Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §43

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 43 of 268.

Source (Persian)

و در مقام ديگر * ايّاکم ان تسفکوا الدّماء اخرجوا سيف اللّسان عن غمد البيان لانّ به تفتح مدائن القلوب * انّا رفعنا حکم القتل عن بينکم انّ الرّحمة سبقت الممکنات ان کنتم تعلمون *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And yet again in another connection: "Beware lest ye shed the blood of any one. Unsheathe the sword of your tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for therewith ye can conquer the citadels of men's hearts. We have abolished the law to wage holy war against each other. God's mercy hath, verily, encompassed all created things, if ye do but understand."

Translation Notes

در

d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

مقام

q-w-m → “connection”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

ديگر

d-g-r → “another”

literal: home; place; land; abode

ايّاکم

w-q-y → “Fear” Distinctive

literal: beware; take heed; woe to you

ان

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تسفکوا

s-f-k → “shed”

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

الدّماء

d-m-y → “the blood”

literal: breath; moment; instant

اخرجوا

kh-r-j → “banished”

literal: bringing out, taking out, expulsion, extraction

سيف

s-y-f → “sword”

literal: sword

اللّسان

l-s-n → “your tongue”

literal: tongue; language

عن

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

غمد

gh-m-d → “scabbard”

literal: scabbard; sheath; to sheathe

البيان

b-y-n → “utterance”

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

لانّ

ʾ-n → “for” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

تفتح

f-t-ḥ → “open”

literal: opening; opening up; conquests; revelations; disclosure

مدائن

m-d-n → “citadels” Distinctive

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

القلوب

q-l-b → “men’s hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

رفعنا

r-f-ʿ → “raised” Distinctive

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

حکم

ḥ-k-m → “law”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

القتل

q-t-l → “death”

literal: slayer; killer; murderer

الرّحمة

r-ḥ-m → “God’s mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

سبقت

s-b-q → “hath surpassed”

literal: to precede; to surpass; to excel

الممکنات

m-k-n → “all created things”

literal: establishment; confirmation; empowerment; firm settlement; place; possibility; being (negated as ‘non-being’)

کنتم

k-w-n → “ye do”

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

تعلمون

ʿ-l-m → “but understand”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Fire Tablet

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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 ¶