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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §130

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 130 of 291.

Source (Persian)

چنانچه اليوم می بينی که با وجود شمس معانی، جميع ناس از اعالی و ادانی تمسّک به جُعَل های ظلمانی و مظاهر شيطانی جستهاند و متّصل مسائل مشکله خود را از ايشان مستفسر می شوند و ايشان نظر به عدم عرفان چيزی جواب می گويند که ضرری بر اسباب ظاهره ايشان نرساند. و اين معلوم و واضح است که جُعَل خود قسمتی از نسيم مشک بقا نبرده و به رضوان رياحين معنوی قدم نگذاشته، با وجود اين چگونه می تواند رائحه عطر به مشام ديگران رساند؟ لم يزل شأن اين عباد اين بوده و خواهد بود. و لَن يَفُوزَ بِآثار اللّه إلّا الَّذينَهُم اَقبَلوا إلَيه و اَعْرَضُوا عن مَظاهِر الشَّيطان و کَذلِکَ اَثبَتَ اللّهُ حُکْمَ اليَوم مِنْ قَلَم العِزَّةِ عَلی لَوحٍ کانَ خَلفَ سُرادِقِ العزِّ مکنُوناً. اگر ملتفت به اين بيانات شويد و تفکّر در ظاهر و باطن آن بفرمائيد جميع مسائل مشکله را که اليوم سدّی شده ميان عباد و معرفت يوم التّناد عارف شوی ديگر احتياج به سؤال نخواه داشت. انشاءاللّه اميدواريم که از شاطی بحر الهی لب تشنه و محروم بر نگرديد و از حرم مقصود لايزالی بی بهره راجع نشويد. ديگر تا همّت و مجاهده شما چه کند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thou dost witness today how, notwithstanding the radiant splendour of the Sun of divine knowledge, all the people, whether high or low, have clung to the ways of those abject manifestations of the Prince of Darkness. They continually appeal to them for aid in unraveling the intricacies of their Faith, and, owing to lack of knowledge, they make such replies as can in no wise damage their fame and fortune. It is evident that these souls, vile and miserable as the beetle itself, have had no portion of the musk-laden breeze of eternity, and have never entered the Ridván of heavenly delight. How, therefore, can they impart unto others the imperishable fragrance of holiness? Such is their way, and such will it remain for ever. Only those will attain to the knowledge of the Word of God that have turned unto Him, and repudiated the manifestations of Satan. Thus God hath reaffirmed the law of the day of His Revelation, and inscribed it with the pen of power upon the mystic Tablet hidden beneath the veil of celestial glory. Wert thou to heed these words, wert thou to ponder their outward and inner meaning in thy heart, thou wouldst seize the significance of all the abstruse problems which, in this day, have become insuperable barriers between men and the knowledge of the Day of Judgment. Then wilt thou have no more questions to perplex thee. We fain would hope that, God willing, thou wilt not return, deprived and still athirst, from the shores of the ocean of divine mercy, nor come back destitute from the imperishable Sanctuary of thy heart’s desire. Let it now be seen what thy search and endeavours will achieve.

Translation Notes

بينی
bíní dídn

literal: see; to see; saw

SE rendered چنانچه (chnánchh), اليوم (al-yúm), می (mí), بينی (bíní), وجود (wjúd), شمس (shms), معانی، (mʿání،), جميع (jmíʿ) as “Thou, dost witness today, radiant splendour of the Sun, of divine knowledge, all the”

thou 67% recognize 8% cease 8% eyes 8% didst 8%
وجود
wjúd w-j-d

literal: existence; existent

SE rendered چنانچه (chnánchh), اليوم (al-yúm), می (mí), بينی (bíní), وجود (wjúd), شمس (shms), معانی، (mʿání،), جميع (jmíʿ), ناس (nás), از (iz), اعالی (iʿálí) as “Thou, dost witness today, radiant splendour of the Sun, of divine knowledge, all the, people, of, whether high”

world 17% notwithstanding 17% all 14% beings 11% creation 8% yet 8% mankind 8% existence 6% exist 6% souls 6%
مشکله
mshklh sh-k-l

literal: difficult; difficult, problem

SE rendered شيطانی (shíṭání), جستهاند (jsthánd), متّصل (mttṣl), مسائل (msáʾl), مشکله (mshklh), از (iz), ايشان (iyshán), مستفسر (mstfsr) as “of the Prince of, Darkness, continually, the intricacies, of, them, appeal to”

عدم
ʿdm ʿ-d-m

literal: non-existence; non-existent; nonexistent

SE rendered مستفسر (mstfsr), می (mí), شوند (shúnd), ايشان (iyshán), نظر (nẓr), عدم (ʿdm), عرفان (ʿrfán), چيزی (chízí), جواب (júáb) as “appeal to, in unraveling, they, owing to lack of, knowledge, such, replies”

گويند
gúynd gftn

literal: say; to say

SE rendered نظر (nẓr), عدم (ʿdm), عرفان (ʿrfán), چيزی (chízí), جواب (júáb), می (mí), گويند (gúynd), ضرری (ḍrrí), بر (br), اسباب (isbáb), ظاهره (ẓáhrh), ايشان (iyshán) as “owing to lack of, knowledge, such, replies, in no wise damage, Revelation, their”

maintain 36% make 7% utter 7% voicing 7% should 7% say 7% saying 7% maintained 7% uphold 7% speak 7%
اسباب
isbáb s-b-b

literal: cause; cause, reason; causes

SE rendered چيزی (chízí), جواب (júáb), می (mí), گويند (gúynd), ضرری (ḍrrí), بر (br), اسباب (isbáb), ظاهره (ẓáhrh), ايشان (iyshán), نرساند (nrsánd) as “such, replies, in no wise damage, Revelation, their”

واضح
wáḍḥ w-ḍ-ḥ

literal: clear; clear, evident; clear/evident

SE rendered ايشان (iyshán), نرساند (nrsánd), معلوم (mʿlúm), واضح (wáḍḥ), جُعَل (juʿal), قسمتی (qsmtí), از (iz) as “their, evident, make, portion, of”

نگذاشته،
ngdháshth، ngdháshth

literal: place, put

SE rendered رضوان (rḍúán), رياحين (ríáḥín), معنوی (mʿnúy), قدم (qdm), نگذاشته، (ngdháshth،), وجود (wjúd), چگونه (chgúnh), می (mí), تواند (túánd) as “Ridván, souls, of heavenly delight, entered, How, therefore, can”

1 occurrence in corpus

عطر
ʿṭr ʿ-ṭ-r

literal: perfume; perfume, fragrance; became perfumed, derived fragrance

SE rendered چگونه (chgúnh), می (mí), تواند (túánd), رائحه (ráʾḥh), عطر (ʿṭr), مشام (mshám), ديگران (dígrán), رساند؟ (rsánd؟) as “How, therefore, can, imperishable fragrance of, others, impart unto”

sweet 50% smell 50%
مشام
mshám sh-m-m

literal: smell; smelling; inhalation

SE rendered چگونه (chgúnh), می (mí), تواند (túánd), رائحه (ráʾḥh), عطر (ʿṭr), مشام (mshám), ديگران (dígrán), رساند؟ (rsánd؟), يزل (yzl), شأن (shʾan) as “How, therefore, can, imperishable fragrance of, others, impart unto, way”

inhale 40% perception 10% can 10% sense 10% perceived 10% inhaled 10% detected 10%
يزل
yzl z-w-l

literal: cease; to cease; ceased

SE rendered ديگران (dígrán), رساند؟ (rsánd؟), يزل (yzl), شأن (shʾan), عباد (ʿbád), خواهد (khúáhd) as “others, impart unto, way, such will”

time 20% all 20% hath 16% everlasting 12% throughout 8% ever 8% invariably 4% never 4% will 4% eternity 4%
بِآثار
biáthár ʾ-th-r

literal: traces; trace

SE rendered خواهد (khúáhd), يَفُوزَ (yafúz), بِآثار (biáthár), اللّه (al-lh), الَّذينَهُم (adh-dhínahum) as “such will, will attain, God, which”

ملتفت
mltft l-f-t

literal: attentive; turn; attentive, aware

SE rendered سُرادِقِ (surádiq), العزِّ (al-ʿzz), مکنُوناً (mknúnáan), ملتفت (mltft), بيانات (bíánát), شويد (shúyd), تفکّر (tfkkr) as “the veil, of celestial glory, hidden, these words, to heed, to ponder”

unaware 23% behold 15% perceive 8% take 8% heed 8% realize 8% taken 8% consider 8% grasp 8% reflect 8%
تشنه
tshnh t-sh-n

literal: thirsty

SE rendered اميدواريم (imídúárím), از (iz), شاطی (sháṭí), بحر (bḥr), الهی (al-hí), لب (lb), تشنه (tshnh), محروم (mḥrúm), بر (br), نگرديد (ngrdíd), از (iz), حرم (ḥrm) as “We fain would hope, of, from the shores, of the ocean, of divine mercy, still athirst, not return, deprived, from the imperishable Sanctuary”

athirst 50% sore 50%
نگرديد
ngrdíd gshtn

literal: become; became; to become

SE rendered بحر (bḥr), الهی (al-hí), لب (lb), تشنه (tshnh), محروم (mḥrúm), بر (br), نگرديد (ngrdíd), از (iz), حرم (ḥrm), مقصود (mqṣúd) as “of the ocean, of divine mercy, still athirst, not return, deprived, from the imperishable Sanctuary, of thy heart’s desire”

have 26% hath 20% become 9% may 9% thou 9% made 9% will 7% returned 4% life-vein 4% failed 4%
بی
bí b-y

literal: without; is

SE rendered حرم (ḥrm), مقصود (mqṣúd), لايزالی (láyzálí), بی (bí), بهره (bhrh), راجع (rájʿ), نشويد (nshúyd), ديگر (dígr) as “from the imperishable Sanctuary, of thy heart’s desire, destitute, Let it now”

راجع
rájʿ r-j-ʿ

literal: return; returning; to return

SE rendered حرم (ḥrm), مقصود (mqṣúd), لايزالی (láyzálí), بی (bí), بهره (bhrh), راجع (rájʿ), نشويد (nshúyd), ديگر (dígr), همّت (hmmt), مجاهده (mjáhdh) as “from the imperishable Sanctuary, of thy heart’s desire, destitute, Let it now, endeavours”

همّت
hmmt h-m-m

literal: endeavor

SE rendered بهره (bhrh), راجع (rájʿ), نشويد (nshúyd), ديگر (dígr), همّت (hmmt), مجاهده (mjáhdh), چه (chh), کند (knd) as “destitute, Let it now, endeavours, will achieve”

exert 19% endeavor 19% utmost 19% resolve 10% soul 10% through 5% strive 5% striven 5% vigor 5% high 5%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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17 ¶

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