Will and Testament — §22

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 22 of 59.

Source (Persian)

و این مجمع ایادی در تحت ادارۀ ولیّ امر اللّه است که باید آنانرا دائماً بسعی و کوشش و جهد در نشر نفحات اللّه و هدایت من علی الأرض بگمارد زیرا بنور هدایت جمیع عوالم روشن گردد و دقیقه‌ئی در این امر مفروض بر کلّ نفوس فتور جائز نه تا عالم وجود جنّت ابهی گردد و روی زمین بهشت برین شود و نزاع و جدال امم و ملل و شعوب و قبائل و دول از میان برخیزد کلّ من علی الأرض ملّت واحده و جنس واحد و وطن واحد گردد و اگر اختلافی حاصل شود محکمۀ عمومی که شامل اعضا از جمیع دول و ملل است فصل دعوی کند و حکم قاطع نماید

Shoghi Effendi Translation

This body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under the direction of the Guardian of the Cause of God. He must continually urge them to strive and endeavour to the utmost of their ability to diffuse the sweet savours of God, and to guide all the peoples of the world, for it is the light of Divine Guidance that causeth all the universe to be illumined. To disregard, though it be for a moment, this absolute command which is binding upon everyone, is in no wise permitted, that the existent world may become even as the Abhá Paradise, that the surface of the earth may become heavenly, that contention and conflict amidst peoples, kindreds, nations and governments may disappear, that all the dwellers on earth may become one people and one race, that the world may become even as one home. Should differences arise, they shall be amicably and conclusively settled by the Supreme Tribunal, that shall include members from all the governments and peoples of the world.

Translation Notes

این

ʾ-y-n → “This”

literal: this; these

مجمع

j-m-ʿ → “body”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

ایادی

y-d-y → “Hands”

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers

در

d-r-r → “to” Distinctive

literal: in; in, at; radiant

تحت

t-ḥ-t → “under”

literal: under; under, beneath; beneath

ادارۀ

d-w-r → “far” Distinctive

literal: deliberation; consideration; prudence; management; planning; counsel

ولیّ

w-l-y → “Guardian”

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

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

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

که

k-h → “that causeth”

literal: that; who; who, that

باید

b-y-d → “must”

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

دائماً

d-w-m → “as long as” Distinctive

literal: always; continually; perpetually; constantly

بسعی

s-ʿ-y → “to strive”

literal: endeavor; effort; striving; exertion; endeavour

کوشش

k-w-sh → “Strive” Distinctive

literal: effort; endeavour; exertion; striving; to strive; to endeavor; to toil; to struggle; to attempt

جهد

j-h-d

literal: effort; striving; exertion; endeavor

نشر

n-sh-r → “diffuse”

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

نفحات

n-f-ḥ → “sweet savours” Distinctive

literal: breeze; fragrance; whiff; breath; emanation

هدایت

h-d-y → “guide”

literal: guidance; to guide; direction; leading rightly; this; this one

من

m-n → “all” Distinctive

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

علی

ʿ-l-w → “the”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

الأرض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

بگمارد

g-m-r → “waywardness” Distinctive

literal: to appoint; to assign; to charge; to entrust; to dispatch

زیرا

z-y-r → “for”

literal: because; since; for; inasmuch as

بنور

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

عوالم

ʿ-l-m → “world”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

روشن

r-w-sh → “illumined”

literal: light; illumination; brilliance; clarity

گردد

g-r-d → “become”

literal: become; to become; make

دقیقه‌ئی

d-q-q → “for a moment”

literal: attention; heed; care; precision

مفروض

f-r-ḍ → “hast bidden” Distinctive

literal: obligatory; incumbent; imposed; prescribed; fixed

بر

b-r-r → “upon”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

کلّ

k-l-l → “everyone”

literal: for us; to us

نفوس

n-f-s

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

فتور

f-t-r → “calumniator” Distinctive

literal: slander; calumny; fabrication; false accusation

جائز

j-w-z → “transgressed” Distinctive

literal: permissible; allowed; possible; fair; lawful

نه

n-h-y

literal: end; ended; utmost

تا

t-y-y → “that”

literal: so that/until

وجود

w-j-d → “world” Distinctive

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

جنّت

j-n-n → “Paradise”

literal: you (singular/plural pronoun)

ابهی

b-h-w → “Abhá” Distinctive

literal: splendor; glory; magnificence; Bahá (Proper Name in Bahá’í texts)

روی

r-w-y → “tradition” Distinctive

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

زمین

z-m-n

literal: time; age; era; period

بهشت

b-h-sh → “heavenly”

literal: paradise

شود

sh-w-d → “may become”

literal: to come; to go; to arrive; came

نزاع

n-z-ʿ → “contention”

literal: to pull out; to deprive; to contest; to wrench away

جدال

j-d-l → “conflict”

literal: to argue; to dispute; to contend; argument

امم

ʾ-m-m → “peoples”

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

ملل

m-l-l → “nations and governments”

literal: nation; people; religion; community

شعوب

sh-ʿ-b

literal: branching off, issuing forth, emanating from

قبائل

q-b-l → “kindreds”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

دول

d-w-l → “governments”

literal: state; government; dynasty; period of rule; dominion

از

ʾ-z → “from”

literal: from

میان

m-y-n → “amidst”

literal: between; among; amid; in the midst of

برخیزد

kh-y-z → “arisen” Distinctive

literal: arise; arose; arisen

واحده

w-ḥ-d → “one”

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

جنس

j-n-s → “race”

literal: kind; type; genus; gender

وطن

w-ṭ-n → “home”

literal: homeland; native country; dwelling place

اگر

ʾ-g-r → “were they”

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

اختلافی

kh-l-f → “differences”

literal: opposing; contrary; conflicting

حاصل

ḥ-ṣ-l

literal: obtained; result; sum

محکمۀ

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom” Distinctive

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

عمومی

ʿ-m-m → “all” Distinctive

literal: universal; general; public; comprehensive

شامل

sh-m-l → “left hand” Distinctive

literal: to comprehend; to include; whole; all

اعضا

ʿ-ḍ-w → “members”

literal: limb; member; organ

فصل

f-ṣ-l → “separated”

literal: detail; distinction; differentiation; to detail; to separate

دعوی

d-ʿ-w

literal: to claim; to allege; claim; assertion; to assert

کند

k-r-d

literal: to do; to make; to act; to dig, excavate; slow

قاطع

q-ṭ-ʿ

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

نماید

n-m-ʾ → “may”

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

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The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

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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

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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

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 ¶