Will and Testament — §18

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 18 of 59.

Source (Persian)

ای احبّای الهی باید ولیّ امر اللّه در زمان حیات خویش من هو بعده را تعیین نماید تا بعد از صعودش اختلاف حاصل نگردد و شخص معیّن باید مظهر تقدیس و تنزیه و تقوای الهی و علم و فضل و کمال باشد لهذا اگر ولد بکر ولیّ امر اللّه مظهر الولد سرّ ابیه نباشد یعنی از عنصر روحانی او نه و شرف اعراق با حسن اخلاق مجتمع نیست باید غصن دیگر را انتخاب نماید

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own lifetime him that shall become his successor, that differences may not arise after his passing. He that is appointed must manifest in himself detachment from all worldly things, must be the essence of purity, must show in himself the fear of God, knowledge, wisdom and learning. Thus, should the first-born of the Guardian of the Cause of God not manifest in himself the truth of the words “The child is the secret essence of its sire”, that is, should he not inherit of the spiritual within him (the Guardian of the Cause of God) and his glorious lineage not be matched with a goodly character, then must he (the Guardian of the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him.

Translation Notes

ای

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

احبّای

ḥ-b-b → “ye beloved”

literal: love; affection

الهی

ʾ-l-h → “of the Lord” Distinctive

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

باید

b-y-d → “It is incumbent” Distinctive

literal: by hand; with hands; eternal; perpetual; everlasting

ولیّ

w-l-y → “Guardian”

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

امر

ʾ-m-r → “of the Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

در

d-r-r → “in his”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

زمان

z-m-n → “own lifetime”

literal: time; age; era; period

حیات

ḥ-y-y

literal: life; vitality; living

خویش

kh-w-sh

literal: self; own; personal

من

m-n → “him” Distinctive

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

هو

h-w → “is”

literal: He; He is

بعده

b-ʿ-d → “after”

literal: after; behind; distance

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

تعیین

ʿ-y-n → “to appoint”

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

نماید

n-m-ʾ → “may”

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

تا

t-y-y → “that”

literal: so that/until

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

صعودش

ṣ-ʿ-d → “ascend” Distinctive

literal: ascent; ascension; rising; elevation

اختلاف

kh-l-f → “differences”

literal: opposing; contrary; conflicting

حاصل

ḥ-ṣ-l

literal: obtained; result; sum

نگردد

g-r-d → “may not arise”

literal: not to become; to not turn; to remain unchanged

شخص

sh-kh-ṣ → “man”

literal: person, individual, self; movement, stirring

مظهر

ẓ-h-r → “manifest”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

تقدیس

q-d-s

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

تنزیه

n-z-h → “purity”

literal: exalted; sanctified; free from; removed from

تقوای

w-q-y → “fear of God”

literal: to protect, safeguard, shield

علم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

فضل

f-ḍ-l → “grace”

literal: grace; bounty; generosity; excellence

کمال

k-m-l → “utmost”

literal: perfection; completeness; fully; with full; in complete; to complete, perfect, fulfill

باشد

b-w-d → “is”

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

لهذا

l-dh-ʾ → “therefore”

literal: therefore; for this reason; hence; so

اگر

ʾ-g-r → “were they”

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

ولد

w-l-d → “born”

literal: to give birth; to be born; child, offspring

بکر

b-k-r → “at morn” Distinctive

literal: repetition; repeatedly; time and again; pulley; virgin; early morning

سرّ

s-r-r → “secret essence” Distinctive

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

ابیه

ʾ-b-w → “fathers” Distinctive

literal: father; paternal; his father; to refuse; to decline

یعنی

ʿ-n-y → “meaning” Distinctive

literal: that is; meaning; i.e.

عنصر

ʿ-n-ṣ → “nature”

literal: element; essence; nature; lineage

روحانی

r-w-ḥ → “spiritual”

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

او

h-w-w → “is”

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

نه

n-h-y → “forbidden”

literal: end; ended; utmost

شرف

sh-r-f → “honored”

literal: honor; nobility; eminence; to honor

اعراق

ʿ-r-q → “vein” Distinctive

literal: Iraq; sweat

با

b-ʾ-ʾ → “with”

literal: to; with; by

حسن

ḥ-s-n → “goodly”

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

اخلاق

kh-l-q → “character”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

مجتمع

j-m-ʿ → “all” Distinctive

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

غصن

gh-ṣ-n → “branch”

literal: branch; twig

دیگر

d-g-r → “another”

literal: home; place; land; abode

انتخاب

n-kh-b → “elect”

literal: goodwill; benevolence; kindness; good; goodness; benefit; better; best

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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