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Will and Testament — §17

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 17 of 59.

Source (Persian)

و فرع مقدّس و ولیّ امر اللّه و بیت عدل عمومی که بانتخاب عموم تأسیس و تشکیل شود در تحت حفظ و صیانت جمال ابهی و حراست و عصمت فائض از حضرت اعلی روحی لهما الفداست آنچه قرار دهند من عند اللّه است من خالفه و خالفهم فقد خالف اللّه و من عصاهم فقد عصی اللّه و من عارضه فقد عارض اللّه و من نازعهم فقد نازع اللّه و من جادله فقد جادل اللّه و من جحده فقد جحد اللّه و من انکره فقد انکر اللّه و من انحاز و افترق و اعتزل عنه فقد اعتزل و اجتنب و ابتعد عن اللّه علیه غضب اللّه علیه قهر اللّه و علیه نقمة اللّه حصن متین امر اللّه باطاعت من هو ولیّ امر اللّه محفوظ و مصون ماند و اعضای بیت عدل و جمیع اغصان و افنان و ایادی امر اللّه باید کمال اطاعت و تمکین و انقیاد و توجّه و خضوع و خشوع را بولیّ امر اللّه داشته باشند اگر چنانچه نفسی مخالفت نمود مخالفت بحقّ کرده و سبب تشتیت امر اللّه شود و علّت تفریق کلمة اللّه گردد و مظهری از مظاهر مرکز نقض شود زنهار زنهار مثل بعد از صعود نشود که مرکز نقض ابا و استکبار کرد ولی بهانۀ توحید جعلی نمود و خود را محروم و نفوس را مشوّش و مسموم نمود البتّه هر مغرور ارادۀ فساد و تفریق نماید صراحةً نمیگوید که غرض دارم لابدّ بوسائلی چند و بهانه‌ئی چون زر مغشوش تشبّث نماید و سبب تفریق جمع اهل بها گردد مقصود این است که ایادی امر اللّه باید بیدار باشند بمحض اینکه نفسی بنای اعتراض و مخالفت با ولیّ امر اللّه گذاشت فوراً آنشخص را اخراج از جمع اهل بها نمایند و ابداً بهانه‌ئی از او قبول ننمایند چه بسیار که باطلِ محض بصورت خیر درآید تا القای شبهات کند

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The sacred and youthful branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, as well as the Universal House of Justice, to be universally elected and established, are both under the care and protection of the Abhá Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness the Exalted One (may my life be offered up for them both). Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not, neither obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God; whoso rebelleth against him and against them hath rebelled against God; whoso opposeth him hath opposed God; whoso contendeth with them hath contended with God; whoso disputeth with him hath disputed with God; whoso denieth him hath denied God; whoso disbelieveth in him hath disbelieved in God; whoso deviateth, separateth himself and turneth aside from him hath in truth deviated, separated himself and turned aside from God. May the wrath, the fierce indignation, the vengeance of God rest upon him! The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the Aghṣán, the Afnán, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His Word and will become a manifestation of the Centre of Sedition. Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Bahá’u’lláh) be repeated when the Centre of Sedition waxed haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others. No doubt every vainglorious one that purposeth dissension and discord will not openly declare his evil purposes, nay rather, even as impure gold, will he seize upon divers measures and various pretexts that he may separate the gathering of the people of Bahá. My object is to show that the Hands of the Cause of God must be ever watchful and so soon as they find anyone beginning to oppose and protest against the Guardian of the Cause of God, cast him out from the congregation of the people of Bahá and in no wise accept any excuse from him. How often hath grievous error been disguised in the garb of truth, that it might sow the seeds of doubt in the hearts of men!

Translation Notes

تشکیل
tshkíl sh-k-l

literal: difficult; formation, constitution; difficult, problem

SE rendered عمومی (ʿmúmí), بانتخاب (bántkháb), عموم (ʿmúm), تأسیس (tʾasís), تشکیل (tshkíl), حفظ (ḥfẓ), صیانت (ṣíánt), جمال (jmál) as “Universal, elected, universally, established, care, protection, Beauty”

elected 50% must 50%
حضرت
ḥḍrt ḥ-ḍ-r → “the”

literal: presence/holiness

SE rendered ابهی (ibhí), حراست (ḥrást), عصمت (ʿṣmt), فائض (fáʾḍ), از (iz), حضرت (ḥḍrt), اعلی (iʿlí), روحی (rúḥí), لهما (lhmá), الفداست (al-fdást), آنچه (ánchh) as “Abhá, shelter, guidance, unerring, of, the, Exalted, my life, for them both, offered up, He”

majesty 44% honor 10% great 10% holiness 10% commander 7% who 5% excellency 3% unto 3% imam 3% embodiments 3%
دهند
dhnd dádn

literal: give; to give; given

SE rendered روحی (rúḥí), لهما (lhmá), الفداست (al-fdást), آنچه (ánchh), قرار (qrár), دهند (dhnd), اللّه (al-lh), خالفه (khálfh) as “my life, for them both, offered up, He, decide, Divine”

do 10% hurled 10% will 10% persist 10% sentence 10% condemned 10% bear 10% decide 10% should 10% cause 10%
انحاز
inḥáz ḥ-y-z

literal: deviate

SE rendered انکره (inkrh), فقد (fqd), انکر (inkr), اللّه (al-lh), انحاز (inḥáz), افترق (iftrq), اعتزل (iʿtzl), عنه (ʿnh), فقد (fqd), اعتزل (iʿtzl) as “hath, disbelieved in God, deviated, separated himself, from him”

1 occurrence in corpus

اعتزل
iʿtzl ʿ-z-l → “avoidance” Distinctive

literal: isolation; not be removed; seclusion

This form usually rendered as “turneth”, “deviated” (2 occurrences)

turneth 50% deviated 50%
کمال
kmál k-m-l

literal: perfection; perfect; complete

SE rendered افنان (ifnán), ایادی (iyádí), امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh), باید (báyd), کمال (kmál), اطاعت (iṭáʿt), تمکین (tmkín), انقیاد (inqíád), توجّه (tújjh) as “Afnán, Hands, Cause, God, incumbent upon, obedience, subordination, submissiveness, turn unto him”

انقیاد
inqíád q-w-d → “commander” Distinctive

literal: commander, leader; leader/commander

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

خشوع
khshúʿ kh-sh-ʿ

literal: humility; submissiveness

SE rendered انقیاد (inqíád), توجّه (tújjh), خضوع (khḍúʿ), خشوع (khshúʿ), بولیّ (búlíl), امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh), داشته (dáshth), باشند (báshnd) as “submissiveness, turn unto him, lowly, the Guardian, Cause, God, show, are”

سبب
sbb s-b-b

literal: cause; cause, reason; causes

SE rendered مخالفت (mkhálft), نمود (nmúd), مخالفت (mkhálft), بحقّ (bḥqq), کرده (krdh), سبب (sbb), تشتیت (tshtít), امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh) as “opposed the True One, may, truth, hath, make a breach, Cause, God”

cause 32% instrument 12% means 12% conducive 12% caused 11% reason 5% hath 5% will 4% motive 4% would 3%
تشتیت
tshtít sh-t-t → “several” Distinctive

literal: scattering; dispersal; dispersion

This form usually rendered as “breach”, “scattered”, “dispersing” (3 occurrences)

علّت
ʿllt ʿ-l-l

literal: cause; reason

SE rendered تشتیت (tshtít), امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh), علّت (ʿllt), تفریق (tfríq), کلمة (klmh), اللّه (al-lh), گردد (grdd), مظهری (mẓhrí) as “make a breach, Cause, God, subvert His Word, become, manifestation”

cause 23% motive 14% source 14% caused 9% instrument 9% reason 9% cannot 9% acted 5% what 5% causeth 5%
کلمة
klmh k-l-m

literal: word; words

SE rendered امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh), علّت (ʿllt), تفریق (tfríq), کلمة (klmh), اللّه (al-lh), گردد (grdd), مظهری (mẓhrí), از (iz) as “Cause, God, subvert His Word, become, manifestation, of”

word 54% words 23% through 10% one 6% statement 2% single 2% sayings 1% idle 1% certain 1% divinity 1%
جعلی
jʿlí j-ʿ-l

literal: make; made; to make

SE rendered استکبار (istkbár), کرد (krd), ولی (wlí), بهانۀ (bhánۀ), توحید (túḥíd), جعلی (jʿlí), نمود (nmúd), محروم (mḥrúm), نفوس (nfús) as “haughty and rebellious, hath, excuse, Unity, May, deprived, himself and”

thou 19% make 15% hath 13% made 11% grant 9% enable 8% hast 8% number 6% cause 6% will 5%
مشوّش
mshúhsh w-sh-sh → “perturbed”

literal: perturbed

1 occurrence in corpus

هر
hr h-r

literal: every; each; every/each

SE rendered مشوّش (mshúhsh), مسموم (msmúm), نمود (nmúd), البتّه (al-btth), هر (hr), مغرور (mghrúr), ارادۀ (irádۀ), فساد (fsád), تفریق (tfríq), نماید (nmáyd) as “perturbed, poisoned, may, No doubt, vainglorious, will, dissension and discord”

نمیگوید
nmígúyd gftn

literal: say; to say; said

SE rendered فساد (fsád), تفریق (tfríq), نماید (nmáyd), صراحةً (ṣráḥhan), نمیگوید (nmígúyd), غرض (ghrḍ), دارم (dárm), لابدّ (lábdd), بوسائلی (búsáʾlí), چند (chnd) as “dissension and discord, will, openly, purposes, divers measures, and various”

say 43% said 14% maintain 10% have 8% hath 6% saying 5% claim 5% called 3% spoken 3% declare 3%
لابدّ
lábdd b-d-d

literal: necessarily; necessary; necessity

SE rendered صراحةً (ṣráḥhan), نمیگوید (nmígúyd), غرض (ghrḍ), دارم (dárm), لابدّ (lábdd), بوسائلی (búsáʾlí), چند (chnd), بهانه‌ئی (bhánh‌ʾí), چون (chún), زر (zr) as “openly, purposes, divers measures, and various, pretexts, gold”

must 67% nay 33%
زر
zr zr → “gold”

literal: gold

1 occurrence in corpus

مغشوش
mghshúsh gh-sh-sh → “enwrapped” Distinctive

literal: cover/envelop; dross; fraud, impurity

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

enwrapped 20% tumult 20% false 20% dross 20% impure 20%
گذاشت
gdhásht gdhásht

literal: place; put; to leave

SE rendered مخالفت (mkhálft), ولیّ (wlíl), امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh), گذاشت (gdhásht), فوراً (fúráan), آنشخص (ánshkhṣ), اخراج (ikhráj), از (iz), جمع (jmʿ) as “against the, Guardian, Cause, God, One, cast him out, of, congregation”

3 occurrences in corpus

فوراً
fúráan f-w-r

literal: immediately; gushing

SE rendered مخالفت (mkhálft), ولیّ (wlíl), امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh), گذاشت (gdhásht), فوراً (fúráan), آنشخص (ánshkhṣ), اخراج (ikhráj), از (iz), جمع (jmʿ), اهل (ihl) as “against the, Guardian, Cause, God, One, cast him out, of, congregation, people”

محض
mḥḍ m-ḥ-ḍ → “wholly”

literal: pure; mere; pure, merely

SE rendered قبول (qbúl), ننمایند (nnmáynd), چه (chh), بسیار (bsíár), باطلِ (báṭl), محض (mḥḍ), بصورت (bṣúrt), خیر (khír), درآید (dráyd), القای (al-qáy), شبهات (shbhát) as “before, they, How often, grievous error, in the garb, truth, disguised, sow the seeds, doubt”

utter 33% essence 13% token 13% wholly 7% sole 7% sheer 7% open 7% grievous 7% sign 7%

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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16 ¶

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291 ¶

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858 ¶

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17 ¶

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160 ¶