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Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §156

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 156 of 268.

Source (Persian)

يا ايّها الغافل ان کنت فی ريب ممّا نحن عليه انّا نشهد بما شهد اللّه قبل خلق السّموات و الارض انّه لا اله الّا هو العزيز الوهّاب و نشهد انّه کان واحدا فی ذاته و واحدا فی صفاته لم يکن له شبه فی الابداع و لا شريک فی الاختراع قد ارسل الرّسل و انزل الکتب ليبشّروا الخلق الی سواء الصّراط *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

"O thou who art gone astray! If thou hast any doubt concerning Our conduct, know thou that We bear witness unto that whereunto God hath Himself borne witness ere the creation of the heavens and of the earth, that there is none other God but Him, the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. We testify that He is One in His Essence, One in His Attributes. He hath none to equal Him in the whole universe, nor any partner in all creation. He hath sent forth His Messengers, and sent down His Books, that they may announce unto His creatures the Straight Path.

Translation Notes

يا

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

ايّها

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

الغافل

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

ان

literal: that; those; he; she; it

کنت
k-w-n “thou hast” Distinctive

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

فی

literal: in; in-it; in it

ريب

literal: doubt, suspicion, uncertainty; doubt; suspicion

نحن

literal: we

عليه

literal: highest; most high; supreme

نشهد

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بما
m-ʾ “that” Distinctive

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

اللّه

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

قبل

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

خلق

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

السّموات

literal: heaven; sky

الارض

literal: earth; land; ground; country

انّه

literal: I, verily; behold I

لا

literal: no; not; negation particle

اله

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

الّا
ʾ-kh-r “but” Distinctive

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

هو

literal: He; He is

العزيز

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

الوهّاب

literal: gift; grant; bestowal

واحدا

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

ذاته

literal: self; essence; being

صفاته

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

لم

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

شبه
sh-b-h “equal” Distinctive

literal: doubt; uncertainty; suspicion; resemblance; semblance

الابداع
b-d-ʿ “wondrous” Distinctive

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

شريک

literal: partner; associate; sharer; companion

الاختراع

literal: invention; creation; origination

قد

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

ارسل

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

انزل

literal: to descend, to be revealed

الکتب

literal: book; scripture; writing

ليبشّروا

literal: human; mankind; human nature

الی

literal: to; to, toward; to, until

سواء

literal: level; equal; straight; upon a throne; resting upon; toward; to; direction of; other than; besides; except

الصّراط

literal: path, way, straight path

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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