Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §18

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 18 of 268.

Source (Persian)

اليوم دين اللّه و مذهب اللّه انکه مذاهب مختلفه و سبل متعدّده را سبب و علّت بغضاء ننمايند اين اصول و قوانين و راههای محکم متين از مطلع واحد ظاهر و از مشرق واحد مشرق و اين اختلافات نظر بمصالح وقت و زمان و قرون و اعصار بوده *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

That the divers communions of the earth, and the manifold systems of religious belief, should never be allowed to foster the feelings of animosity among men, is, in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God and His Religion. These principles and laws, these firmly-established and mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source, and are rays of one Light. That they differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated.

Translation Notes

اليوم

y-w-m → “Day”

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

دين

d-y-n → “Faith”

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

اللّه

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

مذهب

dh-h-b → “Religion”

literal: religion; creed; doctrine; belief; sect

انکه

ʾ-n

literal: that; indeed; that, to

مختلفه

kh-l-f → “divers”

literal: opposing; contrary; conflicting

سبل

s-b-l → “path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

متعدّده

ʿ-d-d → “capacity” Distinctive

literal: transgressor; aggressor; one who exceeds bounds; transgression; to transgress; to exceed bounds

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

سبب

s-b-b

literal: cause; reason; means; instrument

علّت

ʿ-l-l

literal: for us; to us

بغضاء

b-gh-ḍ → “animosity” Distinctive

literal: hatred; enmity; animosity

ننمايند

n-m-ود → “they”

literal: to show, to display, to manifest, to exhibit; to manifest; to display; to show

اين

ʾ-y-n

literal: this; these

اصول

ʾ-ṣ-l → “principles” Distinctive

literal: principles; foundations; rules; origins

قوانين

q-n-n → “laws”

literal: law; canon; principle

راههای

r-ʾ-h → “show Thy way” Distinctive

literal: paths; ways; roads; methods

محکم

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom” Distinctive

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

متين

m-t-n → “mighty”

literal: strong; firm; solid; robust

از

ʾ-z → “from”

literal: from

مطلع

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Source” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

واحد

w-ḥ-d → “one”

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

ظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “have proceeded” Distinctive

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

مشرق

sh-r-q → “Light” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

نظر

n-ẓ-r

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

بمصالح

ṣ-l-ḥ → “requirements”

literal: peace; reconciliation

وقت

w-q-t → “ages”

literal: time; occasion; moment; period

زمان

z-m-n → “earth” Distinctive

literal: time; age; era; period

قرون

q-r-n

literal: conjunction; union; coupling; association

اعصار

ʿ-ṣ-r

literal: age; era; century; period of time

بوده

b-w-d → “were promulgated” Distinctive

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Fire Tablet

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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 ¶