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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §136

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 136 of 291.

Source (Persian)

حال اگر بر حسب ظاهر تفسير کنيد اين آيه هيچ در حقّ اوليای خدا و جنود او بر حسب ظاهر صادق نمی آيد چه که آن حضرت که جنديّتش مثل شمس لائح و واضح است در نهايت مغلوبيّت و مظلوميّت در ارض طفّ کأس شهادت را نوشيدند. و همچنين در آيه مبارکه که می فرمايد: "يُريدُونَ اَن يُطفِئوا نُورَاللّهِ بِاَفوَاهِهِم و يَأبَی اللّهُ إلّا اَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ ولوکَرِهَ الکافِرُونَ، " اگر بر ظاهر ملکی تفسير شود هرگز موافق نيايد زيرا که هميشه انوار الهی را بر حسب ظاهر اطفاء نمودند و سراج های صمدانی را خاموش کردند. مع ذلک غلبه از کجا ظاهر می شود و منع در آيه شريفه که می فرمايد: "وَ يَأبَی اللّهُ إلّا اَن يُتِمَّ نُورَه " چه معنی دارد؟ چنانچه ملاحظه شد جميع انوار از دست مشرکين در محلّ امنی نياسودند و شربت راحتی نياشاميدند. و مظلوميّت اين انوار به قسمی بود که هرنفسی بر آن جواهر وجود وارد می آورد آنچه را اراده می نمود چنانچه همه را احصاء و ادراک نمودند. مع ذلک چگونه اين مردم از عهده معانی و بيان اين کلمات الهی و آيات عزّ صمدانی بر می آيند؟

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Were the verse “And verily Our host shall conquer” to be literally interpreted, it is evident that it would in no wise be applicable to the chosen Ones of God and His hosts, inasmuch as Husayn, whose heroism was manifest as the sun, crushed and subjugated, quaffed at last the cup of martyrdom in Karbilá, the land of Táff. Similarly, the sacred verse “Fain would they put out God’s light with their mouths: But God hath willed to perfect His light, albeit the infidels abhor it.” Were it to be literally interpreted it would never correspond with the truth. For in every age the light of God hath, to outward seeming, been quenched by the peoples of the earth, and the Lamps of God extinguished by them. How then could the ascendancy of the sovereignty of these Lamps be explained? What could the potency of God’s will to “perfect His light” signify? As hath already been witnessed, so great was the enmity of the infidels, that none of these divine Luminaries ever found a place for shelter, or tasted of the cup of tranquillity. So heavily were they oppressed, that the least of men inflicted upon these Essences of being whatsoever he listed. These sufferings have been observed and measured by the people. How, therefore, can such people be capable of understanding and expounding these words of God, these verses of everlasting glory?

Translation Notes

حسب
ḥsb ḥ-s-b

literal: according; reckoned; reckoning

SE rendered حال (ḥál), بر (br), حسب (ḥsb), ظاهر (ẓáhr), تفسير (tfsír), کنيد (kníd), آيه (áyh), هيچ (hích) as “Were, upon, literally, interpreted, hath, in no wise”

صادق
ṣádq ṣ-d-q

literal: truth; truthful; true

SE rendered خدا (khdá), جنود (jnúd), بر (br), حسب (ḥsb), ظاهر (ẓáhr), صادق (ṣádq), نمی (nmí), آيد (áyd), چه (chh), حضرت (ḥḍrt), جنديّتش (jndídtsh) as “God, hosts, be applicable, Husayn, heroism”

مثل
mthl m-th-l

literal: like; likeness; example

SE rendered آيد (áyd), چه (chh), حضرت (ḥḍrt), جنديّتش (jndídtsh), مثل (mthl), شمس (shms), لائح (láʾḥ), واضح (wáḍḥ), نهايت (nháyt) as “be applicable, Husayn, heroism, sun, was manifest, at last”

instance 18% like 14% even 12% consider 12% such 10% same 10% equal 8% what 8% one 6% peerless 2%
لائح
láʾḥ l-w-ḥ

literal: tablet; tablets; allusion

SE rendered حضرت (ḥḍrt), جنديّتش (jndídtsh), مثل (mthl), شمس (shms), لائح (láʾḥ), واضح (wáḍḥ), نهايت (nháyt), مغلوبيّت (mghlúbíbt) as “Husayn, heroism, sun, was manifest, at last, crushed and subjugated”

manifest 29% resplendent 18% sure 12% shone 6% shineth 6% flasheth 6% hath 6% shed 6% clear 6% attested 6%
ملکی
mlkí m-l-k

literal: kingdom; king; owner

SE rendered الکافِرُونَ، (al-káfirúna،), بر (br), ظاهر (ẓáhr), ملکی (mlkí), تفسير (tfsír), هرگز (hrgz), موافق (múáfq) as “it.”, literally, interpreted, never, correspond”

earthly 22% dominion 17% temporal 11% worldly 11% earth 11% mortal 6% any 6% another 6% material 6% visible 6%
کجا
kjá kjá → “how”

literal: where

2 occurrences in corpus

دست
dst dst

literal: hand; hand, grasp

SE rendered ملاحظه (mláḥẓh), جميع (jmíʿ), انوار (inúár), از (iz), دست (dst), مشرکين (mshrkín), محلّ (mḥll), امنی (imní) as “witnessed, these, Luminaries, by, infidels, place, for shelter”

hand 38% hands 29% slumber 4% clutches 4% within 4% power 4% hath 4% forfeit 4% tyranny 4% grip 4%
نياسودند
níásúdnd ʾ-s-w

literal: rest

SE rendered از (iz), دست (dst), مشرکين (mshrkín), محلّ (mḥll), امنی (imní), نياسودند (níásúdnd), شربت (shrbt), راحتی (ráḥtí) as “by, infidels, place, for shelter, cup, tranquillity”

2 occurrences in corpus

آورد
áwrd áwrdn

literal: brought

SE rendered هرنفسی (hrnfsí), بر (br), جواهر (júáhr), وجود (wjúd), وارد (wárd), می (mí), آورد (áwrd), آنچه (ánchh) as “the least of men, Essences, being, inflicted, whatsoever”

brought 38% hath 25% into 13% heard 13% dealt 13%
همه
hmh h-m-h

literal: all; every/all

SE rendered آنچه (ánchh), اراده (irádh), می (mí), نمود (nmúd), چنانچه (chnánchh), همه (hmh), احصاء (iḥṣáʾ), ادراک (idrák), نمودند (nmúdnd) as “whatsoever, measured, observed”

all 52% every 17% whole 9% each 4% besides 4% throughout 4% solely 4% one 4%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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