Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §252

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 252 of 268.

Source (Persian)

اعرف يا هادی و کن من السّامعين * انصاف ده اکثر اصحاب الهی و ادلّای حقّ شهيد شدند تو هنوز موجودی * ايا حفظ تو از چه بوده لعمر اللّه از انکار و شهادت نفوس مقدّسه از اقرار * هر صاحب عدل و انصافی باين فقره گواهی ميدهد چه که سبب و علّت اين دو بمثابه افتاب ظاهر و مشهود *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Know thou, O Hádí, and be of them that hearken. Judge thou equitably. The companions of God and the Testimonies of Him Who is the Truth have, for the most part, suffered martyrdom. Thou, however, art still alive. How is it that thou hast been spared? I swear by God! It is because of thy denial, whereas the martyrdom of the blessed souls was due to their confession. Every just and fair-minded person will bear witness unto this, inasmuch as the cause and motive of both are clear and evident as the sun.

Translation Notes

اعرف

ʿ-r-f → “Know”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

يا

literal: O; or

هادی

h-d-y → “guidance”

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

کن

k-w-n → “be”

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

من

m-n → “of them that”

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

السّامعين

s-m-ʿ → “hearken”

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

انصاف

n-ṣ-f → “equitably” Distinctive

literal: justice; fairness; equity

ده

literal: میدهند is Persian verb from دادن (to give), not Arabic د-و-ن

اکثر

k-th-r → “most part”

literal: majority; multitude; abundance; multiplicity

اصحاب

ṣ-ḥ-b → “companions”

literal: possessor; those who have; companion; followers

الهی

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

ادلّای

d-l-l → “proof” Distinctive

literal: to argue; to demonstrate; proof

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “Truth”

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

شهيد

sh-h-d → “suffered martyrdom”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

شدند

sh-d → “was” Distinctive

literal: to not become; to not be

تو

t-w-w → “thou”

literal: you

هنوز

h-n-w → “still”

literal: still; yet; hitherto

موجودی

w-j-d → “alive”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

ايا

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: does; is it that (interrogative particle); sign; verse; O! (vocative particle); him; them (object pronoun)

حفظ

ḥ-f-ẓ → “protect”

literal: guardian; preserver; keeper

از

literal: from

چه

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

بوده

b-w-d → “hast been” Distinctive

literal: be; is; to be

لعمر

ʿ-m-r → “I swear”

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

انکار

n-k-r → “denial” Distinctive

literal: denial; rejection; repudiation

نفوس

n-f-s → “souls”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

مقدّسه

q-d-s → “blessed” Distinctive

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

اقرار

q-r-r → “confession”

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

هر

h-r → “Every”

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

عدل

ʿ-d-l → “just”

literal: justice; equity

باين

b-y-n → “utterance”

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

فقره

f-q-r → “poor”

literal: poor; needy; the poor one; pauper

ميدهد

d-h

literal: میدهند is Persian verb from دادن (to give), not Arabic د-و-ن

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

سبب

s-b-b → “cause”

literal: cause; reason; means; instrument

علّت

ʿ-l-l → “motive” Distinctive

literal: for us; to us

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

دو

d-w

literal: two; run; running

بمثابه

m-th-l → “as”

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

افتاب

ʾ-f-t-ʾ-b → “Day-Star”

literal: horizon, direction, region; horizon; sun

ظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “clear” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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