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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §118

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 118 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و از جمله سلطنت آن است که از آن شمس احديّه ظاهر شد. آيا نشنيدی که به يک آيه چگونه ميانه نور و ظلمت و سعيد و شقيّ و مؤمن و کافر فصل فرمود؟ و جميع اشارات و دلالات قيامت که شنيدی از حشر و نشر و حساب و کتاب و غيره کلّ به تنزيل همان يک آيه هويدا شد و به عرصه شهود آمد. و همچنين آن آيه مُنزله، رحمت بود برای ابرار، يعنی انفسی که در حين استماع گفتند : "ربّنا سَمِعنا وَاَطَعْنا " و نقمت شد برای فُجّار، يعنی آنهائی که بعد از استماع گفتند: "سَمِعنا و عَصَينا." و سيف اللّه بود برای فصل مؤمن از کافر و پدر از پسر. چنانچه ديده ايد آنهائی که اقرار نمودند با آنهائی که انکار نمودند در صدد جان و مال هم بر آمدند. چه پدرها که از پسرها اعراض نمودند و چه عاشق ها که از معشوق ها احتراز جستند. و چنان حادّ و برنده بود اين سيف بديع که همه نسبت ها را از هم قطع نمود. و از يک جهت ملاحظه فرمائيد چگونه وصل نمود. مثل آنکه ملاحظه شد که جمعی از ناس که سال ها شيطان نفس تخم کينه و عدوان ما بين ايشان کاشته بود به سبب ايمان به اين امر بديع منيع چنان متّحد و موافق شدند که گويا از يک صلب ظاهر شدهاند. کَذلِکَ يُؤلِّفُ اللّهُ بَينَ قُلوبِ الَّذينَ هُمِ انقَطعُوا إلَيهِ وَ آمَنُوا بِآياتِهِ وَ کانُوا مِنْ کَوثَر الفَضلِ باَيادی العزِّ مِنَ الشَّاربِين. و ديگر آنکه چقدر از مردم مختلف العقائد ومختلف المذهب و مختلف المزاج که از اين نسيم رضوان الهی وبهارستان قدس معنوی قميص جديد توحيد پوشيدند و ازکأس تفريد نوشيدند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The following is an evidence of the sovereignty exercised by Muhammad, the Day-star of Truth. Hast thou not heard how with one single verse He hath sundered light from darkness, the righteous from the ungodly, and the believing from the infidel? All the signs and allusions concerning the Day of Judgment, which thou hast heard, such as the raising of the dead, the Day of Reckoning, the Last Judgment, and others have been made manifest through the revelation of that verse. These revealed words were a blessing to the righteous who on hearing them exclaimed: “O God our Lord, we have heard, and obeyed.” They were a curse to the people of iniquity who, on hearing them affirmed: “We have heard and rebelled.” Those words, sharp as the sword of God, have separated the faithful from the infidel, and severed father from son. Thou hast surely witnessed how they that have confessed their faith in Him and they that rejected Him have warred against each other, and sought one another’s property. How many fathers have turned away from their sons; how many lovers have shunned their beloved! So mercilessly trenchant was this wondrous sword of God that it cleft asunder every relationship! On the other hand, consider the welding power of His Word. Observe, how those in whose midst the Satan of self had for years sown the seeds of malice and hate became so fused and blended through their allegiance to this wondrous and transcendent Revelation that it seemed as if they had sprung from the same loins. Such is the binding force of the Word of God, which uniteth the hearts of them that have renounced all else but Him, who have believed in His signs, and quaffed from the Hand of glory the Kawthar of God’s holy grace. Furthermore, how numerous are those peoples of divers beliefs, of conflicting creeds, and opposing temperaments, who, through the reviving fragrance of the Divine springtime, breathing from the Ridván of God, have been arrayed with the new robe of divine Unity, and have drunk from the cup of His singleness!

Translation Notes

ميانه
míánh w-s-ṭ

literal: middle; middle, midst; between

SE rendered نشنيدی (nshnídí), يک (yk), آيه (áyh), چگونه (chgúnh), ميانه (míánh), نور (núr), ظلمت (ẓlmt), سعيد (sʿíd), شقيّ (shqíq) as “heard, one, verse, how, light, darkness, righteous, ungodly”

نشر
nshr n-sh-r

literal: spread; spreading; diffusion

SE rendered دلالات (dlálát), قيامت (qíámt), شنيدی (shnídí), از (iz), حشر (ḥshr), نشر (nshr), حساب (ḥsáb), کتاب (ktáb), غيره (ghírh) as “evidence, Day of Judgment, heard, of, raising of the dead, Reckoning, Last Judgment, others”

هويدا
húydá h-w-y

literal: desire; passion; air

SE rendered غيره (ghírh), تنزيل (tnzíl), همان (hmán), يک (yk), آيه (áyh), هويدا (húydá), عرصه (ʿrṣh), شهود (shhúd), آمد (ámd) as “others, revelation, all, that, verse”

عرصه
ʿrṣh ʿ-r-ṣ

literal: arena/realm

SE rendered همان (hmán), يک (yk), آيه (áyh), هويدا (húydá), عرصه (ʿrṣh), شهود (shhúd), آمد (ámd), همچنين (hmchnín), آيه (áyh) as “all, that, signs”

realm 40% dominion 20% world 20% called 10% court 10%
شهود
shhúd sh-h-d

literal: witness; observation; witnessed

SE rendered يک (yk), آيه (áyh), هويدا (húydá), عرصه (ʿrṣh), شهود (shhúd), آمد (ámd), همچنين (hmchnín), آيه (áyh), مُنزله، (munzlh،) as “that, signs, revealed”

visible 70% seen 13% unseen 5% behold 3% resulted 3% reveal 3% fact 3% creation 3%
همچنين
hmchnín hmchnín

literal: likewise; likewise, similarly; similarly, likewise

SE rendered عرصه (ʿrṣh), شهود (shhúd), آمد (ámd), همچنين (hmchnín), آيه (áyh), مُنزله، (munzlh،), رحمت (rḥmt), برای (bráy) as “signs, revealed, blessing, to”

پدر
pdr pdr → “father”

literal: father

3 occurrences in corpus

ايد
iyd ʾ-y-d

literal: support; come; strengthen

SE rendered پدر (pdr), از (iz), پسر (psr), چنانچه (chnánchh), ديده (dídh), ايد (iyd), آنهائی (ánháʾí), اقرار (iqrár), نمودند (nmúdnd), آنهائی (ánháʾí) as “father, from, son, witnessed, those, confessed, They”

may 33% assist 33% aid 10% all-merciful 5% will 5% “seal.” 5% how 5% step 5%
جان
ján ján

literal: soul; life; soul, life

SE rendered آنهائی (ánháʾí), انکار (inkár), نمودند (nmúdnd), صدد (ṣdd), جان (ján), مال (mál), بر (br), آمدند (ámdnd), چه (chh), پدرها (pdrhá) as “those, rejected, they, sought, property, warred against, How many, fathers”

lives 40% life 23% soul 16% spirit 5% heart 5% souls 4% dearly 2% own 2% inner 2% lifeless 2%
پدرها
pdrhá pdrhá → “fathers”

literal: fathers

1 occurrence in corpus

احتراز
iḥtráz ḥ-r-z → “shunned” Distinctive

literal: avoidance; avoidance, abstaining; avoidance, abstention

This form usually rendered as “repudiated”, “refrain”, “turn” (16 occurrences)

repudiated 13% refrain 13% turn 13% shunned 13% avoid 13% shun 13% turned 6% terror 6% aversion 6% avoidance 6%
جستند
jstnd jstn

literal: seek; sought; to seek

SE rendered عاشق (ʿáshq), ها (há), از (iz), معشوق (mʿshúq), ها (há), احتراز (iḥtráz), جستند (jstnd), چنان (chnán), حادّ (ḥádd), برنده (brndh) as “lovers, their, of, beloved, shunned, So, sharp, we”

have 33% fill 33% turned 33%
چنان

literal: so/such

SE expanded to “So mercilessly trenchant”

1 occurrence in corpus

تخم

literal: seed; seeds

2 occurrences in corpus

موافق
múáfq w-f-q

literal: agreement

SE rendered امر (imr), بديع (bdíʿ), منيع (mníʿ), چنان (chnán), متّحد (mttḥd), موافق (múáfq), شدند (shdnd), گويا (gúyá), از (iz), يک (yk), صلب (ṣlb), ظاهر (ẓáhr) as “Revelation, wondrous, transcendent, how, fused and blended, have been, from, same, loins, sprung”

گويا
gúyá gúyá

literal: as-if; as if; as if, apparently

SE rendered چنان (chnán), متّحد (mttḥd), موافق (múáfq), شدند (shdnd), گويا (gúyá), از (iz), يک (yk), صلب (ṣlb), ظاهر (ẓáhr), شدهاند (shdhánd) as “how, fused and blended, have been, from, same, loins, sprung”

methinks 89% seemeth 11%
صلب
ṣlb ṣ-l-b → “crucified” Distinctive

literal: crucify; loins

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

کَذلِکَ
kadhlik dh-l-k

literal: thus; thus, likewise; likewise

SE rendered از (iz), يک (yk), صلب (ṣlb), ظاهر (ẓáhr), شدهاند (shdhánd), کَذلِکَ (kadhlik), يُؤلِّفُ (yuʾllif), اللّهُ (al-lh), قُلوبِ (qulúb) as “from, same, loins, sprung, have been, uniteth, God, hearts”

thus 74% such 17% even 4% wise 4%
کانُوا
kánúá k-w-n

literal: be; was; to be

SE rendered آمَنُوا (ámanúá), بِآياتِهِ (biáyátih), کانُوا (kánúá), کَوثَر (kawthar), الفَضلِ (al-faḍl), باَيادی (báayádí) as “have believed, signs, Kawthar, grace, Hand”

have 32% who 26% stand 5% though 5% continue 5% joined 5% occupy 5% represented 5% truly 5% still 5%
مردم
mrdm mrdm

literal: people

SE rendered الشَّاربِين (ash-shárbín), ديگر (dígr), آنکه (ánkh), چقدر (chqdr), از (iz), مردم (mrdm), مختلف (mkhtlf), العقائد (al-ʿqáʾd), ومختلف (wmkhtlf), المذهب (al-mdhhb) as “quaffed, another, how numerous, of, divers, beliefs, conflicting, creeds”

people 59% men 15% peoples 11% man 2% hath 2% upon 2% wayward 2% generations 2% leaders 2% mankind 2%
معنوی
mʿnúy ʿ-n-y → “who”

literal: meaning; care; meanings

SE rendered نسيم (nsím), رضوان (rḍúán), الهی (al-hí), وبهارستان (wbhárstán), قدس (qds), معنوی (mʿnúy), قميص (qmíṣ), جديد (jdíd), توحيد (túḥíd), پوشيدند (púshídnd) as “fragrance, Ridván, Divine, springtime, holy, robe, new, Unity, arrayed with”

پوشيدند
púshídnd púshídn → “closed” Distinctive

literal: closed

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

closed 40% arrayed 20% clothe 20% utterly 20%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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16 ¶

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17 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶