Tablet of Aḥmad — §5

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 5 of 17.

Source (Arabic)

قُلْ يَا قَوْمِ فَٱتَّبِعُوْا حُدُوْدَ اللهِ ٱلَّتِي فُرِضَتْ فِي ٱلْبَيَانِ مِنْ لَدُنْ عَزِيزٍ حَكِيْمٍ قُلْ إِنَّهُ لَسُلْطَانُ ٱلْرُّسُلِ وَكِتَابَهُ لَأُمُّ ٱلْكِتَابِ إِنْ أَنْتُمْ مِنَ ٱلْعَارِفِينَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Say: O people be obedient to the ordinances of God, which have been enjoined in the Bayan by the Glorious, the Wise One. Verily He is the King of the Messengers and His book is the Mother Book did ye but know.

Translation Notes

قُلْ

q-w-l → “Say”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

يَا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

قَوْمِ

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

فَٱتَّبِعُوْا

t-b-ʿ → “follow”

literal: to follow; to obey; to pursue

حُدُوْدَ

ḥ-d-d → “limitations”

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

اللهِ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

ٱلَّتِي

ʾ-l-l → “which”

literal: who; which/that; which

فُرِضَتْ

f-r-ḍ → “hast bidden”

literal: obligatory; incumbent; imposed; prescribed; fixed

فِي

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

ٱلْبَيَانِ

b-y-n → “utterance”

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

مِنْ

m-n → “by” Distinctive

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

لَدُنْ

l-d-n → “by”

literal: from; on the part of; from before; near

عَزِيزٍ

ʿ-z-z → “Glorious”

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

حَكِيْمٍ

ḥ-k-m → “Wise”

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

إِنَّهُ

ʾ-n-n → “He is”

literal: I, verily; behold I

لَسُلْطَانُ

s-l-ṭ → “King”

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

ٱلْرُّسُلِ

r-s-l → “Messengers”

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

وَكِتَابَهُ

k-t-b → “His book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

لَأُمُّ

ʾ-m-m → “Mother”

literal: to blame; to find fault; blaming; fault-finding

إِنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

أَنْتُمْ

n-t-m

literal: you

ٱلْعَارِفِينَ

ʿ-r-f → “know”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

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