Kitáb-i-Íqán — §11

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 11 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و بعد جمال خليل کشف نقاب نمود و عَلَم هُدی مرتفع شد و اهل ارض را به نور تقی دعوت فرمود. هر چه مبالغه در نصيحت فرمود جز حسد ثمری نياورد و غير غفلت حاصلی نبخشيد إلّا الّذينَ هُم انقَطعُوا بکُلِّهِم إلی اللّه و عَرَجُوا بِجَنَاحی الإيقان إلی مَقامٍ جَعَلهُ اللّه عن الاِدراکِ مَرفوعاً. و تفصيل آن حضرت مشهور است که چه مقدار اعداء احاطه نمودند تا آنکه نار حسد و اعراض افروخته شد. و بعد از حکايت نار، آن سراج الهی را از بلد اخراج نمودند چنانچه در همه رسائل و کتب مذکور است.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Later, the beauty of the countenance of the Friend of God appeared from behind the veil, and another standard of divine guidance was hoisted. He invited the people of the earth to the light of righteousness. The more passionately He exhorted them, the fiercer waxed the envy and waywardness of the people, except those who wholly detached themselves from all save God, and ascended on the wings of certainty to the station which God hath exalted beyond the comprehension of men. It is well known what a host of enemies besieged Him, until at last the fires of envy and rebellion were kindled against Him. And after the episode of the fire came to pass, He, the lamp of God amongst men, was, as recorded in all books and chronicles, expelled from His city.

Translation Notes

بعد

b-ʿ-d → “Later” Distinctive

literal: after; behind; distance

جمال

j-m-l → “beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

خليل

kh-l-l → “Friend”

literal: defect; breach; disturbance

کشف

k-sh-f

literal: unveiling; disclosure; revelation

نقاب

n-q-b → “veil”

literal: veil; covering; purity

نمود

n-m-ʾ → “may” Distinctive

literal: to become; to be

عَلَم

ʿ-l-m → “standard” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

هُدی

h-d-y → “divine guidance”

literal: guidance; to guide; direction; leading rightly; this; this one

مرتفع

r-f-ʿ → “raised”

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

شد

sh-d → “was”

literal: to become; to be

اهل

ʾ-h-l → “people”

literal: people; inhabitants; family; kin; worthy; deserving; my family; my people; my kin

ارض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

به

b-h → “to”

literal: by it; by him; with it

نور

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

تقی

w-q-y → “righteousness”

literal: piety; righteousness; to protect, guard; the pious; the God-fearing; those who guard themselves

دعوت

d-ʿ-w → “summoned”

literal: call; invitation; claim

فرمود.

f-r-m → “He” Distinctive

literal: to say; to decree; to ordain; to command

هر

h-r → “every”

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

چه

ch-h → “For”

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

مبالغه

b-l-gh → “teach” Distinctive

literal: to reach; to attain; to deliver; to proclaim

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

نصيحت

n-ṣ-ḥ → “exhorted” Distinctive

literal: counsel; advice; admonition

جز

j-z

literal: except

حسد

ḥ-s-d → “envy”

literal: envy; jealousy; coveting

ثمری

th-m-r

literal: fruit; the fruit

نياورد

ʾ-w-r

literal: bring; to bring; to_bring

غير

gh-y-r

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

غفلت

gh-f-l → “waywardness”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

حاصلی

ḥ-ṣ-l

literal: obtained; result; sum

نبخشيد

b-kh-sh

literal: grant; bestow; give

إلّا

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

الّذينَ

l-dh-y → “which” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

هُم

h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

انقَطعُوا

q-ṭ-ʿ → “detached”

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

بکُلِّهِم

k-l-l → “all”

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

إلی

ʾ-l-y → “from” Distinctive

literal: to; to, toward; to, until

اللّه

ʾ-l-h → “God”

literal: God; Allah; deity; Divinity; divine nature; godhood

عَرَجُوا

ʿ-r-j → “ascended”

literal: ascension; ascend; ascents

بِجَنَاحی

j-n-ḥ → “wings”

literal: wing; side; shelter; protection

الإيقان

y-q-n → “certainty”

literal: certainty; certitude; conviction; faith

مَقامٍ

q-w-m → “station”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

جَعَلهُ

j-ʿ-l → “hath exalted” Distinctive

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

عن

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

الاِدراکِ

d-r-k → “comprehension” Distinctive

literal: to overtake; to catch; to reach; to attain; to perceive; to comprehend

تفصيل

f-ṣ-l

literal: detail; distinction; differentiation; to detail; to separate

حضرت

ḥ-ḍ-r → “Him”

literal: presence; majesty; His/Your Excellency

مشهور

sh-h-r → “well known” Distinctive

literal: city; month; fame, renown

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

مقدار

q-d-r

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

اعداء

ʿ-d-w → “enemies”

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

احاطه

ḥ-w-ṭ → “encompassed”

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

نمودند

n-m-ود

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

تا

t-y-y → “so that”

literal: so that/until

آنکه

ʾ-n → “to” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

نار

n-ʾ-r → “fires”

literal: fire; blaze; flame

اعراض

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned away”

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

افروخته

f-r-kh → “kindled”

literal: to kindle; to light; to raise; to establish

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

حکايت

ḥ-k-y → “story”

literal: telling; indicative; narrator; testifier; narrative; story; account; tale; to relate; one who relates; speaking of

سراج

s-r-j → “lamp”

literal: lamp; light; illuminator

بلد

b-l-d → “city”

literal: city; land; country

اخراج

kh-r-j → “banished” Distinctive

literal: go out; exit; outside

چنانچه

ch-n-n → “as”

literal: thus; in such manner; as

همه

h-m-h → “all”

literal: all; every/all

رسائل

r-s-l → “Apostle”

literal: messenger; send; messengers

کتب

k-t-b → “books”

literal: book; scripture; writing

مذکور

dh-k-r → “recorded”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

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

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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 ¶

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

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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

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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 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶