Will and Testament — §40

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 40 of 59.

Source (Persian)

باری از اساس اعظم امر اللّه اجتناب و ابتعاد از ناقضین است زیرا بکلّی امر اللّه را محو و شریعت اللّه را سحق و جمیع زحمات را هدر خواهند داد ای یاران باید رحم بر حضرت اعلی و وفا بجمال مبارک نمود و بجمیع قوی کوشید که جمیع این بلایا و محن و صدمات و خونهای پاک مطهّر که در سبیل الهی مسفوک شده هدر نرود شما میدانید که مرکز نقض میرزا محمّد علی و اعوانش چه کردند یک کار این شخص تحریف کتاب است که الحمد للّه کل میدانید و مثبوت و واضح و بشهادت برادرش میرزا بدیع‌اللّه که بخطّ و مهرش موجود و مطبوع مثبوت است و این یک سیّئه از سیّئات اوست دیگر آیا انحرافی اعظم از این انحراف منصوص تصوّر میشود لا واللّه و سیّئات او در ورقۀ مخصوص مرقوم انشآءاللّه ملاحظه خواهید نمود

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And now, one of the greatest and most fundamental principles of the Cause of God is to shun and avoid entirely the Covenant-breakers, for they will utterly destroy the Cause of God, exterminate His Law and render of no account all efforts exerted in the past. O friends! It behoveth you to call to mind with tenderness the trials of His Holiness the Exalted One, and show your fidelity to the Ever-Blest Beauty. The utmost endeavour must be exerted lest all these woes, trials and afflictions, all this pure and sacred blood that hath been shed so profusely in the Path of God, may prove to be in vain. Ye know well what the hands of the Centre of Sedition, Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí, and his associates have wrought. Among his doings, one of them is the corruption of the Sacred Text whereof ye are all aware, the Lord be praised, and know that it is evident, proven and confirmed by the testimony of his brother, Mírzá Badí‘u’lláh, whose confession is written in his own handwriting, beareth his seal, is printed and spread abroad. This is but one of his misdeeds. Can a transgression be imagined more glaring than this, the interpolation of the Holy Text? Nay, by the righteousness of the Lord! His transgressions are writ and recorded in a leaflet by itself. Please God, ye will peruse it.

Translation Notes

باری

b-r-y → “And now”

literal: well; cistern; pit

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

اساس

ʾ-s-s → “foundation”

literal: foundation; basis; groundwork; founder; establisher; to found; to establish; we have founded

اعظم

ʿ-ẓ-m → “greatest and most” Distinctive

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

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

اجتناب

j-n-b → “thee” Distinctive

literal: to avoid; to shun; to keep away from

ابتعاد

b-ʿ-d → “after” Distinctive

literal: after; behind; distance

ناقضین

n-q-ḍ → “Covenant-breakers”

literal: breaker; violator; one who breaks (covenant); covenant-breaker

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

زیرا

z-y-r → “inasmuch as”

literal: because; since; for; inasmuch as

بکلّی

k-l-l → “utterly”

literal: all; every; whole; entirety; entire; completely

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

محو

m-ḥ-w → “destroy”

literal: to efface; to obliterate; to blot out; to cause to disappear

شریعت

sh-r-ʿ → “Law”

literal: law; legislation; religious law; canon; ordinance

سحق

s-ḥ-q → “exterminate”

literal: to crush; to grind; to pulverize; destruction

جمیع

j-m-ʿ → “all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

زحمات

z-ḥ-m → “labor”

literal: hardship; toil; labor; trouble; suffering

هدر

h-d-r → “cooing” Distinctive

literal: to waste; to squander; vain; futile

خواهند

kh-w-ʾ-h → “will”

literal: to will; to want; shall; will (future auxiliary)

داد

d-ʾ-d

literal: to give; to grant; to present; justice; judgment; to see; sight; eye; seen

ای

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

یاران

y-ʾ-r → “friends”

literal: friend; companion; helper; help; aid; grace

باید

b-y-d → “must”

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

رحم

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

بر

b-r-r → “in the past” Distinctive

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

حضرت

ḥ-ḍ-r → “His Holiness” Distinctive

literal: presence; majesty; His/Your Excellency

اعلی

ʿ-l-w → “Exalted One” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

وفا

w-f-y → “fidelity”

literal: faithfulness; covenant-keeping; loyalty

بجمال

j-m-l → “to the Ever-Blest Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

مبارک

b-r-k → “Holy”

literal: blessed; auspicious; fruitful; blest; blessed word

نمود

n-m-ʾ → “may” Distinctive

literal: to become; to be

قوی

q-w-y → “power”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

کوشید

k-w-sh → “endeavour”

literal: endeavor; strive

که

k-h → “which”

literal: that; who; who, that

این

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

بلایا

b-l-w → “woes” Distinctive

literal: affliction; trial; calamity; trial, tribulation, affliction, calamity; yes; indeed; verily

محن

m-ḥ-n → “trials” Distinctive

literal: trial; tribulation; affliction; test

صدمات

ṣ-d-m → “such slight injuries” Distinctive

literal: shock; collision; blow; impact

خونهای

kh-w-n → “blood”

literal: blood

پاک

p-ʾ-k → “pure”

literal: pure; clean; sanctified; holy

مطهّر

ṭ-h-r → “sacred”

literal: to purify; to cleanse

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

سبیل

s-b-l

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

مسفوک

s-f-k → “shed”

literal: to shed; to spill; bloodshed; to shed (blood)

شده

sh-d

literal: to become; to be

نرود

r-w

literal: to go; to come; to proceed

شما

sh-m-ʾ → “Ye”

literal: you (plural); your

میدانید

d-ʾ-n → “know well”

literal: know; to know; knowledge

مرکز

r-k-z → “Centre”

literal: center; focal point; axis

محمّد

ḥ-m-d → “thanks”

literal: praise; to praise

اعوانش

ʿ-w-n → “aid” Distinctive

literal: help; aid; helper; supporter

چه

ch-h → “For”

literal: what; what/for; whatsoever, that which

کردند

k-r-d → “made” Distinctive

literal: to do; to make; to perform; deed; action; conduct; behavior

یک

y-k → “one”

literal: one; a single

کار

k-ʾ-r → “doings”

literal: work; deed; action; affair; business

شخص

sh-kh-ṣ

literal: person, individual, self; movement, stirring

تحریف

ḥ-r-f → “corruption”

literal: letter; character; edge

کتاب

k-t-b → “Text” Distinctive

literal: book; scripture; writing

مثبوت

th-b-t → “evident”

literal: established; establish; affirmation

واضح

w-ḍ-ḥ

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

بشهادت

sh-h-d → “testimony”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

برادرش

b-r-d-r → “brother”

literal: brother

بدیع‌اللّه

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

بخطّ

kh-ṭ-ṭ → “handwriting”

literal: line; writing; path; course

مهرش

m-h-r → “shining” Distinctive

literal: kindness, affection, clemency; kind, compassionate

موجود

w-j-d

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

مطبوع

ṭ-b-ʿ → “stamped” Distinctive

literal: nature; disposition; to seal; to imprint

سیّئات

s-w-ʾ → “misdeeds”

literal: evil deed; sin; transgression; evil deed, wickedness, wrong action

اوست

h-s-t → “are” Distinctive

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

دیگر

d-g-r

literal: home; place; land; abode

آیا

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

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

منصوص

n-ṣ-ṣ → “Text” Distinctive

literal: explicit text; clear statement

تصوّر

ṣ-w-r → “trumpet-call” Distinctive

literal: to imagine; to conceive; to suppose

میشود

sh-w-d → “been” Distinctive

literal: perhaps, perchance, haply, maybe, possibly; to become; to be; to happen; to occur

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

او

h-w-w → “His”

literal: he; He; he/him

ورقۀ

w-r-q → “leaflet”

literal: leaf; dove; leaves

مخصوص

kh-ṣ-ṣ → “singled out” Distinctive

literal: specific matter; particularity; especially; in this matter

مرقوم

r-q-m → “recorded”

literal: written; inscribed; marked; recorded

انشآءاللّه

sh-y-ʾ → “Please God”

literal: creation; bringing into existence; establishment; God willing; if God wishes; please God

ملاحظه

l-ḥ-ẓ → “Consider”

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

خواهید

kh-w-h → “will”

literal: to want; to wish; will (future auxiliary); brother; sibling

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶