Gleanings — §92

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 92 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

و چُون ابواب عرفان ذات ازل بر وجه ممکنات مسدود شد لهذا باقتضای رحمت واسعه "سبقت رحمته کلّ شیء و وسعت رحمتی کلّ شیء" جواهر قدس نورانی را از عوالم روح روحانی بهياکل عزّ انسانی در ميان خلق ظاهر فرمود تا حکايت نمايند از آن ذات ازليّه و ساذج قدميّه و اين مرايای قدسيّه و مطالع هويّه بتمامهم

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying, “His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them all,” hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.

Translation Notes

چُون

ch-w-n

literal: since; when; as

ابواب

b-w-b → “door”

literal: door; gate; chapter; way; manner

عرفان

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

ذات

dh-w-t → “unchangeable Being” Distinctive

literal: essence; self; being

ازل

ʾ-z-l → “everlasting”

literal: eternity; pre-eternity; without beginning; eternal; everlasting; from eternity

بر

b-r-r

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

وجه

w-j-h → “face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

ممکنات

m-k-n → “all created things”

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

مسدود

s-d-d → “closed”

literal: threshold; barrier; seat of authority

شد

sh-d → “was”

literal: to become; to be

لهذا

l-dh-ʾ → “therefore”

literal: therefore; for this reason; hence; so

باقتضای

q-ḍ-y → “decree” Distinctive

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for; to require; to necessitate; to demand

رحمت

r-ḥ-m → “infinite grace”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

واسعه

w-s-ʿ → “contain” Distinctive

literal: to contain; to encompass; to be capacious

"سبقت

s-b-q → “hath surpassed” Distinctive

literal: precede; preceded; precedence

کلّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

شیء

sh-y-ʾ → “things”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

جواهر

j-w-h-r → “Gems”

literal: jewel; essence; gem; substance

قدس

q-d-s → “Holiness”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

نورانی

n-w-r → “luminous” Distinctive

literal: light; illumination

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

عوالم

ʿ-l-m → “realm”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

روحانی

r-w-ḥ → “spirit”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

بهياکل

h-y-k-l → “human temple” Distinctive

literal: temple; structure; form; body

عزّ

ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

انسانی

ʾ-n-s

literal: human; mankind; of humanity

در

d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

ميان

m-y-n → “midst”

literal: between; among; amid; in the midst of

خلق

kh-l-q

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

ظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “manifest”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

فرمود

f-r-m → “hath caused”

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

تا

t-y-y → “so that”

literal: so that/until

حکايت

ḥ-k-y → “story”

literal: telling; indicative; narrator; testifier; narrative; story; account; tale; to relate; one who relates; speaking of

نمايند

n-m-ʾ → “may”

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