Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §54

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 54 of 268.

Source (Persian)

در صحيفه بيان اين کلمه عليا مسطور و مرقوم * بگو ای دوستان جهد نمائيد شايد مصيباتيکه فی سبيل اللّه بر مظلوم و شما وارد شده بين ناس ضايع نشود بذيل عفّت تمسّک نمائيد و همچنين بحبل امانت و ديانت صلاح عالم را ملاحظه نمائيد نه هوای نفس را * يا حزب المظلوم شمائيد رعاة عالم اغنام را از ذئب نفس و هوی مقدّس داريد و بطراز تقوی اللّه مزيّن نمائيد اين است حکم محکم که از قلم قدم در اين حين جاری شده * لعمر اللّه سيف الاخلاق و الآداب احدّ من سيوف الحديد * انّ الفطرة فی هذا الحين تنادی و تقول يا قوم قد اتی اليوم و اظهرنی ربّی بنور کسفت عند اشراقه شموس البيان اتّقوا الرّحمن و لا تکونوا من الغافلين *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

In the Book of Utterance these exalted words have been written down and recorded: "Say, O friends! Strive that haply the tribulations suffered by this Wronged One and by you, in the path of God, may not prove to have been in vain. Cling ye to the hem of virtue, and hold fast to the cord of trustworthiness and piety. Concern yourselves with the things that benefit mankind, and not with your corrupt and selfish desires. O ye followers of this Wronged One! Ye are the shepherds of mankind; liberate ye your flocks from the wolves of evil passions and desires, and adorn them with the ornament of the fear of God. This is the firm commandment which hath, at this moment, flowed out from the Pen of Him Who is the Ancient of Days. By the righteousness of God! The sword of a virtuous character and upright conduct is sharper than blades of steel. The voice of the true Faith calleth aloud, at this moment, and saith: O people! Verily, the Day is come, and My Lord hath made Me to shine forth with a light whose splendor hath eclipsed the suns of utterance. Fear ye the Merciful, and be not of them that have gone astray."

Translation Notes

در

d-r-r → “In”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

صحيفه

ṣ-ḥ-f → “Book”

literal: pages; scriptures; book

بيان

b-y-n → “Utterance”

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

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

کلمه

k-l-m → “words”

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

عليا

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: exalted; highest; supreme; most high; upon you; on; over; Ali (name); upon

مسطور

s-ṭ-r → “written down” Distinctive

literal: written; inscribed; recorded

مرقوم

r-q-m → “recorded”

literal: written; inscribed; marked; recorded

بگو

g-w-y → ““Say”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

ای

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

دوستان

d-w-s-t → “friends”

literal: friend; beloved

جهد

j-h-d → “Strive”

literal: effort; striving; exertion; endeavor

نمائيد

n-m-ʾ → “may” Distinctive

literal: to show, to display, to manifest, to exhibit; to manifest; to display; to show

شايد

sh-y-d → “haply”

literal: perhaps, perchance, haply, maybe, possibly; to become; to be; to happen; to occur

مصيباتيکه

m-ṣ-b → “tribulations”

literal: calamity; misfortune; disaster; affliction

فی

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

سبيل

s-b-l → “path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

اللّه

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

بر

b-r-r → “by” Distinctive

literal: on; on, upon; upon

مظلوم

ẓ-l-m → “Wronged One”

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

شما

sh-m-ʾ → “you”

literal: you (plural); your

وارد

w-r-d → “suffered” Distinctive

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

شده

sh-d

literal: to become; to be

ناس

n-ʾ-s

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

ضايع

ḍ-y-ʿ → “extermination” Distinctive

literal: wasting; squandering; loss; harm

نشود

sh-w-d → “been” Distinctive

literal: to not become; to not be

بذيل

dh-y-l → “hem”

literal: hem; skirt; tail; border

عفّت

ʿ-f-f → “virtue”

literal: chastity, virtue, integrity, honor

تمسّک

m-s-k → “cleave”

literal: musk; to seize; grip; to hold fast; to cling to; to grasp

همچنين

ch-n-n

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

بحبل

ḥ-b-l → “cord”

literal: cord; rope; bond; connection

امانت

ʾ-m-n → “trustworthiness”

literal: to believe; to have faith; to be secure

ديانت

d-y-n → “piety”

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

صلاح

ṣ-l-ḥ → “betterment” Distinctive

literal: peace; reconciliation

عالم

ʿ-l-m → “mankind” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

ملاحظه

l-ḥ-ẓ → “Consider”

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

نه

n-h-y → “forbidden”

literal: end; ended; utmost

هوای

h-w-y → “selfish desires”

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

نفس

n-f-s → “yourselves” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

يا

y-ʾ → “O ye”

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

حزب

ḥ-z-b → “followers”

literal: party; people; community

شمائيد

b-w-d → “are”

literal: to be; are (third person plural present copula)

رعاة

r-ʿ-y → “shepherd”

literal: way; path; road

اغنام

gh-n-m → “flocks”

literal: booty; spoil; gain; treasure; advantage

از

ʾ-z

literal: from

ذئب

dh-ʾ-b → “wolves”

literal: to melt; to waste away

مقدّس

q-d-s → “holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

داريد

d-ʾ-r

literal: to have; to hold; to possess; to maintain

بطراز

ṭ-r-z → “ornament”

literal: ornament; adornment; embroidery; stripe

تقوی

w-q-y → “fear of”

literal: to protect, safeguard, shield

مزيّن

z-y-n → “adorn”

literal: to adorn; ornament; beauty; adornment; embellishment; decoration

حکم

ḥ-k-m → “commandment” Distinctive

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

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

قلم

q-l-m → “Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

قدم

q-d-m → “Ancient of Days”

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

حين

ḥ-y-n → “moment”

literal: time; moment; while; season

جاری

j-r-y → “flowed” Distinctive

literal: trade; commerce; business; to flow; to run; to be in effect; flowing

لعمر

ʿ-m-r → “By the righteousness”

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

سيف

s-y-f → “sword”

literal: sword

الاخلاق

kh-l-q → “character”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

الآداب

ʾ-d-b → “conduct”

literal: manners; etiquette; discipline; refinement

احدّ

ʾ-ḥ-d → “one”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

من

m-n

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

الحديد

ḥ-d-d → “limitations” Distinctive

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

انّ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

الفطرة

f-ṭ-r → “true Faith”

literal: creator; the one who splits/creates

هذا

h-dh-ʾ → “this”

literal: this; that

تنادی

n-d-y → “calleth aloud”

literal: call; voice; cry; summons; to call; to proclaim; to cry out; to summon

تقول

q-w-l → “saith”

literal: to say; to speak; saying

قوم

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

قد

q-d

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

اتی

ʾ-t-y → “come”

literal: to come; to arrive; to bring; to go; coming; arrival; the one coming; to give; Revelation; came; gave; brought

اليوم

y-w-m → “Day”

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

اظهرنی

ẓ-h-r → “made Me”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

ربّی

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: divine; of God; lordly

بنور

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

کسفت

k-s-f → “eclipsed”

literal: eclipse; obscuring; darkening

عند

ʿ-n-d

literal: obstinacy; opposition; enmity

اشراقه

sh-r-q → “splendor” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

شموس

sh-m-s → “suns”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

الرّحمن

r-ḥ-m → “Merciful”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تکونوا

k-w-n → “have gone astray” Distinctive

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

الغافلين

gh-f-l

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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

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 ¶