Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §35

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 35 of 268.

Source (Persian)

و در شبی از شبها در عالم رؤيا از جميع جهات اينکلمه عليا اصغا شد انّا ننصرک بک و بقلمک لا تحزن عمّا ورد عليک و لا تخف انّک من الآمنين سوف يبعث اللّه کنوز الارض و هم رجال ينصرونک بک و باسمک الّذی به احيا اللّه افئدة العارفين *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

One night, in a dream, these exalted words were heard on every side: "Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the earth - men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him."

Translation Notes

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

شبی

sh-b → “One night”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

از

ʾ-z

literal: from

عالم

ʿ-l-m

literal: world; universe; the worlds

رؤيا

r-ʾ-y → “Thou seest” Distinctive

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

جميع

j-m-ʿ → “every”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

جهات

j-h-t → “side”

literal: direction; aspect; side; regard

اينکلمه

k-l-m → “these exalted words”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

عليا

ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; most high; supreme

اصغا

ṣ-gh-w → “were heard”

literal: to listen, hear; to give ear

شد

sh-d

literal: to become; to be

انّا

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

ننصرک

n-ṣ-r → “aid”

literal: aid, help, succor, victory, support

بقلمک

q-l-m → “by Thy Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تحزن

ḥ-z-n → “Grieve Thou”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish; to grieve; to sorrow; to be sad

عمّا

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: with them; in their company

ورد

w-r-d → “hath befallen”

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

عليک

ʿ-l-y → “upon”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

تخف

kh-w-f → “afraid”

literal: fear; fearful; to fear

انّک

ʾ-n-n → “that”

literal: that; indeed; verily

من

m-n → “from”

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

الآمنين

ʾ-m-n

literal: faith; believer; believe

سوف

s-w-f → “Erelong will”

literal: shall; will (future marker)

يبعث

b-ʿ-th → “raise up”

literal: sent; send; resurrection

اللّه

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

کنوز

k-n-z → “treasures”

literal: treasure; treasure-trove; hidden store; treasury

الارض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “of the earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

هم

h-m-m

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

رجال

r-j-l → “men”

literal: man; men; person

باسمک

s-m-w → “through Thy Name”

literal: to name, to nominate, to designate, to appoint

الّذی

l-dh-y → “which”

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

به

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

احيا

ḥ-y-y → “life” Distinctive

literal: life; living; shame

افئدة

f-ʾ-d → “hearts”

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind

العارفين

ʿ-r-f

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Fire Tablet

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50 ¶

Gleanings

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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57 ¶

The Hidden Words

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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

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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 ¶