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Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §110

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 110 of 268.

Source (Persian)

\[و در مقام ديگر ] قوله تبارک و تعالی ﴿وَ دَخَلَ المَدِينَةَ عَلَی حِيْنِ غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيْهَا رَجُلَيْنَ يَقْتَتِلَانِ هَذَا مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ وَ هَذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِی مِنْ شِيْعَتِهِ عَلَی الَّذِی مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَوَکَزَهُ مُوْسَی فَقَضَی عَلَيْهِ قَالَ هَذَا مِنْ عَمْلِ الشِّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ * قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّی ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِی فَاغْفِرْ لِی فَغَفَرَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ * قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیَّ فَلَنْ أَکُوْنَ ظِهِيرًا لِلْمُجْرِمِينَ * فَأَصْبَحَ فِی المَدِينَةِ خَائِفًا يَتَرَقَّبُ فَإِذَا الَّذِی اسْتَنْصَرَهُ بِالأَمْسِ يَسْتَصْرِخُهُ قَالَ لَهُ مُوْسَی إِنَّکَ لَغَوِیٌّ مُبِينٌ * فَلَمَّا أَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَبْطَشَ بِالَّذِی هُوْ عَدُوٌّ لَهُمَا قَالَ يَا مَوْسَی أَتُرِيدُ أَنْ تَقْتُلَنِی کَمَا قَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا بِالأَمْسِ إِنْ تُرِيدُ إِلَّا أَنْ تَکُونَ جَبَّارًا فِی الأَرْضِ وَ مَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَکُونَ مِنَ المُصْلِحِينَ﴾ * حال سمع و بصر مقدّس و مطهّر لازم که بعدل و انصاف تمسّک نمايد * حضرت کليم هم بظلم و گمراهی اقرار نموده و همچنين بخوف و فرار و عصيان و طلب مغفرت از حقّ جلّ جلاله کرده و بان فائز گشت *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Among the things they have imputed to the Divine Lote-Tree (Moses) are charges to the falsity of which every discerning man of knowledge, and every wise and understanding heart, will witness. Thou must, no doubt, have read and considered the verses which have been sent down concerning Him Who conversed with God. He - may He be blessed and glorified - saith: "He said: ‘Did We not rear thee among us when a child? And hast thou not passed years of thy life among us? And yet what a deed is that which thou hast done! Thou art one of the ungrateful.' He said: ‘I did it indeed, and I was one of those who erred. And I fled from you because I feared you; but My Lord hath given Me wisdom and hath made Me one of His Apostles.'" And elsewhere He - may He be blessed and exalted - saith: "And He entered a city at the time when its inhabitants would not observe Him, and found therein two men fighting, the one, of His own people; the other, of His enemies. And he who was of His own people asked His help against him who was of His enemies. And Moses smote him with His fist and slew him. Said He: ‘This is a work of Satan; for he is an enemy, a manifest misleader.' He said: ‘O my Lord! I have sinned to mine own hurt, forgive me.' So God forgave Him; for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. He said: ‘Lord! because Thou hast showed me this grace, I will never again be the helper of the wicked.' And in the city at noon He was full of fear, casting furtive glances round Him, and lo, the man whom He had helped the day before, cried out to Him again for help. Said Moses to him: ‘Thou art plainly a most depraved person.' And when He would have laid violent hands on him who was their common foe, he said to Him: ‘O Moses! Dost Thou desire to slay me, as thou slewest a man yesterday? Thou desirest only to become a tyrant in this land, and desirest not to become a peacemaker.'" Thine ears and thine eyes must needs now be cleansed and sanctified, that thou mayest be able to judge with fairness and justice. Moses Himself, moreover, acknowledged His injustice and waywardness, and testified that fear had seized Him, and that He had transgressed, and fled away. He asked God - exalted be His glory - to forgive Him, and He was forgiven.

Translation Notes

غَفْلَةٍ
ghaflahin gh-f-l

literal: heedless; heedlessness; neglect

SE rendered المَدِينَةَ (al-madínah)حِيْنِ (ḥín)غَفْلَةٍ (ghaflahin)أَهْلِهَا (ʾahlihá)فَوَجَدَ (fawajad) as “at the time, inhabitants would not observe, found therein”

أَهْلِهَا
ʾahlihá ʾ-h-l

literal: people; people, family; people/folk

SE rendered حِيْنِ (ḥín)غَفْلَةٍ (ghaflahin)أَهْلِهَا (ʾahlihá)فَوَجَدَ (fawajad)رَجُلَيْنَ (rajulayn) as “inhabitants would not observe, found therein, two men”

such 50% people 50%
شِيعَتِهِ
shíʿatih sh-y-ʿ “own people”

literal: party; Shia, followers

2 occurrences in corpus

فَوَکَزَهُ
fawakazah w-k-z “smote”

literal: struck

1 occurrence in corpus

أَنْعَمْتَ
ʾanʿamt n-ʿ-m

literal: blessing; bounty; favor

SE rendered قَالَ (qál)رَبِّ (rabb)أَنْعَمْتَ (ʾanʿamt)فَلَنْ (falan)أَکُوْنَ (ʾakún) as “He said, ‘Lord, will never again, be”

bounty 14% favor 12% favors 12% gift 12% delights 12% gifts 10% prosperity 7% blessed 7% bounties 7% how 7%
فَلَنْ
falan l-n “neither”

literal: will not

2 occurrences in corpus

فَإِذَا
faʾidhá ʾ-dh “lo”

literal: when

1 occurrence in corpus

لَهُمَا
lahumá l-h-m

literal: inspiration; inspired; inspire

SE rendered بِالَّذِی (biálladhí)عَدُوٌّ (ʿaduwwun)لَهُمَا (lahumá)قَالَ (qál)مَوْسَی (mawsay)أَتُرِيدُ (ʾaturíd) as “him who, their common foe, he said, Moses, Dost Thou desire”

inspiration 76% inspire 12% will 3% divine 3% verses 3% didst 3%
کَمَا
kamá k-m “loss”

literal: decrease; less; as

3 occurrences in corpus

المُصْلِحِينَ﴾
al-muṣliḥína﴾ ṣ-l-ḥ

literal: reform; peace; Salih

SE rendered تُرِيدُ (turíd)تَکُونَ (takún)المُصْلِحِينَ﴾ (al-muṣliḥína﴾)حال (ḥál)سمع (smʿ)بصر (bṣr)مقدّس (mqdds) as “to become, now, Thine ears, thine eyes, cleansed and sanctified”

betterment 29% hath 14% profiteth 10% requirements 10% amity 10% bless 10% better 5% cause 5% reformer 5% world 5%
مطهّر
mṭhhr ṭ-h-r

literal: purify; purified

SE rendered حال (ḥál)سمع (smʿ)بصر (bṣr)مقدّس (mqdds)مطهّر (mṭhhr)لازم (lázm)بعدل (bʿdl)انصاف (inṣáf)تمسّک (tmssk) as “now, Thine ears, thine eyes, cleansed and sanctified, must needs, with fairness, and justice, judge”

sacred 33% sanctified 17% purified 17% rend 17% profaned 17%
از
iz ʾ-z

literal: from

SE rendered بخوف (bkhúf)فرار (frár)عصيان (ʿṣíán)طلب (ṭlb)مغفرت (mghfrt)از (iz)حقّ (ḥqq)جلّ (jll)جلاله (jlálh)کرده (krdh)فائز (fáʾz) as “fear, fled away, transgressed, to forgive, His glory, exalted be, made, He was forgiven”

23 occurrences in corpus

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

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