The Hidden Words — §19

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 19 of 160.

Source (Arabic)

(١٨) ﴿ يَا ابْنَ الرُّوحِ ﴾ لَا تَطْلُبْ مِنِّي مَا لَا نُحِبُّهُ لِنَفْسِكَ، ثُمَّ ارْضَ بِما قَضَيْنَا لِوَجْهِكَ، لِأَنَّ مَا يَنْفَعُكَ هَذَا إِنْ تَكُنْ بِهِ راضِيًا.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

(18) O SON OF SPIRIT! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content thyself.

Translation Notes

يَا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; or

ابْنَ

b-n-y → “SON”

literal: son

الرُّوحِ

r-w-ḥ → “SPIRIT”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

لَا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَطْلُبْ

ṭ-l-b → “Ask” Distinctive

literal: seeking; seek; seeker

مِنِّي

m-n → “from” Distinctive

literal: from me; mine; by me; sustenance; benefaction; refuge

مَا

m-ʾ → “that”

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

نُحِبُّهُ

ḥ-b-b → “desire”

literal: love; affection

لِنَفْسِكَ،

n-f-s → “for thee” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

ارْضَ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

قَضَيْنَا

q-ḍ-y → “have ordained”

literal: requirement; exigency; what demands or calls for

لِوَجْهِكَ،

w-j-h → “for thy sake”

literal: face; countenance; direction; aspect

لِأَنَّ

ʾ-n → “for” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يَنْفَعُكَ

n-f-ʿ → “profiteth thee”

literal: benefits; profits; advantages

هَذَا

h-dh-ʾ → “this is”

literal: this; that

إِنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تَكُنْ

k-w-n → “thou dost” Distinctive

literal: to be; existence

بِهِ

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

راضِيًا.

r-ḍ-y → “content thyself” Distinctive

literal: good-pleasure, consent, satisfaction

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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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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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.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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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 ¶

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 ¶