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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §127

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 127 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و همچنين دو نفر از اهل کوفه خدمت حضرت امير آمدند. يکی را بيتی بود که اراده بيع آن داشت و ديگری مشتری بود. و قرار بر آن داده بودند که به اطّلاع آن حضرت اين مبايعه وقوع يابد و قباله مسطور گردد. آن مظهر امر الهی به کاتب فرمودند که بنويس: "قَدِ اشْترَی مَيِّتٌ عَن مَيِّتٍ بَيتاً مَحدُوداً بِحدودٍ اَربَعةٍ، حدٌّ إلَی القَبْرِ وَ حَدٌّ إلَی اللَّحْدِ وَ حَدٌّ إلی الصِّراط، و حدٌّ إمّا إلَی الجَنَّةِ و إمّا إلی النّارِ." حال اگر اين دو نفر از صور حيات علوی زنده شده بودند و از قبر غفلت به محبّت آن حضرت مبعوث گشته بودند البتّه اطلاق موت بر ايشان نمی شد.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

In like manner, two of the people of Kúfih went to ‘Alí, the Commander of the Faithful. One owned a house and wished to sell it; the other was to be the purchaser. They had agreed that this transaction should be effected and the contract be written with the knowledge of ‘Alí. He, the exponent of the law of God, addressing the scribe, said: “Write thou: ‘A dead man hath bought from another dead man a house. That house is bounded by four limits. One extendeth toward the tomb, the other to the vault of the grave, the third to the Sirát, the fourth to either Paradise or hell.’” Reflect, had these two souls been quickened by the trumpet-call of ‘Alí, had they risen from the grave of error by the power of his love, the judgment of death would certainly not have been pronounced against them.

Translation Notes

همچنين
ch-n-n “like manner,” Distinctive

literal: always; ever; forever; at all times; constantly

دو

literal: two; run; running

نفر

literal: aversion; repugnance; to repel; to avoid

از

literal: from

اهل

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

خدمت

literal: service; servitude; to serve

حضرت
ḥ-ḍ-r “‘Alí” Distinctive

literal: presence; majesty; His/Your Excellency

امير

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

آمدند.

literal: to come; to arrive; to bring; to go; coming; arrival; the one coming; to give; Revelation; came; gave; brought

يکی

literal: one; any; each

را

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

بيتی

literal: house; household; family; verse

بود

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

که

literal: that; who; who, that

اراده
r-w-d “wished” Distinctive

literal: to will; to intend; to wish; will, volition, intention, desire

بيع

literal: sale; to sell; to swear allegiance; to pledge; to make covenant

آن
ʾ-n “it” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

داشت

literal: to have; to possess; to hold

ديگری

literal: other; another; different

مشتری

literal: to buy; to purchase; purchaser; buyer

قرار
q-r-r “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

بر
b-r-r “righteous” Distinctive

literal: on; on, upon; upon

داده

literal: below; lower than; beneath

به

literal: by it; by him; with it

اطّلاع

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

اين

literal: this; these

مبايعه
b-y-ʿ “sell” Distinctive

literal: sale; to sell; to swear allegiance; to pledge; to make covenant

وقوع
w-q-ʿ “occurred” Distinctive

literal: to fall, to occur, to happen; incident, event

يابد
y-ʾ-f-t “inhale” Distinctive

literal: find; to find, obtain; found

قباله
q-b-ḍ “grasp” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

مسطور
s-ṭ-r “written” Distinctive

literal: written; inscribed; recorded

گردد.

literal: become; to become; make

مظهر
ẓ-h-r “Revelation” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

الهی

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

کاتب
k-t-b “Book” Distinctive

literal: book; scripture; writing

فرمودند

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

بنويس:
n-w-sh “drunk” Distinctive

literal: light; illumination

مَيِّتٌ

literal: death; dead; to die

عَن

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

بَيتاً

literal: house; household; family; verse

مَحدُوداً
ḥ-d-d “limitations” Distinctive

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

اَربَعةٍ،

literal: spring; four; forty

إلَی

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

القَبْرِ
q-b-r “sepulchres” Distinctive

literal: Cyprus (toponym)

اللَّحْدِ
l-ḥ-d “impious” Distinctive

literal: melodies; songs; tunes

الصِّراط،

literal: path, way, straight path

إمّا
ʾ-m-m “nations” Distinctive

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

الجَنَّةِ

literal: garden; paradise; heaven

النّارِ."

literal: luminary; fire; luminaries

حال
ḥ-w-l “Reflect” Distinctive

literal: state; condition; circumstance

اگر

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

صور

literal: to imagine; to conceive; to suppose

حيات

literal: life; vitality; living

علوی

literal: highest; most high; supreme

زنده
z-n-d “life” Distinctive

literal: prison; jail

غفلت

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

محبّت

literal: love; affection

مبعوث

literal: strong; severe; intense; violent

گشته
g-sh-t “have been” Distinctive

literal: become; became; to become

البتّه

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

اطلاق

literal: divorce; release; freeing

ايشان

literal: that; it (object pronoun with suffix)

نمی

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

شد.

literal: to become; to be

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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