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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §128

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 128 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و هرگز در هيچ عهد و عصر جز حيات و بعث و حشر حقيقی مقصود انبياء و اولياء نبوده و نيست. و اگر قدری تعقّل شود در همين بيان آن حضرت، کشف جميع امور می شود که مقصود از لحد و قبر وصراط و جنّت و نار چه بود. و ليکن چه چاره که جميع ناس در لحد نفس محجوب و در قبر هوی مدفونند. خلاصه اگر قدری از زلال معرفت الهی مرزوق شويد می دانيد که حيات حقيقی حيات قلب است نه حيات جسد. زيرا که در حيات جسد همه ناس و حيوانات شريکند و ليکن اين حيات مخصوص است به صاحبان افئده منيره که از بحر ايمان شاربند و از ثمره ايقان مرزوق. و اين حيات را موت از عقب نباشد و اين بقا را فنا از پی نيايد. چنانچه فرمودهاند: "المؤمِنُ حَيٌّ فِی الدّارَينِ." اگر مقصود حيات ظاهره جسدی باشد که مشاهده می شود موت آن را اخذ می نمايد.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

In every age and century, the purpose of the Prophets of God and their chosen ones hath been no other but to affirm the spiritual significance of the terms “life,” “resurrection,” and “judgment.” If one will ponder but for a while this utterance of ‘Alí in his heart, one will surely discover all mysteries hidden in the terms “grave,” “tomb,” “sirat,” “paradise” and “hell.” But oh! how strange and pitiful! Behold, all the people are imprisoned within the tomb of self, and lie buried beneath the nethermost depths of worldly desire! Wert thou to attain to but a dewdrop of the crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize that true life is not the life of the flesh but the life of the spirit. For the life of the flesh is common to both men and animals, whereas the life of the spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude. This life knoweth no death, and this existence is crowned by immortality. Even as it hath been said: “He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come.” If by “life” be meant this earthly life, it is evident that death must needs overtake it.

Translation Notes

هيچ
hích hích

literal: any, none; any

SE rendered هرگز (hrgz), هيچ (hích), عهد (ʿhd), عصر (ʿṣr), جز (jz), حيات (ḥíát), بعث (bʿth) as “every, age, no other but, “life,””

any 67% ever 33%
عهد
ʿhd ʿ-h-d

literal: covenant; age

SE rendered هرگز (hrgz), هيچ (hích), عهد (ʿhd), عصر (ʿṣr), جز (jz), حيات (ḥíát), بعث (bʿth), حشر (ḥshr), حقيقی (ḥqíqí) as “every, age, no other but, “life,”, “resurrection,”, spiritual”

بعث
bʿth b-ʿ-th

literal: resurrection

SE rendered هيچ (hích), عهد (ʿhd), عصر (ʿṣr), جز (jz), حيات (ḥíát), بعث (bʿth), حشر (ḥshr), حقيقی (ḥqíqí), مقصود (mqṣúd), انبياء (inbíáʾ) as “age, no other but, “life,”, “resurrection,”, spiritual, purpose, Prophets”

چاره
chárh chárh

literal: remedy; remedy, alternative

SE rendered جنّت (jnnt), نار (nár), چه (chh), ليکن (líkn), چه (chh), چاره (chárh), جميع (jmíʿ), ناس (nás), لحد (lḥd), نفس (nfs), محجوب (mḥjúb) as ““paradise”, “hell.”, oh! how, all, people, tomb, self, imprisoned”

مدفونند
mdfúnnd d-f-n → “buried” Distinctive

literal: burial; buried

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

buried 40% bury 40% lie 20%
خلاصه
khláṣh kh-l-ṣ

literal: sincere; pure; sincere ones

SE rendered محجوب (mḥjúb), قبر (qbr), هوی (húy), مدفونند (mdfúnnd), خلاصه (khláṣh), قدری (qdrí), از (iz), زلال (zlál), معرفت (mʿrft), الهی (al-hí) as “imprisoned, worldly desire, buried, in, dewdrop of the crystal waters, knowledge, divine”

wholly 26% sincere 20% who 14% such 10% deliver 7% devoted 6% pure 5% essence 5% faithful 5% true 3%
همه
hmh h-m-h

literal: all; every/all

SE rendered حيات (ḥíát), جسد (jsd), زيرا (zírá), حيات (ḥíát), جسد (jsd), همه (hmh), ناس (nás), حيوانات (ḥíwánát), شريکند (shríknd) as “life, flesh, For, men, animals, common”

all 52% every 17% whole 9% each 4% besides 4% throughout 4% solely 4% one 4%
مخصوص
mkhṣúṣ kh-ṣ-ṣ

literal: special; particular; specific

SE rendered حيوانات (ḥíwánát), شريکند (shríknd), ليکن (líkn), حيات (ḥíát), مخصوص (mkhṣúṣ), صاحبان (ṣáḥbán), افئده (ifʾdh), منيره (mnírh) as “animals, common, life, heart, pure”

صاحبان
ṣáḥbán ṣ-ḥ-b

literal: possessor

SE rendered ليکن (líkn), حيات (ḥíát), مخصوص (mkhṣúṣ), صاحبان (ṣáḥbán), افئده (ifʾdh), منيره (mnírh), از (iz), بحر (bḥr), ايمان (iymán) as “life, heart, pure, ocean, faith”

who 23% have 15% whose 8% ill-wishers 8% men 8% wise 8% illumined 8% possessed 8% masters 8% people 8%
عقب
ʿqb ʿ-q-b

literal: height

SE rendered مرزوق (mrzúq), حيات (ḥíát), موت (mút), از (iz), عقب (ʿqb), نباشد (nbáshd), بقا (bqá) as “partaken, life, death, knoweth, existence”

followed 29% awaiteth 29% pursuing 14% height 14% hill 14%
فنا
fná f-n-y

literal: perishing

SE rendered موت (mút), از (iz), عقب (ʿqb), نباشد (nbáshd), بقا (bqá), فنا (fná), از (iz), پی (pí), نيايد (níáyd), چنانچه (chnánchh), فرمودهاند (frmúdhánd) as “death, knoweth, existence, come, Even as, hath been said”

پی
pí pí

literal: pursuit

SE rendered نباشد (nbáshd), بقا (bqá), فنا (fná), از (iz), پی (pí), نيايد (níáyd), چنانچه (chnánchh), فرمودهاند (frmúdhánd), المؤمِنُ (al-mʾmin) as “knoweth, existence, come, Even as, hath been said, believer”

مشاهده
msháhdh sh-h-d

literal: witness; observation; witnessed

SE rendered حيات (ḥíát), ظاهره (ẓáhrh), جسدی (jsdí), باشد (báshd), مشاهده (msháhdh), می (mí), موت (mút), اخذ (ikhdh) as ““life”, earthly, life, be meant, death, overtake”

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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