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| Photo © Baha’i International Community |
Prayer Beads of Baha'u'llah
Here below are 73 snippets of text wherein the image "cord" occurs
in authoritative Baha'i sources.
Following that is a passage from the Qur'an where the term "cord" occurs, with some context, as presented in six different English translations of the Qur'an (Rodwell, E.H. Palmer, Yusef Ali, Pickthall, Muhammad Asad, and George Sale).
Then, at the very bottom, are some remarks that scholar Todd Lawson, a Baha'i, shared with me in an email, regarding the use of the word "cord" (or "rope") as used in Islam and in the Baha'i Faith.
Following that is a passage from the Qur'an where the term "cord" occurs, with some context, as presented in six different English translations of the Qur'an (Rodwell, E.H. Palmer, Yusef Ali, Pickthall, Muhammad Asad, and George Sale).
Then, at the very bottom, are some remarks that scholar Todd Lawson, a Baha'i, shared with me in an email, regarding the use of the word "cord" (or "rope") as used in Islam and in the Baha'i Faith.
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| Photo © Baha’i International Community |
Marion Jack, Baha'i Pioneer
*****
From the Baha’i Writings
Ordain for them that have set their faces towards Thee, and
for Thine handmaids that have
held fast by Thy Cord, that which beseemeth the Ocean of Thy bounty and
the Heaven of Thy grace. (Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 134)
What mankind needeth in this day is obedience unto them that
are in authority, and a faithful
adherence to the cord of wisdom. (Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 206)
Have mercy, then, O Thou Who art the sovereign Lord of all,
Who art the King of everlasting days, and Ruler of all nations, upon these Thy
servants, who have clung
to the cord of Thy commandments, who have bowed their necks to the
revelations of Thy laws which have been sent down from the heaven of Thy Will. (Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha'u'llah, p. 300)
All, however, have, as soon as the Sun of Truth shed its
radiance upon the world, been deprived of its benefits, and have been shut out
as by a veil from its glory, except them that have clung to the cord of the unfailing providence of the one
true God, and have with complete detachment from all else but Him turned
their faces towards His holy court. (Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 306)
Cling thou to the hem of the Robe of God, and take thou firm hold on His Cord,
a Cord which none can sever. (Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 308)
Members of the human race! Hold ye fast by the Cord which no man can sever.
This will, indeed, profit you all the days of your life, for its strength is of
God, the Lord of all worlds. (Baha'u'llah,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 342)
I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast the cord of Thy loving-kindness,
and clung to the hem of Thy mercy and favors.
(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 9)
I am the one, O my Lord, that hath held fast the cord of Thy mercy which hath
surpassed the entire creation. (Prayers
and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 19)
I entreat Thee, O Thou Who art the Ruler of the kingdoms of
creation and the Author of all names, to write down my name with the names of
them who, from eternity, have circled round the Tabernacle of Thy majesty, and
clung to the hem of Thy loving-kindness, and held fast the cord of Thy tender mercy. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 21)
I am sore sick; I have held fast the cord of Thy healing. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 22)
I am the one who hath forsaken his all and set his face
towards the splendors of the glory of Thy countenance, who hath severed every
tie and clung to the cord
of Thy love and of Thy good-pleasure.
(Prayers and Meditations by
Baha'u'llah, p. 25)
Inspire them, O my Lord, with a sense of their own
powerlessness before Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self, and teach them
to recognize the poverty of their own nature in the face of the manifold tokens
of Thy self-sufficiency and riches, that they may gather together round Thy
Cause, and cling to the hem of Thy mercy, and cleave to the cord of the good-pleasure of Thy will. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 47)
Direct, then, his eyes, O my God, towards the horizon of Thy
loving-kindness, and make steadfast his heart in its attachment to Thee, and
unloose his tongue to praise Thee, and make him able to hold fast the cord of Thy love,
and to cling to the hem of Thy bounteousness, and to proclaim Thy name amidst
Thy creatures, and to recount Thy virtues throughout Thy realm... (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 53)
I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such as
have during that period clung
to the cord of Thy commandments, and laid hold on the handle of Thy
precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place within the
precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation of the splendors of the
light of Thy countenance. (Prayers
and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 66)
I have laid hold on the handle of Thy grace, and clung to the cord of Thy tender
mercy. (Prayers and
Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 75)
Unto Him I have turned, wholly detached from all things, and
cleaving steadfastly unto
the cord of Thy gifts and favors.
(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 80)
Thou seest me then, O my God, with my face turned towards
Thee, cleaving steadfastly
to the cord of Thy gracious providence and generosity, and clinging to
the hem of Thy tender mercies and bountiful favors. (Prayers
and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 81)
I have
held fast the cord of Thy grace, and clung to the hem of the garment of
Thy loving providence. (Prayers and
Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 100)
Grant, then, O my God, that Thy servant who hath turned
towards Thee, hath fixed his gaze upon Thee, and clung to the cord of Thy mercifulness and favor,
may be enabled to partake of the living waters of Thy mercy and grace. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 124)
What, then, can this poor creature hope to achieve, and to what cord must this wretched
soul cling? (Prayers and
Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 173)
In Thee I have placed my whole confidence, unto Thee I have
turned my face, to the
cord of Thy loving providence I have clung, and towards the shadow of
Thy mercy I have hastened. (Prayers
and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 220)
I am Thy servant who hath laid hold on the cord of Thy tender mercies, and
clung to the hem of Thy bounteousness. (Prayers
and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 224)
I beseech Thee by Thy Name, through which the faces of them
that are nigh unto Thee have turned white, and the hearts of such as are
devoted to Thee have winged their flight towards Thee, to grant that I may, at all times
and under all conditions, lay hold on Thy cord, and be rid of all attachment
to any one except Thee, and may keep mine eyes directed towards the horizon of
Thy Revelation, and may carry out what Thou hast prescribed unto me in Thy
Tablets. (Prayers and Meditations by
Baha'u'llah, p. 225)
Thou seest me, O my God, with my face turned towards Thee,
and my hands clinging to
the cord of Thy grace. (Prayers
and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 226)
I am he, O my God, that hath clung to the resplendent hem of
Thy robe, and taken hold
on Thy strong cord that none can sever.
(Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 228)
Do Thou destine for me, O my God, what will set me, at all
times, towards Thee, and enable
me to cleave continually to the cord of Thy grace, and to proclaim Thy
name, and to look for whatsoever may flow down from Thy pen. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 242)
I have wakened this morning with my face set toward the
splendors of the Day-Star of Thy Revelation, through Which the heavens of Thy
power and Thy majesty have been illumined, acknowledging Thy signs, believing
in Thy Book, and holding
fast unto Thy Cord. (Prayers
and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 249)
I have set out from my home, holding fast unto the cord of Thy love, and I have
committed myself wholly to Thy care and Thy protection. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 257)
Thou seest, O my Lord, Thy suppliant waiting at the door of
Thy bounty, and him who hath set his hopes on Thee clinging to the cord of Thy generosity. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 265)
Thou seest me turning toward Thee, and rid of all attachment
to anyone save Thee, and clinging
to Thy cord, through whose movement the whole creation hath been stirred up. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah,
p. 317)
Hold ye
fast unto the cord of means and place your trust in God, the Provider of
all means. (Baha'u'llah, The
Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 30)
Cleave
ye unto the cord of refinement with such tenacity as to allow no trace
of dirt to be seen upon your garments. (Baha'u'llah,
The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 46)
Lay hold on this Sure Handle and on the Cord of My mighty and unassailable Cause. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p.
61)
Cling,
O ye people of Baha, to the cord of servitude unto God, the True One, for thereby your stations shall be made manifest, your names
written and preserved, your ranks raised and your memory exalted in the
Preserved Tablet. (Baha'u'llah, The
Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 62)
They [referring
to the Qur’an 2:23 about the
revealed verses] constitute
the indissoluble Bond, the firm Cord, the Urvatu'l-Vuthqa, the inextinguishable
Light. (Baha'u'llah, The
Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 205)
Thou seest me turning towards Thee, holding fast unto the cord of Thy bounty,
clinging to the hem of Thy generosity, acknowledging the sanctity of Thy Self
and the purity of Thine Essence, and testifying to Thy unity and Thy oneness. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, p. 3)
My [the
Shaykh’s] sore injustice hath severed the cord of my [the
Shaykh’s] hope, and my [the Shaykh's] rebellion hath darkened my [the Shaykh's] face before the throne of Thy justice. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, p. 6)
O Shaykh! Know
thou that neither the calumnies which men may utter, nor their denials, nor any
cavils they may raise, can harm him that hath clung to the cord of the grace,
and seized the hem of the mercy, of the Lord of creation. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, p. 9)
Cling ye to the hem of virtue, and hold fast to the cord of trustworthiness and piety. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, p. 29)
Whilst afflicted with trials, He held fast unto the cord of patience and fortitude,
and was satisfied with the things which have befallen Him at the hands of His
enemies, and was crying out: "I have renounced My desire for Thy desire, O
my God, and My will for the revelation of Thy Will. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, p. 36)
...aided
by the hosts of wisdom, of utterance, of exhortations and understanding, they
have all seized and taken fast hold of the firm cord of patience and of
the shining hem of fortitude... (Baha'u'llah,
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 71)
It behooveth whosoever hath set his face towards the Most
Sublime Horizon to cleave
tenaciously unto the cord of patience, and to put his reliance in God,
the Help in Peril, the Unconstrained. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of
the Wolf, p. 99)
In this connection it is necessary to mention the following
occurrence, that haply men
may take fast hold of the cord of justice and truthfulness. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, p. 108)
Though
my transgressions be manifold, and unnumbered my evildoings, yet do I cleave
tenaciously to the cord of His bounty, and cling unto the hem of His
generosity. (Baha'u'llah, quoting Haji
Shaykh Muhammad Ali who self-sacrificed himself. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 110)
Where
shalt thou secure the cord of thy faith and fasten the tie of thine
obedience? (Baha'u'llah, Gems of
Divine Mysteries, p. 13)
Know,
moreover, that should the cord of assistance binding this mighty Pivot to the
dwellers of earth and heaven be severed, they would all assuredly perish. (Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries,
p. 74)
Take
heed lest thou cling to the cord of idle fancy and withhold thyself from
that which hath been ordained in the Kingdom
of God, the Almighty, the
All-Bountiful. (Baha'u'llah, The
Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 62)
Hath thy pomp made thee proud? By My Life! It shall not
endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou holdest fast to this firm Cord. (Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of
Hosts, p. 72)
O God, my God! Thou seest Thy loved ones turning their
hearts to Thee, and holding
fast unto the cord of Thy ordinances and laws. (Baha'u'llah, Fire and Light, p. 14)
In all these journeys the traveler must stray not the
breadth of a hair from the "Law," for this is indeed the secret of
the "Path" and the fruit of the Tree of "Truth"; and in all
these stages he must cling to the robe of obedience to the commandments, and hold fast to the cord of
shunning all forbidden things, that he may be nourished from the cup of
the Law and informed of the mysteries of Truth.
(Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, pp. 39-40)
Cleave ye to the hem of the raiment of virtue and keep fast hold of the cord of
piety and trustworthiness. (Baha'u'llah,
‘Trustworthiness,’ The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 331)
Cleave
ye at all times to the cord of trustworthiness and hold fast the hem of
the garment of truthfulness: thus biddeth you He Who is the Truthful, the
Trusted One. (Baha'u'llah,
‘Trustworthiness,’ The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 334)
Blessed is the house that hath attained unto My tender
mercy, wherein My remembrance is celebrated, and which is ennobled by the
presence of My loved ones, who have proclaimed My praise, cleaved fast to the cord of My
grace and been honoured by chanting My verses. (Baha'u'llah, ‘Family Life,’ The
Compilation of Compilations vol I, p. 385)
Cling
ye to the cord of God's laws, and follow not those who have turned away
from the Book, for verily they have opposed God, the Mighty, the Beloved. (Baha'u'llah, The Importance of Obligatory
Prayer and Fasting, p.7)
I beg of Thee, O my God, by those who have fasted for love
of Thee and have quaffed the living waters of submission from the hands of Thy
bounty, to ordain for Thy loved ones, who under the blaze of the orb of Thy trials have clung
to the cord of patience, all the good Thou hast reckoned in Thy Books
and Thy Tablets. (Baha'u'llah, The
Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, p. 26 )
Rich is
the one who hath held fast to the cord of Thy wealth, is submissive
before Thy face, and for whom Thou art sufficient above all things. (Baha'u'llah, The Importance of Obligatory
Prayer and Fasting, p. 32)
Wilt
Thou stay far removed, O my God, after Thou hast invited all mankind to return
and draw nigh unto Thee, and urged them to hold fast to Thy cord? (Baha'u'llah, The Importance of Obligatory
Prayer and Fasting, p. 36)
Yet
another sacred duty is that of clinging to the cord of moderation in all things,
lest they who are to be the essence of detachment and moderation be deluded by
the trappings of this nether world or set their hearts on its adornments and
waste their lives. (Baha’u’llah, quoted
by The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 437)
If wealth and prosperity become the means of service at
God's Threshold, it is highly meritorious; otherwise it would be better to
avoid them. Turn to the
Book of the Covenant, the Hidden Words, and other Tablets, lest the cord of
your salvation become a rope of woe which will lead to your own destruction. (Baha’u’llah, quoted by The Universal House
of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, pp. 437-38)
...assist
me under all conditions to lay fast hold on the cord of Thy Cause, and
to arise to serve Thee and to extol Thy Name amongst Thy servants. (Baha’u’llah, quoted in Messages to the
Indian Subcontinent, p. 433) [Translation authorized by the Universal House
of Justice.]
O peoples of the earth! Cleave ye tenaciously to the Cord of the All-Highest God,
which is but this Arabian Youth, Our Remembrance -- He Who standeth
concealed at the point of ice amidst the ocean of fire. Chapter XXIX. (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of
the Bab, p. 54)
Seek ye refuge in God from whatsoever might lead you astray
from the Source of His Revelation and hold fast unto His Cord, for whoso holdeth fast unto His
allegiance, he hath attained and will attain salvation in all the worlds. (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of
the Bab, p. 85)
Having
clung tenaciously to Thy Cord, O my God, I have detached myself from all
mankind, and having set my face towards the habitation of Thy tender
mercy, I have turned away from all created things. (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of
the Bab, p. 194)
Later he [Muhammad-Mustafa Baghdadi] moved from Beirut to
Iskandarun, and there he spent some time, until, drawn as if by a magnet to the
Lord, detached from all save Him, rejoicing in His glad tidings, holding fast to the cord that
none can sever -- he ascended on the wings of the spirit to his Exalted
Companion. (Abdu'l-Baha, Memorials of
the Faithful, p. 134)
He is God!
O ye heavenly souls, sons and daughters of the Kingdom:
GOD
says in the Qur'án: "Take ye hold of the Cord of God, all of you, and
become ye not disunited."[1]
[1 Qur'án 3:103.] (Abdu'l-Baha,
Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 101)
“Thy
pomp ... shall soon pass away, unless thou holdest fast by this firm Cord. We
see abasement hastening after thee...." All this happened just as
announced by Bahá'u'lláh. Napoleon III was dethroned and exiled. His empire
passed away and became nonexistent while the dominion and sovereignty of
Bahá'u'lláh, the Prisoner, has become eternal through the confirmation of God. (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of
Universal Peace, p. 211)
Extolled by the writer of the Apocalypse as "the Ark of
His (God) Testament"; associated with the gathering beneath the "Tree
of Anisa" (Tree of Life) mentioned by Bahá'u'lláh in the Hidden Words;
glorified by Him, in other passages of His writings, as the "Ark of Salvation"
and as "the Cord
stretched betwixt the earth and the Abha Kingdom," this Covenant
has been bequeathed to posterity in a Will and Testament which, together with
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and several Tablets, in which the rank and station of
'Abdu'l-Bahá are unequivocally disclosed, constitute the chief buttresses
designed by the Lord of the Covenant Himself to shield and support, after His
ascension, the appointed Center of His Faith and the Delineator of its future
institutions. (Shoghi Effendi, God
Passes By, p. 239)
"The
word 'cord', so often mentioned in the teachings, means both the Faith itself
and also the power of the Faith which sustains those who cling to it." (From letter dated April 18, 1941 written on
behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer)
Happy is the handmaid that hath mentioned thee, [Navaab] and
sought thy good-pleasure, and humbled herself before thee, and held fast unto the cord of thy
love... I bear witness that thou hast believed in God and in His signs,
and answered His Call, and turned unto Him, and held fast unto His cord... (Shoghi Effendi quoting Baha’ullah, Messages
to America, p. 35)
In counselling the friends, and conveying condolences to the
victims of this latest outrage, your Assembly should urge them to cleave now as never before to
the firm cord of God's holy ordinances and teachings, never to deviate
by so much as a hair's breadth from the Straight Path; and to bide the advent
of that day when it shall please Him to accomplish His foreordained decree. (From letter written on behalf of the
Guardian 2 July 1942 to the National Spiritual Assembly of Persia, The
Compilation of Compilations, vol I, p. 182)
Afire with that same love that burned so brightly in the
hearts of its earliest pioneers, holding fast to the strong cord of the spiritual precepts and
administrative principles of the Faith it has so whole-heartedly
espoused...
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to Canada, p. 70)
"However great may be our inability to understand the
mystery and the implications of the passing of Shoghi Effendi, the strong cord to which all
must cling with assurance is the Covenant. (Universal
House of Justice, 27 May 1966, Lights of Guidance, p. 317)
*****
From a passage in the Qur'an
O ye believers! fear God as He deserveth to be feared! ... And hold
ye fast by the cord of God, all of you, and break not loose from it;
and remember God's goodness towards you, how that when ye were enemies, He united your hearts, and by his favour ye became
brethren;
And when ye were on the brink of the pit of fire, he drew
you back from it. Thus God clearly sheweth you his signs that ye may be
guided;
3:100 And that there may be among you a people who invite to
the Good, and enjoin the Just, and forbid the Wrong. These are they with whom
it shall be well.
And be ye not like those who have formed divisions, and
fallen to variance after the clear proofs have come to them. These! a
terrible chastisement doth await them... (The Qur'an (Rodwell tr), Sura 3 -
The Family of Imran)
O ye who believe! fear God with the fear that He deserves,
and die not save ye be resigned.
Take
tight hold of God's rope altogether, and do not part in sects; but
remember the favours of God towards you, when ye were enemies and He made
friendship between your hearts, and on the morrow ye were, by His favour,
brothers. Ye were on the edge of a pit of fire, but he rescued you therefrom.
Thus does God show to you His signs, perchance ye may be guided; and that there
may be of you a nation who shall invite to good, and bid what is reasonable,
and forbid what is wrong; these are the prosperous. Be not like those who
parted in sects and disagreed after there came to them manifest signs; for them
is mighty woe... (The Qur'an
(E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 3 - Imran's Family)
103. And hold
fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not
divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favor on
you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His
grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of fire, and He
saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make his signs clear to you: that ye may be
guided.
104. Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to
all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong; they
are the ones to attain felicity.
105. Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves
and fall into disputations after receiving clear signs; for them is a dreadful
penalty.
(The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 3)
103 And
hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate.
And remember Allah's favour unto you: How ye were enemies and He made
friendship between your hearts so that ye became as brothers by His grace; and
(how) ye were upon the brink of an abyss of fire, and He did save you from it.
Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations unto you, that haply ye may be guided,
104 And there may spring from you a nation who invite to
goodness, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency. Such are they who are
successful.
105 And be ye not as those who separated and disputed after
the clear proofs had come unto them. For such there is an awful doom... (The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 3 - The
Family Of Imran)
3:103
And hold fast, all
together, unto the bond with God, and do not draw apart from one another. And remember the blessings which God has bestowed upon
you: how, when you were enemies, He brought your hearts together, so that
through His blessing you became brethren; and [how, when] you were on the brink
of a fiery abyss. He saved you from it. In this way God makes clear His
messages unto you, so that you might find guidance, (3:104) and that there
might grow out of you a community [of people] who invite unto all that is good,
and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong:
and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state!
3:105
And be not like those who have
drawn apart from one another and have taken to conflicting views after all
evidence of the truth has come unto them: for these it is for whom tremendous
suffering is in store... (The
Qur’an (Muhammad Asad tr), Sura 3 – The House of Imran)
[The English translation of George Sale that follows,
from the year 1734, does not use verse numbers or paragraphs or capitalization
of pronouns referring to God. He also doesn’t use the terms “cord” or “rope” or
“cable” or “bond,” but instead, “cleave” and “covenant.”]
*****
From Scholar Todd Lawson
There is another word for rope in the Quran, sabab. I believe that most of the occurrences of “cord” in the Baha’i writings are translations of ḥabl. This would be a great topic for further research.
| (3:103:2) biḥabli | to (the) rope | وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا |
| (3:112:8) biḥablin | with a rope | ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوا إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ |
| (3:112:11) waḥablin | and a rope | وَحَبْلٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ |
| (20:66:5) ḥibāluhum | Their ropes | فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىٰ |
| (26:44:2) ḥibālahum | their ropes | فَأَلْقَوْا حِبَالَهُمْ وَعِصِيَّهُمْ |
| (50:16:13) ḥabli | (his) jugular vein | وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ |
| (111:5:3) ḥablun | (will be) a rope | فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِنْ مَسَدٍ |
More instances of the image of "the cord," these published in 2021, from Abdu'l-Baha in 'Light of the World': "Placing our whole trust in God, we held fast to the cord of resignation, and with sanctified hearts we cleaved tenaciously to patience." p.109; "By what means can the one who hath failed to cling to this firm cord and mighty bond be secured? All the chains and ties of the world would be incapable of binding him fast." p.111; and [The Master quoting a deceased believer in the next world:] "Hold ye fast unto the firm Cord, and seize the hem of the Covenant of the Lord of all worlds, that ye may become as fresh and graceful boughs that yield sweet fruits. This is my counsel and my admonishment unto you.” p.135
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