Kitáb-i-Íqán — §154

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 154 of 291.

Source (Persian)

حال ملاحظه فرمائيد اگر کسی در يوم ظهور حقّ ادراک فيض لقاء و معرفت مظاهر حقّ را ننمايد آيا صدق عالم بر او می شود اگر چه هزار سنه تحصيل کرده باشد و جميع علوم محدوده ظاهريّه را اخذ نموده باشد؟ و اين بالبديهه معلوم است که تصديق علم در حقّ او نمی شود. و لکن اگر نفسی حرفی از علم نديده باشد و به اين شرافت کبری فائز شود البتّه او از علمای ربّانی محسوب است زيرا به غايت قصوای علم و نهايت و منتهای آن فائز گشته.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Consider, how can he that faileth in the day of God’s Revelation to attain unto the grace of the “Divine Presence” and to recognize His Manifestation, be justly called learned, though he may have spent aeons in the pursuit of knowledge, and acquired all the limited and material learning of men? It is surely evident that he can in no wise be regarded as possessed of true knowledge. Whereas, the most unlettered of all men, if he be honoured with this supreme distinction, he verily is accounted as one of those divinely-learned men whose knowledge is of God; for such a man hath attained the acme of knowledge, and hath reached the furthermost summit of learning.

Translation Notes

حال

ḥ-w-l → “Consider”

literal: state; condition; circumstance

ملاحظه

l-ḥ-ẓ → “Consider”

literal: assembly; multitude; chiefs; to fill; people of rank; fullness, assembly

فرمائيد

f-r-m → “Consider”

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

اگر

ʾ-g-r → “were they”

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

کسی

k-s → “him”

literal: someone; anyone; a person

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

يوم

y-w-m → “day”

literal: day; age; period; era; a day

ظهور

ẓ-h-r → “of God’s Revelation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “of God’s Revelation”

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

ادراک

d-r-k → “comprehend”

literal: veiling; concealment

فيض

f-y-ḍ → “unto the grace”

literal: flood; abundance; overflow; emanation; grace

لقاء

l-q-y → “of the “Divine Presence””

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

معرفت

ʿ-r-f → “to recognize” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

ننمايد

n-m-ʾ → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to appear; to show; to display; to exhibit

آيا

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

literal: does; is it that (interrogative particle); sign; verse; O! (vocative particle); him; them (object pronoun)

عالم

ʿ-l-m → “justly called learned” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بر

b-r-r

literal: on; on, upon; upon

او

h-w-w → “he” Distinctive

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

می

m-y-y

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

شود

sh-w-d → “be”

literal: to come; to go; to arrive; came

چه

ch-h

literal: what; what/for; whatsoever, that which

هزار

h-z-r → “myriad”

literal: thousand

سنه

s-n-h → “years”

literal: year; way; tradition; custom

تحصيل

ḥ-ṣ-l → “attained” Distinctive

literal: obtained; result; sum

کرده

k-r-d → “made”

literal: to do; to make; to perform; deed; action; conduct; behavior

باشد

b-w-d → “may”

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

جميع

j-m-ʿ → “acquired all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

محدوده

ḥ-d-d → “limited”

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

اخذ

ʾ-kh-dh

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

نموده

n-m-ود

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

اين

ʾ-y-n → “It is” Distinctive

literal: this; these

بالبديهه

b-d-y-h → “surely”

literal: obvious, self-evident

که

k-h → “that”

literal: that; who; who, that

تصديق

ṣ-d-q → “truth”

literal: to confirm; to verify; to acknowledge; to testify to truth

نمی

n-h-y → “forbidden”

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

لکن

l-k-n → “however”

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

نفسی

n-f-s → “most unlettered” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

حرفی

ḥ-r-f

literal: letter; character; edge

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

نديده

d-y-d

literal: Persian verb دیدن (to see), not Arabic د-ي-د

به

b-h → “with” Distinctive

literal: by it; by him; with it

شرافت

sh-r-f → “honored” Distinctive

literal: honor; nobility; eminence; to honor

کبری

k-b-r

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

فائز

f-w-z → “attain”

literal: flood; abundance; overflow; emanation; grace

البتّه

b-t-t → “verily” Distinctive

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

ربّانی

r-b-b

literal: education; upbringing; training; cultivation

محسوب

ḥ-s-b → “is accounted”

literal: according to; in accordance with; as regards

زيرا

z-y-r → “inasmuch as”

literal: because; since; for; inasmuch as

غايت

gh-y-t → “highest wish”

literal: purpose; aim; goal; end; ultimate

قصوای

q-ṣ-w

literal: supreme; furthest; ultimate

نهايت

n-h-y → “utmost”

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

آن

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

گشته.

g-sh-t → “hath attained” Distinctive

literal: become; became; to become

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶