Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §183

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 183 of 268.

Source (Persian)

* جز حقّ جلّ جلاله احدی بر انچه بر اين مظلوم وارد شده اگاه نه * در هر يوم ذکری در دائره سفارت کبری در استانه اصغا ميشود * سبحان اللّه جميع تدابير منحصر شده به اسبابی که سبب و علّت تضييع اين عبد است غافل از انکه ذلّت در سبيل الهی نفس عزّتست * در ورقه اخبار اين کلمات مذکور قوله [ در تقلّبکاری بعضی از منفيّان عکّا و تعدّياتی که از انان بر بعضی وارد شده ] الی آخر قوله نزد مظاهر عدل و مطالع انصاف قصدش معلوم و مقصودش واضح * باری بانواع اذيّت و ظلم و اعتساف قيام نمود * لعمر اللّه اين مظلوم اين منفا را بوطن اعلی تبديل نمينمايد * نزد اهل بصر انچه در سبيل الهی وارد شود عزّيست مبين و مقاميست کبير * از قبل گفتيم سبحانک يا الهی لو لا البلايا فی سبيلک من اين يظهر مقام عاشقيک * و لو لا الرّزايا فی حبّک بایّ شیء يثبت شان مشتاقيک *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

God alone - exalted be His glory - is cognizant of the things which befell this Wronged One. Every day bringeth a fresh report of stories current against Us at the Embassy in Constantinople. Gracious God! The sole aim of their machinations is to bring about the extermination of this servant. They are, however, oblivious of the fact that abasement in the path of God is My true glory. In the newspapers the following hath been recorded: "Touching the fraudulent dealings of some of the exiles of ‘Akká, and the excesses committed by them against several people, etc...." Unto them who are the exponents of justice and the daysprings of equity the intention of the writer is evident and his purpose clear. Briefly, he arose and inflicted upon Me divers tribulations, and treated Me with injustice and cruelty. By God! This Wronged One would not barter this place of exile for the Most Sublime Habitation. In the estimation of men of insight whatsoever befalleth in the path of God is manifest glory and a supreme attainment. Already We have said: "Glory to Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations which are sustained in Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and were it not for the trials which are borne for love of Thee, how could the station of such as yearn for Thee be revealed?"

Translation Notes

جز

j-z → “apart from”

literal: except

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “God”

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

جلّ

j-l-l → “exalted”

literal: majesty; glory; exaltation; magnificence

احدی

ʾ-ḥ-d → “His” Distinctive

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

بر

b-r-r → “righteous” Distinctive

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

انچه

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this”

literal: this; these

مظلوم

ẓ-l-m → “Wronged One”

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

وارد

w-r-d → “befell”

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

شده

sh-d

literal: to become; to be

اگاه

ʾ-g-h → “cognizant”

literal: aware; cognizant; informed; apprised; awareness; knowledge; consciousness

نه

n-h-y

literal: end; ended; utmost

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

هر

h-r → “Every”

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

يوم

y-w-m → “day”

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

ذکری

dh-k-r → “mention” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

دائره

d-w-r

literal: in; far; lands

سفارت

s-f-r → “Embassy”

literal: embassy, envoy, intercession

کبری

k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

استانه

s-t-n → “Sublime Porte”

literal: threshold; capital city; province

اصغا

ṣ-gh-w → “hear”

literal: to listen, hear; to give ear

ميشود

sh-w-d → “be” Distinctive

literal: perhaps, perchance, haply, maybe, possibly; to become; to be; to happen; to occur

سبحان

s-b-ḥ → “Gracious God”

literal: glorified; the All-Praised; exalted; dawn; daybreak; morning

جميع

j-m-ʿ → “all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

تدابير

d-b-r → “Take ye counsel together” Distinctive

literal: management; scheme; reflect

منحصر

ḥ-ṣ-r

literal: confined; restricted; limited to; concentrated

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

اسبابی

s-b-b

literal: cause; reason; means; instrument

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

علّت

ʿ-l-l

literal: for us; to us

تضييع

ḍ-y-ʿ → “extermination”

literal: wasting; squandering; loss; harm

عبد

ʿ-b-d → “servant”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

است

b-w-d

literal: to be; are (third person plural present copula)

غافل

gh-f-l → “oblivious”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

ذلّت

dh-l-l → “abasement”

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

سبيل

s-b-l → “path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

الهی

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

نفس

n-f-s → “My” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

عزّتست

ʿ-z-z → “true glory”

literal: glory; mighty; might

ورقه

w-r-q → “leaf”

literal: leaf, page, sheet, parchment, document

اخبار

kh-b-r

literal: news; inform; informed

کلمات

k-l-m

literal: words; utterances; locutions

مذکور

dh-k-r → “recorded”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

قوله

q-w-l

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

تقلّبکاری

q-l-b → “hearts” Distinctive

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

بعضی

b-ʿ-ḍ → “some”

literal: part; some; portion

منفيّان

n-f-y → “exiles”

literal: is not; not to be; does not exist; negation, denial, banishment; to negate, deny, banish; contradiction; opposition; contrariety

تعدّياتی

ʿ-d-w → “enemies” Distinctive

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

الی

ʾ-l-y

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

آخر

ʾ-kh-r

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

نزد

n-z-d → “Unto”

literal: near; beside; with; in the presence of

مظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “exponents”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

عدل

ʿ-d-l → “justice”

literal: justice; equity

مطالع

ṭ-l-ʿ → “daysprings”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

انصاف

n-ṣ-f → “equity”

literal: justice; fairness; equity

قصدش

q-ṣ-d → “intention”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

معلوم

ʿ-l-m → “evident”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

واضح

w-ḍ-ḥ → “clear”

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

باری

b-r-y → “Briefly”

literal: well; cistern; pit

بانواع

n-w-ʿ → “divers”

literal: type; kind; species

اذيّت

ʾ-dh-y → “injury”

literal: harm; hurt; injury; persecution; torment

اعتساف

ʿ-s-f → “cruelty”

literal: oppression; tyranny; wrongdoing; unjust treatment

قيام

q-w-m → “arose”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

نمود

n-m-ʾ → “hath”

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

لعمر

ʿ-m-r → “By God”

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

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

بوطن

w-ṭ-n → “country”

literal: homeland; native country; dwelling place

اعلی

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

تبديل

b-d-l → “barter” Distinctive

literal: in place of; instead of; to change; to alter (preposition or verb stem)

اهل

ʾ-h-l → “men” Distinctive

literal: people; inhabitants; family; kin; worthy; deserving; my family; my people; my kin

بصر

b-ṣ-r → “insight”

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

مبين

b-y-n

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

کبير

k-b-r → “grandeur” Distinctive

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

قبل

q-b-l

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

گفتيم

g-f-t → “said”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

يا

y-ʾ

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

لو

l-w → “But” Distinctive

literal: if; would that; O that

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

البلايا

b-l-w → “tribulations”

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

فی

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

من

m-n

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

عاشقيک

ʿ-sh-q → “lovers”

literal: love, passion, ardor

الرّزايا

r-z-y → “the trials”

literal: calamity; disaster; affliction; misfortune; mystery; secret; hidden thing

حبّک

ḥ-b-b → “love”

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

بایّ

ʾ-y-y

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

شیء

sh-y-ʾ → “things”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

يثبت

th-b-t

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed

شان

sh-ʾ-n

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

مشتاقيک

sh-w-q → “longing” Distinctive

literal: longing; yearning; desirous

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 ¶