Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §137

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 137 of 268.

Source (Persian)

* تاللّه ما اعجزنی البلاء و ما اضعفنی اعراض العلماء نطقت و انطق امام الوجوه قد فتح باب الفضل و اتی مطلع العدل بآيات واضحات و حجج باهرات من لدی اللّه المقتدر القدير * احضر بين يدی الوجه لتسمع اسرار ما سمعه ابن عمران فی طور العرفان * کذلک يامرک مشرق ظهور ربّک الرّحمن من شطر سجنه العظيم *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

"By God! Troubles have failed to unnerve Me, and the repudiation of the divines hath been powerless to weaken Me. I have spoken, and still speak forth before the face of men: \‘The door of grace hath been unlocked and He Who is the Dayspring of Justice is come with perspicuous signs and evident testimonies, from God, the Lord of strength and of might!' Present thyself before Me that thou mayest hear the mysteries which were heard by the Son of Imran (Moses) upon the Sinai of Wisdom. Thus commandeth thee He Who is the Dawning-Place of the Revelation of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, from His great Prison."

Translation Notes

تاللّه

ʾ-l-h → ““By God”

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

ما

m-ʾ

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

اعجزنی

ʿ-j-z → “failed”

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence; أعجاز (roots of trees/extremities) is Pattern II plural, distinct from ‘inability’ forms

البلاء

b-l-w → “Troubles” Distinctive

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

اضعفنی

ḍ-ʿ-f → “weakness” Distinctive

literal: weak; feeble; imperfect

اعراض

ʿ-r-ḍ → “repudiation” Distinctive

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

العلماء

ʿ-l-m → “divines”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

نطقت

n-ṭ-q → “have spoken”

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

امام

ʾ-m-m → “before”

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

الوجوه

w-j-h → “face”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

قد

q-d → “We have been”

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

فتح

f-t-ḥ → “unlocked”

literal: opening; opening up; conquests; revelations; disclosure

باب

b-w-b → “door”

literal: door; gate; chapter; way; manner

الفضل

f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

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

مطلع

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

العدل

ʿ-d-l → “Justice”

literal: justice; equity

بآيات

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

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

واضحات

w-ḍ-ḥ → “evident”

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

حجج

ḥ-j-j → “testimonies”

literal: path, way; clear path

باهرات

b-h-r → “resplendent”

literal: portion, share; for the sake of; spring (season)

من

m-n → “from”

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

لدی

l-d-y → “before”

literal: with; in the presence of; from; by

المقتدر

q-d-r → “might”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

احضر

ḥ-ḍ-r → “His Majesty” Distinctive

literal: presence; majesty; His/Your Excellency

بين

b-y-n

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

يدی

y-d-y

literal: hand; power; action; possession

لتسمع

s-m-ʿ → “hear”

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

اسرار

s-r-r → “mysteries”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

ابن

b-n-y → “Son”

literal: son

عمران

ʿ-m-r → “By My life”

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

فی

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

طور

ṭ-w-r → “rustling” Distinctive

literal: states; conditions; stages; modes; phases; manner

العرفان

ʿ-r-f → “Wisdom” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

کذلک

dh-l-k → “Thus”

literal: thus; likewise; also

يامرک

ʾ-m-r → “commandeth”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

مشرق

sh-r-q → “Dawning-Place” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

ظهور

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation”

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

ربّک

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

الرّحمن

r-ḥ-m → “Mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

شطر

sh-ṭ-r

literal: side, direction; half; to split

سجنه

s-j-n → “Prison”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison