Will and Testament — §21

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 21 of 59.

Source (Persian)

و وظیفۀ ایادی امر اللّه نشر نفحات اللّه و تربیت نفوس و تعلیم علوم و تحسین اخلاق عموم و تقدیس و تنزیه در جمیع شئونست از اطوار و احوال و کردار و گفتار باید تقوای الهی ظاهر و آشکار باشد

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The obligations of the Hands of the Cause of God are to diffuse the Divine Fragrances, to edify the souls of men, to promote learning, to improve the character of all men and to be, at all times and under all conditions, sanctified and detached from earthly things. They must manifest the fear of God by their conduct, their manners, their deeds and their words.

Translation Notes

وظیفۀ

w-ẓ-f → “obligations”

literal: duty; obligation; function; task

ایادی

y-d-y → “Hands”

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

امر

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

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

اللّه

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

نشر

n-sh-r → “diffuse”

literal: to scatter; to spread; to unfold; to disseminate

نفحات

n-f-ḥ → “Fragrances”

literal: breeze; fragrance; whiff; breath; emanation

تربیت

r-b-y → “education”

literal: education; upbringing; training; cultivation

نفوس

n-f-s → “souls”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

تعلیم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

تحسین

ḥ-s-n → “most excellent” Distinctive

literal: goodness; beauty; excellence; good deed

اخلاق

kh-l-q → “character”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

عموم

ʿ-m-m → “all”

literal: universal; general; public; comprehensive

تقدیس

q-d-s → “sanctified” Distinctive

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

تنزیه

n-z-h → “sanctified”

literal: exalted; sanctified; free from; removed from

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

جمیع

j-m-ʿ → “all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

شئونست

sh-ʾ-n

literal: affair; concern; matter; aspect; quality; state; affairs; matters; conditions; circumstances; affair, matter, station, rank, dignity; station; rank; importance; matter, affair, concern, dignity, rank

از

ʾ-z → “from earthly things. They”

literal: from

اطوار

ṭ-w-r → “rustling”

literal: states; conditions; stages; modes; phases; manner

احوال

ḥ-w-l → “conditions”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

کردار

k-r-d → “conduct”

literal: to do; to make; to perform

گفتار

g-f-t → “said” Distinctive

literal: utterance; speech; word; discourse

باید

b-y-d → “must”

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

تقوای

w-q-y → “fear”

literal: to protect, safeguard, shield

ظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “manifest”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

آشکار

sh-k-r

literal: thankfulness, gratitude; to give thanks, be grateful; manifest; evident; apparent; clear

باشد

b-w-d → “are” Distinctive

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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