Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §108

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 108 of 268.

Source (Persian)

* اين نسبت فساد همان نسبت فساديست که از قبل فراعنه بحضرت کليم اللّه داده‌اند * اقرأ ما انزله الرّحمن فی الفرقان قوله تبارک و تعالی ﴿وَ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوْسَی بِآيَاتِنَا وَ سُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ إِلَی فِرْعَوْنَ وَ هَامَانَ وَ قَارُونَ فَقَالُوا سَاحِرٌ کَذَّابٌ * فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ بِالحَقِّ مِنْ عِنْدِنَا قَالُوا اقْتُلُوا أَبْنَاءَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ وَ اسْتَحْيُوا نِسَاءَهُمْ وَ مَا کَيْدُ الکَافِرِينَ إِلَّا فِی ضَلَالٍ * وَ قَالَ فِرْعَونُ ذَرُونِی أَقْتُلْ مُوْسَی وَ لْيَدْعُ رَبَّهُ إِنِّی أَخَافُ أَنْ يُبَدِّلَ دِيْنَکُمْ أَوْ أَنْ يُظْهِرَ فِی الأَرْضِ الفَسَادَ * وَ قَالَ مُوْسَی إِنِّی عُذْتُ بِرَبِّی وَ رَبِّکُم مِنْ کُلِّ مُتَکَبِّرٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِيَوْمِ الحِسَابِ﴾

Shoghi Effendi Translation

This charge of fomenting discord is the same as that imputed aforetime by the Pharaohs of Egypt to Him Who conversed with God (Moses). Read thou what the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur’án. He - may He be blessed and glorified - saith: "Moreover We had sent Moses of old with Our signs and with clear authority to Pharaoh, and Haman, and Qarun: and they said: \‘Sorcerer, impostor!' And when He came to them from Our presence with the truth, they said: \‘Slay the sons of those who believe as He doth, and save their females alive,' but the stratagem of the unbelievers issued only in failure. And Pharaoh said: \‘Let me alone, that I may kill Moses; and let him call upon his Lord: I fear lest he change your religion, or cause disorder to show itself in the land.' And Moses said: \‘I take refuge with my Lord, and your Lord from every proud one who believeth not in the Day of Reckoning.'"

Translation Notes

اين

ʾ-y-n → “This”

literal: this; these

نسبت

n-s-b → “relationship”

literal: relation; relationship; connection; attribution; proportion

فساد

f-s-d → “mischief”

literal: corruption; ruin; discord; mischief; decay

همان

h-m → “all” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

که

k-h → “as” Distinctive

literal: that; who; who, that

از

ʾ-z → “by” Distinctive

literal: from

قبل

q-b-l → “aforetime” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

فراعنه

f-r-ʿ → “offshoots”

literal: branch; offshoot; to branch off

بحضرت

ḥ-ḍ-r → “to Him”

literal: presence; majesty; His/Your Excellency

کليم

k-l-m → “Who conversed with God”

literal: all; every; whole; entirety

اللّه

ʾ-l-h

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

داده‌اند

d-ʾ-d → “of equity” Distinctive

literal: give; grant; bestow; award

اقرأ

q-r-ʾ → “Read thou” Distinctive

literal: Qur’an; recitation; to read, recite; to read; to recite

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

انزله

n-z-l → “revealed” Distinctive

literal: to descend, to be revealed

الرّحمن

r-ḥ-m → “All-Merciful”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

فی

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الفرقان

f-r-q → “Qur’án”

literal: faction; sect; group; company

قوله

q-w-l → “saith”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

تبارک

b-r-k → “blessed”

literal: blessed; auspicious; fruitful; blest; blessed word

تعالی

ʿ-l-w → “glorified”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

لَقَدْ

q-d → “We have been”

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

أَرْسَلْنَا

r-s-l

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

بِآيَاتِنَا

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: beware; take heed; woe to you

سُلْطَانٍ

s-l-ṭ → “sovereignty”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

مُبِينٍ

b-y-n → “clear” Distinctive

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

إِلَی

ʾ-l-y → “to”

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

سَاحِرٌ

s-ḥ-r → “\‘Sorcerer”

literal: dawn, daybreak; morning hour

کَذَّابٌ

k-dh-b → “impostor”

literal: denial; belying; falsification; rejection; liar; lying; false

فَلَمَّا

l-m-m → “No sooner”

literal: when; as soon as; thereupon

جَاءَهُمْ

j-y-ʾ → “come” Distinctive

literal: to come; to arrive; to happen

بِالحَقِّ

ḥ-q-q → “truth”

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

مِنْ

m-n → “from Our”

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

عِنْدِنَا

ʿ-n-d → “presence”

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

اقْتُلُوا

q-t-l → “\‘Slay”

literal: kill; killing; killed

أَبْنَاءَ

b-n-y → “sons” Distinctive

literal: son; foundation; sons

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

آمَنُوا

ʾ-m-n → “believe”

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

مَعَهُ

m-ʿ → “notwithstanding”

literal: معه = مع + ه (with him), preposition, not from root ع-م-م

اسْتَحْيُوا

ḥ-y-y

literal: greeting; salutation; tribute; to make alive; to revive

نِسَاءَهُمْ

n-s-w → “females”

literal: women; creation; humanity

کَيْدُ

k-y-d → “stratagem”

literal: plot, stratagem, guile, cunning

الکَافِرِينَ

k-f-r → “repudiated” Distinctive

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

إِلَّا

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

literal: end; hereafter; other

ضَلَالٍ

ḍ-l-l → “error”

literal: error; straying; misguidance; delusion; falsehood

ذَرُونِی

dh-r-r → “atom” Distinctive

literal: atom; atoms; particle

لْيَدْعُ

d-ʿ-w → “summoned”

literal: call; invitation; claim

رَبَّهُ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

إِنِّی

ʾ-n-n → “I”

literal: I, verily; behold I

أَخَافُ

kh-w-f → “fear”

literal: fear; fearful; to fear

أَنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يُبَدِّلَ

b-d-l → “change”

literal: change; transformation; exchange

دِيْنَکُمْ

d-y-n → “religion”

literal: religion; faith; creed

أَوْ

h-w-w → “is”

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

يُظْهِرَ

ẓ-h-r → “show” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

الأَرْضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “land” Distinctive

literal: earth; land; ground; country

عُذْتُ

ʿ-w-dh → “God forbid” Distinctive

literal: we seek refuge; seek-refuge; we-seek-refuge

کُلِّ

k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

مُتَکَبِّرٍ

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: greatest; greater; grandeur

لَا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يُؤْمِنُ

ʾ-m-n → “believeth”

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure; trust; trustworthiness; covenant; deposit; believer, faithful

بِيَوْمِ

y-w-m → “Day”

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

الحِسَابِ﴾

ḥ-s-b → “Reckoning”

literal: according to; in accordance with; as regards

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Gleanings

Bahá’u’lláh

A compilation of 166 selections from Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets, spanning the Baghdad, Adrianople, and ‘Akká periods (1853–1892). George Townshend assisted with English refinement. Shoghi Effendi wrote that it gives the friends a splendid opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of the Faith.

729 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Kitáb-i-Íqán

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶