord; Master; Sustainer; Cherisher

الرّحمن

r-ḥ-m → “the God of Mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

وأنتم

literal: you (plural)

تجحدون

j-ḥ-d → “gainsaid” Distinctive

literal: to deny; to reject; to disown

قد

q-d → “We have been”

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

زُلْزِلَت

z-l-z-l → “dismayed” Distinctive

literal: to shake; to quake; to be shaken; to be moved

الأرض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “The earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

وَأَخْرَجَت

kh-r-j → “cast forth”

literal: bringing out, taking out, expulsion, extraction

أثقالها

th-q-l → “her burdens”

literal: weight; heavy; weighty testimony

تنكرون

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

قل

q-w-l → “Say”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

أَمَا

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair

تَرَوْنَ

r-ʾ-y → “Will ye not recognize”

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

الجبال

j-b-l → “the mountains”

literal: mountain; nature, constitution; to create, to form

كَالْعِهْنِ

ʿ-h-n → “like flocks of wool”

literal: wool, carded wool

والقوم

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

سطوة

s-ṭ-w → “dominion”

literal: might; force; severity; oppression; tyranny

الأمر

ʾ-m-r → “of the Cause”

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair

مضطربون

ḍ-r-b → “tremble” Distinctive

literal: to be troubled, shaken, agitated; to tremble

تلك

literal: those; that; those (feminine)

بيوتهم

b-y-t → “their houses”

literal: house; household; family; verse

خَاوِيَة

kh-w-y → “empty”

literal: empty; hollow; void

على

literal: highest; most high; supreme

عروشها

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

وهم

literal: to imagine, suppose; fancy, idle imagination

جُنْدٌ

j-n-d → “hosts”

literal: hosts, armies, troops

مُغْرَقُونَ

literal: drowned; immersion; drown

يومٌ

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

فيه

f-y

literal: alas; woe; oh

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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