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Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §240

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 240 of 268.

Source (Persian)

يا هادی سبب اوهام جديده مشو مرّة اخری بترتيب حزبی مثل حزب شيعه راضی مباش تفکّر نما چه مقدار خون ريخته شد از جمله خود تو که مدّعی علم بودی و همچنين علمای شيعه طرّا در سنه اولی و اخری حق را لعن نموديد و فتوی بر سفک دم اطهرش داديد * اتق اللّه يا هادی راضی مشو عباد مجدّد باوهام قبل مبتلی شوند اتّق اللّه و لا تکن من الظّالمين * اين ايّام اصغا شد در جمع بيان و محو ان همّت نموده ای * اين مظلوم از تو ميطلبد اين اراده را لوجه اللّه ترک نمائی ادراک و عقل تو از سيّد عالم برتر و بالاتر نبوده و نيست * حقّ شاهد و گواهست که اين مظلوم بيانرا تلاوت ننموده و مطالبش را نديده اين قدر معلوم و واضح و مبرهن است که کتاب بيان را اسّ کتب خود قرار فرموده از خدا بترس در اموری که شان تو نيست داخل مشو * هزار و دويست سنه شيعه بيچاره را امثال تو به بئر اوهام و ظنون مبتلی نمودند بالآخره در يوم جزا ظاهر شد انچه که ظالمهای قبل بحقّ پناه بردند *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O Hádí! Suffer not thyself to become the instrument for the dissemination of new superstitions, and refuse to set up once again a sect similar to that of the Shí‘ahs. Reflect how great the amount of blood which hath been spilt. Thou amongst others, who hast laid claim to knowledge, and likewise the Shí‘ah divines, have, one and all, in the first and ensuing years, cursed the True One, and decreed that His most holy blood be shed. Fear God, O Hádí! Be not willing that men be again afflicted with the vain imaginings of former times. Fear God, and be not of them that act unjustly. In these days We have heard that thou hast striven to lay hands on and destroy every copy of the Bayán. This Wronged One requesteth thee to renounce, for the sake of God, this intention. Thine intelligence and judgment have never excelled, nor do they now excel, the intelligence and judgment of Him Who is the Prince of the World. God testifieth and beareth Me witness that this Wronged One hath not perused the Bayán, nor been acquainted with its contents. This much, however, is known and is clear and indubitable that He hath ordained the Book of the Bayán to be the foundation of His works. Fear God, and meddle not in matters which far transcend thee. For twelve hundred years they that resemble thee have afflicted the hapless Shí‘ahs in the pit of vain fancies and idle imaginings. Finally, there appeared, on the Day of Judgment things against which the oppressors of old have sought refuge with the True One.

Translation Notes

يا

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

هادی

literal: guidance; to guide; direction; leading rightly; this; this one

سبب

literal: cause; reason; means; instrument

اوهام
w-h-m “not” Distinctive

literal: to imagine, suppose; fancy, idle imagination

جديده

literal: new, novel, renewed; novelty, innovation

مشو

literal: be; become

مرّة

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

اخری

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

بترتيب
r-t-b “times” Distinctive

literal: rank; station; degree; time; instance

حزبی

literal: party; people; community

مثل
m-th-l “similar to that” Distinctive

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

شيعه

literal: Shia; followers; follower

راضی
r-ḍ-y “good-pleasure” Distinctive

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction; satisfaction; pleasure; approval; contentment

مباش
b-w-d “is” Distinctive

literal: be, exist; do not be (in negative imperative)

تفکّر
f-k-r “Reflect” Distinctive

literal: thoughts; ideas; fancies; opinions; to think; to reflect; to contemplate

نما
n-m-ʾ “hath” Distinctive

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

چه

literal: what; what/for; whatsoever, that which

مقدار
q-d-r “how great” Distinctive

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

خون

literal: blood

ريخته

literal: poured; spilled; shed; to pour; to shed; to flow

شد
sh-d “appeared” Distinctive

literal: to become; to be

از

literal: from

جمله

literal: beauty; totality; beautiful

خود
kh-w-d “His” Distinctive

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

تو

literal: you

که

literal: that; who; who, that

مدّعی

literal: to claim; to allege; claim; assertion; to assert

علم

literal: world; universe; the worlds

همچنين

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

طرّا

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

در

literal: in; in, at; radiant

سنه

literal: year; way; tradition; custom

اولی
ʾ-w-l “first” Distinctive

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

حق
ḥ-q-q “True One” Distinctive

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

را

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

لعن

literal: to curse; to revile; curse

فتوی

literal: fatwa; legal decision; pronouncement

بر

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

سفک

literal: to shed; to spill; bloodshed; to shed (blood)

دم

literal: breath; moment; instant

اطهرش
ṭ-h-r “pure” Distinctive

literal: purify; pure; purified

داديد

literal: give

اتق

literal: fear; piety; to fear

اللّه

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

عباد

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

قبل
q-b-l “former” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

مبتلی

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

لا

literal: no; not; negation particle

تکن

literal: to be; existence

من

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

الظّالمين
ẓ-l-m “act unjustly” Distinctive

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

اين

literal: this; these

ايّام

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

اصغا

literal: to listen, hear; to give ear

جمع
j-m-ʿ “every” Distinctive

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

بيان
b-y-n “Bayán” Distinctive

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

محو

literal: to efface; to obliterate; to blot out; to cause to disappear

همّت

literal: them (feminine or general); by them; through them

نموده
n-m-ود “they” Distinctive

literal: do; to do; do/make

ای
ʾ-y-y “signs” Distinctive

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

ميطلبد
ṭ-l-b “theme” Distinctive

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

اراده

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

لوجه

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

ترک

literal: to leave; to abandon; to forsake

ادراک

literal: to overtake; to catch; to reach; to attain; to perceive; to comprehend

عقل

literal: intellect; wise persons; to understand

سيّد
s-y-d “my Master” Distinctive

literal: master; lord; chief; my master

بالاتر

literal: upon; exalted; upon-it

شاهد

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

تلاوت

literal: to recite; to read; to follow

نديده

literal: Persian verb دیدن (to see), not Arabic د-ي-د

واضح

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

مبرهن
b-r-h-n “testimonies” Distinctive

literal: human; mankind; human nature

کتاب

literal: book; scripture; writing

اسّ

literal: foundation; basis; groundwork; founder; establisher; to found; to establish; we have founded

قرار

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

فرموده
f-r-m “He” Distinctive

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

خدا

literal: God; the Divine

بترس
t-r-s “alarm” Distinctive

literal: to fear; to frighten; afraid

اموری
ʾ-m-r “Cause” Distinctive

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

شان

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

داخل

literal: to enter; to admit; to bring in

هزار

literal: thousand

دويست
d-w “two” Distinctive

literal: friend; beloved; to befriend

بيچاره

literal: helpless; wretched; hapless; unfortunate

به
b-h “in” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

بئر

literal: concerning; in the matter of

ظنون

literal: fancy; supposition; vain imagination; idle conjecture

جزا
j-z-y “recompense” Distinctive

literal: recompense; reward; reward/recompense

ظاهر

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

انچه

literal: that; those; he; she; it

پناه

literal: refuge; shelter; protection; asylum

بردند

literal: brother; take; coldness

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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