Kitáb-i-Íqán — §125

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 125 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و اين مطلب در همه اعصار در حين ظهور مظاهر حقّ بوده.چنانچه عيسی می فرمايد: "لا بدّ لکُم بِاَن تُولَدوا مَرّةً اُخری." و در مقام ديگر می فرمايد : "مَن لَم يُولَد مِنَ الماء وَ الرُّوح لا يَقدرُ اَن يَدخُلَ مَلَکوتَ اللّه. المَولودُ مِنَ الجَسَدِ جَسَدٌ هُوَ وَ المَولُودُ مِن الرُّوحِ هُوَ رُوحٌ." که ترجمه آن اين است : نفسی که زنده نشده است از ماء معرفت الهی و روح قدسی عيسوی، قابل ورود و دخول در ملکوت ربّانی نيست زيرا هرچه از جسد ظاهر شد و تولّد يافت پس اوست جسد، و متولّد شده از روح که نفس عيسوی باشد پس اوست روح. خلاصه معنی آنکه هر عبادی که از روح و نفخه مظاهرقدسيّه در هر ظهور متولّد و زنده شدند بر آنها حکم حيات و بعث و ورود در جنّت محبّت الهيّه می شود و من دون آن حکم غير آن که موت و غفلت و ورود در نار کفر و غضب الهی است می شود. و در جميع کتب و الواح و صحائف، مردمی که از جام های لطيف معارف نچشيدهاند و به فيض روح القدس وقت قلوب ايشان فائز نشده، بر آنها حکم موت و نار و عدم بصر و قلب و سمع شده. چنانچه از قبل ذکر شده: "لَهم قُلُوبٌ لا يَفقَهُونَ بِهَا."

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Such things have come to pass in the days of every Manifestation of God. Even as Jesus said: “Ye must be born again.” Again He saith: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The purport of these words is that whosoever in every dispensation is born of the Spirit and is quickened by the breath of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily is of those that have attained unto “life” and “resurrection” and have entered into the “paradise” of the love of God. And whosoever is not of them, is condemned to “death” and “deprivation,” to the “fire” of unbelief, and to the “wrath” of God. In all the scriptures, the books and chronicles, the sentence of death, of fire, of blindness, of want of understanding and hearing, hath been pronounced against those whose lips have tasted not the ethereal cup of true knowledge, and whose hearts have been deprived of the grace of the holy Spirit in their day. Even as it hath been previously recorded: “Hearts have they with which they understand not.”

Translation Notes

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

مطلب

ṭ-l-b → “things” Distinctive

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

همه

h-m-h → “every”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

اعصار

ʿ-ṣ-r → “days” Distinctive

literal: age; era; century; period of time

حين

ḥ-y-n

literal: time; moment; while; season

ظهور

ẓ-h-r → “Manifestation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “God”

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

می

m-y-y

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

فرمايد:

f-r-m → “said”

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

بدّ

b-d-d

literal: bad; necessarily; necessary

لکُم

l-k-m → ““Ye”

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

بِاَن

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; indeed; moment

تُولَدوا

w-l-d → “be born”

literal: to give birth; to be born; child, offspring

مَرّةً

m-r-r

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

اُخری."

ʾ-kh-r → “next” Distinctive

literal: hereafter; other; last

مقام

q-w-m

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

ديگر

d-g-r → “Again” Distinctive

literal: home; place; land; abode

لَم

l-y-s → “not”

literal: to reproach; blame; censure

مِنَ

m-n → “of”

literal: from; out of; than (preposition and particle)

الماء

m-w-h → “water”

literal: water; shelter; refuge; dwelling; abode; essence

الرُّوح

r-w-ḥ → “the Spirit”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَقدرُ

q-d-r → “cannot”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

آن

ʾ-n → “these words”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

يَدخُلَ

d-kh-l → “enter”

literal: to enter; to admit; to bring in

مَلَکوتَ

m-l-k → “Kingdom”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

اللّه.

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

الجَسَدِ

j-s-d → “the flesh”

literal: body; corpse; physical form

هُوَ

h-w → “is”

literal: He; He is

که

k-h → “which”

literal: that; who; who, that

ترجمه

t-r-j-m → “be translated”

literal: translation

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

نفسی

n-f-s → “souls”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

زنده

z-n-d → “life” Distinctive

literal: prison; jail

نشده

sh-d → “been” Distinctive

literal: to become; to happen; to occur

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

معرفت

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

قدسی

q-d-s → “Holiness”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

ورود

w-r-d → “entered into” Distinctive

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

ربّانی

r-b-b

literal: education; upbringing; training; cultivation

زيرا

z-y-r

literal: because; since; for; inasmuch as

هرچه

h-r → “every”

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

يافت

y-f-t

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

پس

p-s

literal: then; then, therefore; therefore

اوست

h-s-t → “hath” Distinctive

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

خلاصه

kh-l-ṣ

literal: sincere; devoted; pure one

معنی

ʿ-n-y

literal: meaning; sense; significance

عبادی

ʿ-b-d

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

نفخه

n-f-kh → “breath”

literal: to blow; to breathe; to inflate; to sound (a trumpet)

بر

b-r-r

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

آنها

null → ““death””

literal: that, it; to be; indeed

حکم

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

حيات

ḥ-y-y → ““life””

literal: life; vitality; living

بعث

b-ʿ-th → ““resurrection””

literal: to send; to raise up; to dispatch

جنّت

j-n-n → ““paradise””

literal: you (singular/plural pronoun)

محبّت

ḥ-b-b → “love”

literal: love; affection

شود

sh-w-d

literal: to not become; to not be

دون

d-w-n → “of”

literal: below; lower than; beneath

غير

gh-y-r

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

موت

m-w-t → ““death””

literal: death; dead; to die

غفلت

gh-f-l → “heedless”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

نار

n-ʾ-r → ““fire””

literal: fire; blaze; flame

کفر

k-f-r → “unbelief”

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

غضب

gh-ḍ-b → ““wrath””

literal: wrath; anger; rage

جميع

j-m-ʿ → “all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

کتب

k-t-b → “scriptures”

literal: book; scripture; writing

الواح

l-w-ḥ → “Tablet”

literal: tablet; panel; divine decree; revelation

صحائف،

ṣ-ḥ-f → “books”

literal: page; tablet; scroll; book

مردمی

m-r-d → “those” Distinctive

literal: rebellion; mutiny; revolt

جام

j-ʾ-m → “cup”

literal: cup; chalice; garment

لطيف

l-ṭ-f → “ethereal”

literal: kindness; grace; gentleness; benevolence

به

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

فيض

f-y-ḍ → “grace”

literal: flood; abundance; overflow; emanation; grace; overflowing; emanating; surplus

وقت

w-q-t

literal: time; occasion; moment; period

قلوب

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

ايشان

ʾ-y-sh

literal: that; it (object pronoun with suffix)

فائز

f-w-z → “attain”

literal: benefit, profit, advantage; usefulness; bounty; effusion; grace

عدم

ʿ-d-m → “nothingness”

literal: nonexistent; void; nullified

بصر

b-ṣ-r → “eyes”

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

سمع

s-m-ʿ → “hearing”

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

چنانچه

ch-n-n

literal: thus; in such manner; as

قبل

q-b-l → “previously” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

ذکر

dh-k-r → “recorded” Distinctive

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

يَفقَهُونَ

f-q-h → “understand”

literal: to understand; to comprehend; insight; jurisprudence

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶