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Gleanings — §116

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 116 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

موجی از طمطام رحمت بی زوالش جميع ممکنات را بطراز عزّ هستی مزيّن نموده و نفحه از نفحات رضوان بی مثالش تمام موجودات را بخلعت عزّ قدسی مکرّم داشته و برشحه مطفحه از قمقام بحر مشيّت سلطان احديّتش خلق لا نهايه بما لا نهايه را از عدم محض بعرصه وجود آورده لم يزل بدايع جودش را تعطيل اخذ ننموده و لا يزال ظهورات فيض فضلش را وقوف نديده از اوّل لا اوّل خلق فرموده و الی آخر لا آخر خلق خواهد فرمود

Shoghi Effendi Translation

A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation with the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless Paradise hath invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory. A sprinkling from the unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of utter nothingness, called into being a creation which is infinite in its range and deathless in its duration. The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful grace can never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no beginning, and can have no end.

Translation Notes

بی
bí b-y

literal: without; is

SE rendered موجی (mújí), از (iz), طمطام (ṭmṭám), رحمت (rḥmt), بی (bí), زوالش (zúálsh), جميع (jmíʿ), ممکنات (mmknát), بطراز (bṭráz), عزّ (ʿzz) as “A drop, unfathomed deep, endless, His, all, creation, the ornament of, existence”

زوالش
zúálsh z-w-l → “his”

literal: cease; to cease; ceased

SE rendered موجی (mújí), از (iz), طمطام (ṭmṭám), رحمت (rḥmt), بی (bí), زوالش (zúálsh), جميع (jmíʿ), ممکنات (mmknát), بطراز (bṭráz), عزّ (ʿzz) as “A drop, unfathomed deep, endless, His, all, creation, the ornament of, existence”

هستی
hstí hstí

literal: existence; be; existence/being

SE rendered زوالش (zúálsh), جميع (jmíʿ), ممکنات (mmknát), بطراز (bṭráz), عزّ (ʿzz), هستی (hstí), مزيّن (mzízn), نموده (nmúdh), نفحه (nfḥh) as “His, all, creation, the ornament of, existence, adorned, hath, breath wafted”

life 22% existence 11% still 11% art 11% all-pervading 11% self-assertion 11% beings 11% what 11%
مثالش
mthálsh m-th-l

literal: like; likeness; example

SE rendered نفحه (nfḥh), از (iz), نفحات (nfḥát), رضوان (rḍúán), بی (bí), مثالش (mthálsh), تمام (tmám), موجودات (mújúdát), بخلعت (bkhlʿt), عزّ (ʿzz) as “breath wafted, His peerless Paradise, all, beings, the robe, sanctity and glory”

like 27% such 22% peerless 9% instance 8% even 7% equal 6% similar 6% consider 6% likeness 5% same 5%
قدسی
qdsí q-d-s → “his”

literal: holiness; holy; sanctified

SE rendered تمام (tmám), موجودات (mújúdát), بخلعت (bkhlʿt), عزّ (ʿzz), قدسی (qdsí), مکرّم (mkrrm), داشته (dáshth), برشحه (brshḥh) as “all, beings, the robe, sanctity and glory, His, invested, hath, A sprinkling”

مطفحه
mṭfḥh ṭ-f-ḥ

literal: overflowing; overflow

SE rendered عزّ (ʿzz), قدسی (qdsí), مکرّم (mkrrm), داشته (dáshth), برشحه (brshḥh), مطفحه (mṭfḥh), از (iz), قمقام (qmqám), بحر (bḥr), مشيّت (mshíht), سلطان (slṭán) as “sanctity and glory, His, invested, hath, A sprinkling, the, of, sovereign and all-pervasive Will”

قمقام
qmqám q-m-m → “the”

literal: deep; ocean

SE rendered مکرّم (mkrrm), داشته (dáshth), برشحه (brshḥh), مطفحه (mṭfḥh), از (iz), قمقام (qmqám), بحر (bḥr), مشيّت (mshíht), سلطان (slṭán), احديّتش (iḥdídtsh), خلق (khlq) as “invested, hath, A sprinkling, the, of, sovereign and all-pervasive Will, His, creation which”

بحر
bḥr b-ḥ-r → “of”

literal: sea; ocean; sea, ocean

SE rendered داشته (dáshth), برشحه (brshḥh), مطفحه (mṭfḥh), از (iz), قمقام (qmqám), بحر (bḥr), مشيّت (mshíht), سلطان (slṭán), احديّتش (iḥdídtsh), خلق (khlq) as “hath, A sprinkling, the, of, sovereign and all-pervasive Will, His, creation which”

ocean 77% sea 14% waters 4% deep 1% flood 1% through 1% rushing 1% oceans 1% beneath 1% immensity 1%
سلطان
slṭán s-l-ṭ → “his”

literal: sovereignty; king; authority

SE rendered قمقام (qmqám), بحر (bḥr), مشيّت (mshíht), سلطان (slṭán), احديّتش (iḥdídtsh), خلق (khlq), نهايه (nháyh) as “the, of, sovereign and all-pervasive Will, His, creation which, its range”

احديّتش
iḥdídtsh ʾ-ḥ-d

literal: anyone; one; oneness

SE rendered قمقام (qmqám), بحر (bḥr), مشيّت (mshíht), سلطان (slṭán), احديّتش (iḥdídtsh), خلق (khlq), نهايه (nháyh), نهايه (nháyh) as “the, of, sovereign and all-pervasive Will, His, creation which, in its duration”

divine 18% one 17% any 15% man 12% anyone 8% oneness 8% god 7% unity 6% none 5% who 4%
ظهورات
ẓhúrát ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; manifest

SE rendered تعطيل (tʿṭíl), اخذ (ikhdh), ننموده (nnmúdh), يزال (yzál), ظهورات (ẓhúrát), فيض (fíḍ), فضلش (fḍlsh), وقوف (wqúf), نديده (ndídh) as “cease, never, can, merciful grace, His, be, arrested”

فضلش
fḍlsh f-ḍ-l → “his”

literal: grace; grace/favor; grace, favor

SE rendered ننموده (nnmúdh), يزال (yzál), ظهورات (ẓhúrát), فيض (fíḍ), فضلش (fḍlsh), وقوف (wqúf), نديده (ndídh), از (iz), اوّل (iwwl) as “can, merciful grace, His, be, arrested, beginning, and”

وقوف
wqúf w-q-f → “be”

literal: aware; standing; stop

SE rendered فيض (fíḍ), فضلش (fḍlsh), وقوف (wqúf), نديده (ndídh), از (iz), اوّل (iwwl), اوّل (iwwl), خلق (khlq) as “merciful grace, His, be, arrested, beginning, and, creation hath”

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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50 ¶

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The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

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The principal doctrinal work of the Faith, revealed in Baghdad within the space of two days and two nights in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Shoghi Effendi described it as occupying a position unequalled by any work except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — a model of Persian prose, at once original, chaste, vigorous, and remarkably lucid.

291 ¶

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Prayers and Meditations

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Published in 1938, this companion volume to Gleanings contains 184 prayers and meditations selected by Shoghi Effendi from Bahá’u’lláh’s devotional writings revealed across successive exiles from Baghdad to ‘Akká. Shoghi Effendi described it as a volume whose perusal would deepen the spirit of devotion and faith.

858 ¶

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Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

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5 ¶

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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‘Abdu’l-Bahá

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59 ¶