Kitáb-i-Íqán — §111

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 111 of 291.

Source (Persian)

بلی، اين عباد چون از عيون صافيه منيره علوم الهيّه تفاسير کلمات قدسيّه را اخذ ننمودهاند لهذا تشنه و افسرده در وادی ظنون و غفلت سائرند و از بحر عذب فرات مُعرِض شده در حول ملح اُجاج طائف اند. چنانچه در وصف ايشان ورقاء هويّه بيان فرموده: "وَ إن يَرَوا سَبِيلَ الرُّشدِ لا يَتَّخِذُوه سَبيلاً وَ إن يَرَوا سَبيلَ الغَيِّ يَتَّخِذُوه سَبيلاً، ذلِکَ بَانَّهُم کَذَّبُوا بآياتنَا وَ کانُوا عَنها غَافِلِينَ." که ترجمه آن اين است: اگر ببينند راه صلاح ورستگاری را، آن را اخذ نمی نمايند و به آن اقبال نمی کنند و امّا اگر راه باطل و طغيان و ضلالت را مشاهده کنند آن را برای خود راه وصول به حقّ قرار دهند. و اين اقبال به باطل و اعراض از حقّ ظاهر نشد، يعنی به اين ضلالت و گمراهی مبتلا نشدند، مگر به جزای آنکه تکذيب کردند آيات ما را و بودند از نزول آيات ما و ظهورات آن غفلت کنندگان.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Yea, inasmuch as the peoples of the world have failed to seek from the luminous and crystal Springs of divine knowledge the inner meaning of God’s holy words, they therefore have languished, stricken and sore athirst, in the vale of idle fancy and waywardness. They have strayed far from the fresh and thirst-subduing waters, and gathered round the salt that burneth bitterly. Concerning them, the Dove of Eternity hath spoken: “And if they see the path of righteousness, they will not take it for their path; but if they see the path of error, for their path will they take it. This, because they treated Our signs as lies, and were heedless of them.”

Translation Notes

بلی،

b-l-y → “Yea”

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

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

عباد

ʿ-b-d → “peoples”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

چون

ch-w-n → “as”

literal: since; when; as

از

ʾ-z → “from”

literal: from

عيون

ʿ-y-n → “Springs”

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

صافيه

ṣ-f-w → “crystal”

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

منيره

n-w-r → “luminous”

literal: light; illumination

علوم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

الهيّه

ʾ-l-h → “divine”

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

تفاسير

f-s-r → “interpreted” Distinctive

literal: commentary; explanation; interpretation; exegesis

کلمات

k-l-m → “words”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

قدسيّه

q-d-s → “holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

را

r-ʾ-ʾ → “of”

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

اخذ

ʾ-kh-dh → “seek”

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

ننمودهاند

n-m-ʾ → “failed to” Distinctive

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

لهذا

l-dh-ʾ → “therefore”

literal: therefore; for this reason; hence; so

تشنه

t-sh-n → “athirst”

literal: thirsty; languishing; athirst

افسرده

f-s-r-d

literal: broken-hearted; melancholy; sorrowful

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

وادی

w-d-y → “vale”

literal: valley

ظنون

ẓ-n-n → “fancy”

literal: fancy; supposition; vain imagination; idle conjecture

غفلت

gh-f-l → “waywardness”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

سائرند

s-y-r

literal: journey; other; conduct

بحر

b-ḥ-r → “waters” Distinctive

literal: sea; ocean

عذب

ʿ-dh-b → “fresh”

literal: torment, punishment, chastisement

فرات

f-r-t → “living waters”

literal: sweet water; river; the Euphrates

مُعرِض

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned away”

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

شده

sh-d

literal: to become; to be

حول

ḥ-w-l → “round”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

ملح

m-l-ḥ → “Mariner” Distinctive

literal: mariner; salt, bitter; salt

اُجاج

ʾ-j-j → “burneth bitterly”

literal: to kindle; to inflame; to intensify

طائف

ṭ-w-f → “circle”

literal: the letter Ṭá; refers to Ṭihrán (also spelled Ṭehran)

چنانچه

ch-n-n → “likewise” Distinctive

literal: thus; in such manner; as

وصف

w-ṣ-f

literal: to describe, characterize; description

ايشان

ʾ-y-sh → “Prophets”

literal: that; it (object pronoun with suffix)

ورقاء

w-r-q → “Dove of”

literal: leaf, page, sheet, parchment, document

هويّه

h-w-y → “desires”

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

بيان

b-y-n

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

فرموده:

f-r-m → “spoken” Distinctive

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

"وَ

w-w-w → ““And”

literal: and; quotation mark

إن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يَرَوا

r-ʾ-y → “see”

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

سَبِيلَ

s-b-l → “path”

literal: path; way; road; cause; means

الرُّشدِ

r-sh-d → “illumined” Distinctive

literal: truthfulness; righteousness; right guidance

لا

l-ʾ → “not”

literal: no; not; negation particle

الغَيِّ

gh-y-y → “my utmost Hope” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

ذلِکَ

dh-l-k

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

بَانَّهُم

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; indeed; verily

کَذَّبُوا

k-dh-b → “falsehood”

literal: denial; belying; falsification; rejection; liar; lying; false

بآياتنَا

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: beware; take heed; woe to you

کانُوا

k-w-n

literal: be; was; to be

عَنها

ʿ-n-n

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

ترجمه

t-r-j-m

literal: translation

اگر

ʾ-g-r

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

ببينند

d-y-d

literal: see; seen; to see

راه

r-h

literal: way; path; road

صلاح

ṣ-l-ḥ

literal: peace; reconciliation

ورستگاری

r-s-t

literal: steadfast; firm; firmly rooted; established

نمی

n-h-y

literal: to show, to display, to manifest, to exhibit; to manifest; to display; to show

به

b-h → “for” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

اقبال

q-b-l

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

کنند

k-r-d → “hath” Distinctive

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

امّا

ʾ-m-m

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

باطل

b-ṭ-l

literal: falsehood, false; vain, null

طغيان

ṭ-gh-y

literal: transgression; rebellion; tyranny; insolence

ضلالت

ḍ-l-l

literal: error; straying; misguidance; delusion; falsehood

مشاهده

sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

برای

b-r-y → “for”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

خود

kh-w-d → “their”

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

وصول

w-ṣ-l

literal: reunion; union; meeting; connection

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “God”

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

قرار

q-r-r

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

دهند.

d-h

literal: to give; to provide; to yield; to grant; to bestow

ظاهر

ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

يعنی

ʿ-n-y

literal: that is; meaning; i.e.

گمراهی

g-m-r

literal: weeping; crying; tears; misguidance; straying from the path

مبتلا

b-l-w

literal: tribulation; affliction; trial

مگر

m-g-r

literal: matter; affair; thing

جزای

j-z-y

literal: poll tax; tribute; recompense; reward; requital

تکذيب

k-dh-b → “falsehood”

literal: denial; belying; falsification; rejection; liar; lying; false

آيات

ʾ-y-y

literal: beware; take heed; woe to you

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

بودند

b-w-d → “were”

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

نزول

n-z-l

literal: to descend, to be revealed

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

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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

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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 ¶