Skip to main content

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §226

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 226 of 268.

Source (Persian)

و همچنين ميفرمايد [ لا تحتجبنّ عن اللّه بعد ظهوره فانّ کلّ ما رفع البيان کخاتم فی يدی و انّی انا خاتم فی يدی من يظهره اللّه جلّ ذکره يقلّب کيف يشاء لما يشاء بما يشاء انّه لهو المهيمن المتعال ] و همچنين ميفرمايد [ فانّه لو يجعل ما علی الارض نبيّا ليکوننّ انبياء عند اللّه ] و همچنين ميفرمايد [ و اذا يوم ظهور من يظهره اللّه کلّ من علی الارض عنده سواء فمن يجعله نبيّا کان نبيّا من اوّل الّذی لا اوّل له الی آخر الّذي لا آخر له لانّ ذلک ممّا قد جعله اللّه و من يجعله وليّا فذلک ما کان وليّا فی کلّ العوالم فانّ ذلک ممّا قد جعله اللّه لانّ مشيّة اللّه لن يظهر الّا بمشيّته و ارادة اللّه لم يظهر الّا بارادته و انّه لهو القاهر المقتدر المنيع ] انتهی *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And likewise, He saith: "Suffer not yourselves to be shut out as by a veil from God after He hath revealed Himself. For all that hath been exalted in the Bayán is but as a ring upon My hand, and I Myself am, verily, but a ring upon the hand of Him Whom God shall make manifest - glorified be His mention! He turneth it as He pleaseth, for whatsoever He pleaseth, and through whatsoever He pleaseth. He, verily, is the Help in Peril, the Most High." And likewise, He saith: "Were He to make of every one on earth a Prophet, all would, in very truth, be accounted as Prophets in the sight of God." And likewise, He saith: "In the day of the revelation of Him Whom God shall make manifest all that dwell on earth will be equal in His estimation. Whomsoever He ordaineth as a Prophet, he, verily, hath been a Prophet from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will thus remain until the end that hath no end, inasmuch as this is an act of God. And whosoever is made a Viceregent by Him, shall be a Viceregent in all the worlds, for this is an act of God. For the will of God can in no wise be revealed except through His will, nor His wish be manifested save through His wish. He, verily, is the All-Conquering, the All-Powerful, the All-Highest."

Translation Notes

همچنين

literal: always; ever; forever; at all times; constantly

ميفرمايد

literal: to say; to decree; to ordain; to command

لا

literal: no; not; negation particle

تحتجبنّ
ḥ-j-b “veils” Distinctive

literal: to veil oneself, to be veiled

عن

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

اللّه

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

بعد

literal: after; behind; distance

ظهوره
ẓ-h-r “hath revealed” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

فانّ
ʾ-n-n “For” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

کلّ

literal: for us; to us

ما

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

رفع

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

البيان

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident

کخاتم
kh-t-m “Seal” Distinctive

literal: to seal; to conclude; to end; seal

فی

literal: in; in-it; in it

يدی

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers

انّی
ʾ-n-n “that” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

انا

literal: that; those; he; she; it

من

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

جلّ

literal: exalted; glory; majesty

ذکره

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

يقلّب

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

کيف

literal: how; in what manner

يشاء
sh-y-ʾ “as He pleaseth” Distinctive

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

لما

literal: when; certainly-not; when, since

لهو

literal: to distract; to divert; to amuse

المهيمن

literal: the Protector; the Overseer; the Guardian; inspiration; revelation; intuition

المتعال

literal: highest; most high; supreme

لو

literal: if; would that; O that

يجعل

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

الارض

literal: earth; land; ground; country

نبيّا

literal: prophet; prophets

ليکوننّ

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

انبياء

literal: prophet; prophets

عند
ʿ-n-d “in the sight” Distinctive

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

اذا

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

يوم

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

سواء

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

فمن

literal: from; who; bestower

اوّل

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

الّذی
l-dh-y “that” Distinctive

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

الی

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

آخر

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

لانّ

literal: that; those; he; she; it

ذلک

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

قد
q-d

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

وليّا

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

العوالم

literal: world; universe; the worlds

لن

literal: will not (negation of future)

ارادة

literal: to will; to intend; to wish; will, volition, intention, desire

لم

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

بارادته

literal: to will; to intend; to wish; will, volition, intention, desire

القاهر

literal: to overpower; to vanquish; wrath; might; force; compulsion; overwhelming

المقتدر

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

المنيع
m-n-ʿ “hinder” Distinctive

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

انتهی

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

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Fire Tablet cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 cover

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 ¶