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Will and Testament — §36

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 36 of 59.

Source (Persian)

ربّ انّی ادعوک بلسانی و جنانی ان لا تؤاخذهم بظلمهم واعتسافهم ونفاقهم و شقاقهم لأنّهم جهلآء بلهآء سفهآء لا یفرقون بین الخیر و الشّرّ و لا یمیّزون العدل و الانصاف عن الفحشآء و المنکر و الاعتساف یتّبعون شهوات انفسهم و یقتدون بانقصهم و اجهلهم ربّ ارحمهم و احفظهم من البلآء بهذا الأثنآء و اجعل جمیع المحن و الآلام لعبدک الواقع فی هذه البئر الظّلمآء و خصّصنی بکلّ بلآء و اجعلنی فدآء لجمیع الأحبّآء فدیتهم بروحی و ذاتی و نفسی و کینونتی و هویّتی و حقیقتی یا ربّی الأعلی الهی الهی انّی اکبّ بوجهی علی تراب الذّلّ و الانکسار و ادعوک بکلّ تضرّع و ابتهال ان تغفر لکلّ من آذانی و تعفو عن کلّ من ارادنی بسوء و اهاننی و تبدّل سیّئات کلّ من ظلمنی بالحسنات و ترزقهم من الخیرات و تقدّر لهم کلّ المسرّات و تنقذهم من الحسرات و تقدّر لهم کلّ راحة و رخآء و تختصّهم بالعطآء و السّرّآء

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I call upon Thee, O Lord my God! with my tongue and with all my heart, not to requite them for their cruelty and their wrong-doings, their craft and their mischief, for they are foolish and ignoble and know not what they do. They discern not good from evil, neither do they distinguish right from wrong, nor justice from injustice. They follow their own desires and walk in the footsteps of the most imperfect and foolish amongst them. O my Lord! Have mercy upon them, shield them from all afflictions in these troubled times and grant that all trials and hardships may be the lot of this Thy servant that hath fallen into this darksome pit. Single me out for every woe and make me a sacrifice for all Thy loved ones. O Lord, Most High! May my soul, my life, my being, my spirit, my all be offered up for them. O God, my God! Lowly, suppliant and fallen upon my face, I beseech Thee with all the ardour of my invocation to pardon whomsoever hath hurt me, forgive him that hath conspired against me and offended me, and wash away the misdeeds of them that have wrought injustice upon me. Vouchsafe unto them Thy goodly gifts, give them joy, relieve them from sorrow, grant them peace and prosperity, give them Thy bliss and pour upon them Thy bounty.

Translation Notes

بلهآء
blháʾ b-l-h “ignoble”

literal: foolish

1 occurrence in corpus

سفهآء
sfháʾ s-f-h “know”

literal: foolish

1 occurrence in corpus

الانصاف
an-nṣáf n-ṣ-f

literal: fairness; equity; be fair

SE rendered الشّرّ (ash-shrr)یمیّزون (ymímzún)العدل (al-ʿdl)الانصاف (an-nṣáf)الفحشآء (al-fḥsháʾ)المنکر (al-mnkr)الاعتساف (al-áʿtsáf) as “evil, distinguish, justice, wrong, injustice”

المنکر
al-mnkr n-k-r

literal: denial; deniers

SE rendered العدل (al-ʿdl)الانصاف (an-nṣáf)الفحشآء (al-fḥsháʾ)المنکر (al-mnkr)الاعتساف (al-áʿtsáf)یتّبعون (yttbʿún)شهوات (shhúát) as “justice, wrong, injustice, follow, desires”

یقتدون

literal: follow; followed; following

SE expanded to “walk in the footsteps”

walk 67% follow.” 33%
الأثنآء
ath-thnáʾ ʾ-n-w

literal: vessel; hours; time/period

SE rendered احفظهم (iḥfẓhm)البلآء (al-bláʾ)بهذا (bhdhá)الأثنآء (ath-thnáʾ)اجعل (ijʿl)جمیع (jmíʿ)المحن (al-mḥn)الآلام (al-lám) as “shield them from, afflictions, in these troubled times, and grant that, all trials, hardships”

3 occurrences in corpus

المحن
al-mḥn m-ḥ-n

literal: trial

SE rendered بهذا (bhdhá)الأثنآء (ath-thnáʾ)اجعل (ijʿl)جمیع (jmíʿ)المحن (al-mḥn)الآلام (al-lám)لعبدک (lʿbdk)الواقع (al-wáqʿ) as “in these troubled times, and grant that, all trials, hardships, this Thy servant, hath fallen”

troubles 25% ills 25% most 25% trials 25%
الآلام
al-lám ʾ-l-m “vexations” Distinctive

literal: pain; painful

This form usually rendered as “hardships” (2 occurrences)

الأعلی
al-ʾaʿlí ʿ-l-w “upon”

literal: highest; exalted

SE rendered هویّتی (húyytí)حقیقتی (ḥqíqtí)ربّی (rbbí)الأعلی (al-ʾaʿlí)الهی (al-hí)الهی (al-hí)انّی (inní)اکبّ (ikbb)بوجهی (bújhí) as “my spirit, my all, Lord, Most High, O God, my God, I, fallen upon my face”

most 45% high 18% glory 10% loftiest 6% exalted 6% highest 5% supreme 4% all-glorious 3% heights 2% one 1%
اکبّ
ikbb k-b-b “have” Distinctive

literal: fall-prostrate

This form usually rendered as “fallen” (2 occurrences)

have 50% fallen 50%
بوجهی
bújhí w-j-h

literal: face

SE rendered الهی (al-hí)الهی (al-hí)انّی (inní)اکبّ (ikbb)بوجهی (bújhí)تراب (tráb)الذّلّ (adh-dhll)الانکسار (an-nksár) as “O God, my God, I, fallen upon my face, Lowly, suppliant”

face 67% name’s 33%
تراب
tráb t-r-b

literal: dust; dust, earth; dust/earth

SE rendered الهی (al-hí)الهی (al-hí)انّی (inní)اکبّ (ikbb)بوجهی (bújhí)تراب (tráb)الذّلّ (adh-dhll)الانکسار (an-nksár)ادعوک (idʿúk) as “O God, my God, I, fallen upon my face, Lowly, suppliant, beseech”

dust 80% earth 7% clay 6% depths 2% upon 2% lowly 2% created 2%
تضرّع
tḍrrʿ ḍ-r-ʿ

literal: they humble themselves; supplications; supplication

SE rendered الذّلّ (adh-dhll)الانکسار (an-nksár)ادعوک (idʿúk)بکلّ (bkll)تضرّع (tḍrrʿ)ابتهال (ibthál)تغفر (tghfr)لکلّ (lkll) as “Lowly, suppliant, beseech, with all the ardour, invocation, pardon, whomsoever”

4 occurrences in corpus

ابتهال
ibthál b-h-l “invocation”

literal: entreaty; earnest prayer, entreaty

2 occurrences in corpus

آذانی
ádhání ʾ-dh-y “saddened” Distinctive

literal: harmed; harm; hurt/pained

This form usually rendered as “hath” (1 occurrences)

اهاننی
ihánní h-w-n “offended”

literal: humiliate, insult; degradation

offended 50% infamy 50%
رخآء
rkháʾ r-kh-w “ease”

literal: ease/comfort; prosperity, ease

ease 50% prosperity 50%

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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