Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §129

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 129 of 268.

Source (Persian)

يا شيخ اين آيات محکمات در يکی از الواح از قلم ابهی نازل * يا عبد اسمع نداء المظلوم الّذی حمل الشّدائد و البلايا فی سبيل اللّه مالک الاسماء الی ان سجن فی ارض الطّاء انّه دعا النّاس الی الجنّة العليا و هم اخذوه و داروا به فی المدن و الدّيار * کم من ليل طار النّوم من عيون احبّائی حبّا لنفسی و کم من يوم قام عَلَیَّ الاحزاب * مرّة رأيت نفسی علی اعلی الجبال و اخری فی سجن الطّاء فی السّلاسل و الاغلال * لعمر اللّه قد کنت شاکرا ناطقا ذاکرا متوجّها راضيا خاضعا خاشعا فی کلّ الاحوال * کذلک مضت ايّامی الی ان انتهت الی هذا السّجن الّذی به تزلزلت الارض و ناحت السّموات * طوبی لعبد نبذ الظّنون اذ اتی المکنون برايات الآيات * انّا اخبرنا النّاس بهذا الظّهور الاعظم و لکن القوم فی سکر عجاب *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O Shaykh! These perspicuous verses have been sent down in one of the Tablets by the Abhá Pen: "Hearken, O servant, unto the voice of this Wronged One, Who hath endured grievous vexations and trials in the path of God, the Lord of all Names, until such time as He was cast into prison, in the Land of Ta (Ṭihrán). He summoned men unto the most sublime Paradise, and yet they seized Him and paraded Him through cities and countries. How many the nights during which slumber fled from the eyes of My loved ones, because of their love for Me; and how numerous the days whereon I had to face the assaults of the peoples against Me! At one time I found Myself on the heights of mountains; at another in the depths of the prison of Ta (Ṭihrán), in chains and fetters. By the righteousness of God! I was at all times thankful unto Him, uttering His praise, engaged in remembering Him, directed towards Him, satisfied with His pleasure, and lowly and submissive before Him. So passed My days, until they ended in this Prison (‘Akká) which hath made the earth to tremble and the heavens to sigh. Happy that one who hath cast away his vain imaginings, when He Who was hid came with the standards of His signs. We, verily, have announced unto men this Most Great Revelation, and yet the people are in a state of strange stupor."

Translation Notes

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

شيخ

sh-y-kh → “Shaykh”

literal: elder; elder/shaykh; sheikh

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

آيات

ʾ-y-y → “verses”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

محکمات

ḥ-k-m → “perspicuous”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

يکی

w-ḥ-d → “one”

literal: one; any; each

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

الواح

l-w-ḥ → “Tablets”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

قلم

q-l-m → “Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

ابهی

b-h-w → “Abhá” Distinctive

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

نازل

n-z-l → “have been sent down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عبد

ʿ-b-d → “servant”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

اسمع

s-m-ʿ → ““Hearken”

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

نداء

n-d-y → “voice”

literal: call; voice; proclamation; forty; forty years

المظلوم

ẓ-l-m → “Wronged One”

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

الّذی

l-dh-y → “which”

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

حمل

ḥ-m-l → “hath endured”

literal: to bear; to endure; to carry; to tolerate

الشّدائد

sh-d-d → “grievous vexations”

literal: strong; severe; intense; violent

البلايا

b-l-w → “trials” Distinctive

literal: affliction; trial; calamity; trial, tribulation, affliction, calamity; yes; indeed; verily

فی

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

سبيل

s-b-l → “path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

اللّه

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

مالک

m-l-k → “Lord”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

الاسماء

s-m-w → “Names”

literal: heaven; sky

الی

ʾ-l-y → “until such time as”

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

ان

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

سجن

s-j-n → “prison”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison

ارض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “Land”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

الطّاء

ṭ-y-y → “traverse”

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

انّه

ʾ-n-n → “He”

literal: I, verily; behold I

دعا

d-ʿ-w → “summoned”

literal: to let, allow, leave

النّاس

n-ʾ-s → “men”

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

الجنّة

j-n-n → “Paradise”

literal: garden; paradise; heaven

العليا

ʿ-l-w → “most sublime” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

هم

h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

اخذوه

ʾ-kh-dh → “seized”

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

داروا

d-w-r → “far” Distinctive

literal: to enter; to come; to arrive; to occur; contempt; disdain; humiliation; to turn away; to ward off

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

المدن

m-d-n → “cities”

literal: city; town

کم

k-m-m → “How many”

literal: how many

من

m-n → “My” Distinctive

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

ليل

l-y-l → “nights”

literal: night; darkness

طار

ṭ-y-r → “soar”

literal: bird; fly; flight

النّوم

n-w-m → “slumber”

literal: to sleep; to slumber

عيون

ʿ-y-n → “eyes”

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

احبّائی

ḥ-b-b → “loved ones”

literal: love; affection

لنفسی

n-f-s → “Me” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

يوم

y-w-m → “days”

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

قام

q-w-m → “people” Distinctive

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

الاحزاب

ḥ-z-b → “people”

literal: party; people; community

مرّة

m-r-r → “At one time”

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

رأيت

r-ʾ-y → “found”

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 → “mountains”

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

اخری

ʾ-kh-r → “another”

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

السّلاسل

s-l-s → “the chains”

literal: chain; links; succession

الاغلال

gh-l-l → “chained” Distinctive

literal: one who envies; envious; malicious

لعمر

ʿ-m-r → “By the righteousness”

literal: life; age; duration; by the life of (oath)

قد

q-d → “We have been”

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

کنت

k-w-n → “was”

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

شاکرا

sh-k-r → “thankful”

literal: thankfulness, gratitude; to give thanks, be grateful; manifest; evident; apparent; clear

ناطقا

n-ṭ-q → “uttering His praise”

literal: to speak; to utter; to pronounce; to articulate

ذاکرا

dh-k-r → “engaged in remembering”

literal: mention; remembrance; mentioned

متوجّها

w-j-h → “directed towards”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

راضيا

r-ḍ-y → “satisfied with His pleasure”

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction; satisfaction; pleasure; approval; contentment

خاضعا

kh-ḍ-ʿ → “submissiveness”

literal: humility; submissiveness; lowliness

خاشعا

kh-sh-ʿ

literal: fear of God; awe; reverence; submission

کلّ

k-l-l → “all”

literal: for us; to us

الاحوال

ḥ-w-l → “times”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

کذلک

dh-l-k → “So”

literal: thus; likewise; also

مضت

m-ḍ-y → “passed”

literal: to pass, go by; have passed; past; bygone

انتهت

n-h-y

literal: end, limit, utmost, extreme; final; the end, limit, utmost bound; Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing; end; limit; terminus

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

تزلزلت

z-l-z-l → “dismayed” Distinctive

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

الارض

ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; ground; country

ناحت

n-w-ḥ → “to sigh” Distinctive

literal: to wail; to lament; lamentation

طوبی

ṭ-w-b → “Happy”

literal: happiness; blessedness; felicity

نبذ

n-b-dh → “cast away”

literal: to cast; to reject; to abandon; to throw away

الظّنون

ẓ-n-n → “vain imaginings”

literal: fancy; supposition; vain imagination; idle conjecture

اذ

ʾ-dh-dh → “whilst”

literal: when; since

اتی

ʾ-t-y → “come”

literal: to come; to arrive; to bring; to go; coming; arrival; the one coming; to give; Revelation; came; gave; brought

المکنون

k-n-n → “hid”

literal: to do; to make; to perform

برايات

r-y-y → “standards”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

اخبرنا

kh-b-r → “announced”

literal: all-knowing; aware; well-informed; omniscient

الظّهور

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

الاعظم

ʿ-ẓ-m → “Most Great”

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

لکن

l-k-n → “yet”

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

سکر

s-k-r → “inebriated”

literal: to become drunk; intoxication; inebriation

عجاب

ʿ-j-b

literal: wonder; strange; wonder, marvel

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 ¶