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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §16

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 16 of 291.

Source (Persian)

پس قدری به ديده بصيرت الهيّه در آفاق علم ربّانی و انفس کلمات تامّه صمدانيّه تعقّل فرمائيد تا جميع اسرار حکمت روحانيّه بی سبحات جلال از خلف سرادق فضل و افضال ظاهر و هويدا شود. و کلّيّه اعتراض مردم و احتجاجات ايشان از عدم ادراک و عرفان حاصل شده. مثلاً بياناتی که طلعات جمال حقّ در علامات ظهور بعد فرمودند آن بيانات را ادراک ننمودند و يه حقيقت آن واصل نشدند لهذا عَلَم فساد برافراختند و رايات فتنه برپا نمودند. و اين معلوم است که تأويل کلمات حمامات ازليّه را جز هياکل ازليّه ادراک ننمايند و نغمات ورقاء معنويّه را جز سامعه اهل بقا نشنود. هرگز قبطی ظلم از شراب سبطی عدل نصيب ندارد و فرعون کفر از بيضای موسی اطّلاع نيابد. چنانچه می فرمايد: "وَمَا يَعلَمُ تأويلَهُ إلّا اللّهُ و الرّاسِخُونَ فِی العِلمِ." مع ذلک تأويل کتاب را از اهل حجاب مستفسر شدند و علم را از منبع او اخذ ننمودند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

With fixed and steady gaze, born of the unerring eye of God, scan for a while the horizon of divine knowledge, and contemplate those words of perfection which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply the mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere now beneath the veil of glory and treasured within the tabernacle of His grace, may be made manifest unto you. The denials and protestations of these leaders of religion have, in the main, been due to their lack of knowledge and understanding. Those words uttered by the Revealers of the beauty of the one true God, setting forth the signs that should herald the advent of the Manifestation to come, they never understood nor fathomed. Hence they raised the standard of revolt, and stirred up mischief and sedition. It is obvious and manifest that the true meaning of the utterances of the Birds of Eternity is revealed to none except those that manifest the Eternal Being, and the melodies of the Nightingale of Holiness can reach no ear save that of the denizens of the everlasting realm. The Copt of tyranny can never partake of the cup touched by the lips of the Sept of justice, and the Pharaoh of unbelief can never hope to recognize the hand of the Moses of truth. Even as He saith: “None knoweth the meaning thereof except God and them that are well-grounded in knowledge.” And yet, they have sought the interpretation of the Book from those that are wrapt in veils, and have refused to seek enlightenment from the fountain-head of knowledge.

Translation Notes

ديده
dídh dídh

literal: see; eye; seen

SE rendered قدری (qdrí), ديده (dídh), بصيرت (bṣírt), الهيّه (al-híhh), آفاق (áfáq), علم (ʿlm), ربّانی (rbbání) as “for a while, gaze, of God, the horizon, divine knowledge, eye”

thou 20% eye 20% eyes 13% perceive 13% found 7% witnessed 7% had 7% observer 7% seen 7%
انفس
infs n-f-s

literal: soul; souls

SE rendered الهيّه (al-híhh), آفاق (áfáq), علم (ʿlm), ربّانی (rbbání), انفس (infs), کلمات (klmát), تامّه (támmh), صمدانيّه (ṣmdánính), تعقّل (tʿqql) as “of God, the horizon, divine knowledge, eye, those words, of perfection, the Eternal, contemplate”

جميع
jmíʿ j-m-ʿ → “the”

literal: all; all, entire

SE rendered صمدانيّه (ṣmdánính), تعقّل (tʿqql), فرمائيد (frmáʾíd), جميع (jmíʿ), اسرار (isrár), حکمت (ḥkmt), روحانيّه (rúḥánính), بی (bí), سبحات (sbḥát) as “the Eternal, contemplate, hath revealed, the, mysteries, divine wisdom, beneath the veil”

all 80% every 9% whole 4% each 2% one 2% whatsoever 1% concourse 1% divers 1% entire 1% throughout 1%
روحانيّه
rúḥánính r-w-ḥ

literal: spirit; spiritual

SE rendered فرمائيد (frmáʾíd), جميع (jmíʿ), اسرار (isrár), حکمت (ḥkmt), روحانيّه (rúḥánính), بی (bí), سبحات (sbḥát), جلال (jlál), از (iz), خلف (khlf), سرادق (srádq) as “hath revealed, the, mysteries, divine wisdom, beneath the veil, of glory, the tabernacle”

بی
bí b-y

literal: without; is

SE rendered جميع (jmíʿ), اسرار (isrár), حکمت (ḥkmt), روحانيّه (rúḥánính), بی (bí), سبحات (sbḥát), جلال (jlál), از (iz), خلف (khlf), سرادق (srádq), فضل (fḍl) as “the, mysteries, divine wisdom, beneath the veil, of glory, the tabernacle, of His grace”

خلف
khlf kh-l-f

literal: behind

SE rendered حکمت (ḥkmt), روحانيّه (rúḥánính), بی (bí), سبحات (sbḥát), جلال (jlál), از (iz), خلف (khlf), سرادق (srádq), فضل (fḍl), افضال (ifḍál), ظاهر (ẓáhr), هويدا (húydá) as “divine wisdom, beneath the veil, of glory, the tabernacle, of His grace, be made manifest, manifest”

behind 53% within 16% beyond 11% beneath 11% obscured 5% there 5%
احتجاجات
iḥtjáját ḥ-j-j

literal: proof; proof, testimony; argument

SE rendered کلّيّه (kllílh), اعتراض (iʿtráḍ), مردم (mrdm), احتجاجات (iḥtjáját), ايشان (iyshán), از (iz), عدم (ʿdm), ادراک (idrák), عرفان (ʿrfán) as “been, The denials, these leaders of religion, lack of, understood, knowledge”

حاصل
ḥáṣl ḥ-ṣ-l

literal: obtained; result; acquisition

SE rendered عدم (ʿdm), ادراک (idrák), عرفان (ʿrfán), حاصل (ḥáṣl), مثلاً (mthláan), بياناتی (bíánátí), طلعات (ṭlʿát) as “lack of, understood, knowledge, Those words, the Revealers”

attained 40% arise 20% having 10% achieved 10% impossible 10% attain 10%
مثلاً
mthláan m-th-l

literal: like; likeness; example

SE rendered عدم (ʿdm), ادراک (idrák), عرفان (ʿrfán), حاصل (ḥáṣl), مثلاً (mthláan), بياناتی (bíánátí), طلعات (ṭlʿát), جمال (jmál), حقّ (ḥqq) as “lack of, understood, knowledge, Those words, the Revealers, the beauty, true God”

instance 18% like 14% even 12% consider 12% such 10% same 10% equal 8% what 8% one 6% peerless 2%
واصل
wáṣl w-ṣ-l

literal: reach

SE rendered ادراک (idrák), ننمودند (nnmúdnd), يه (yh), حقيقت (ḥqíqt), واصل (wáṣl), نشدند (nshdnd), لهذا (lhdhá), عَلَم (ʿalam), فساد (fsád), برافراختند (bráfrákhtnd) as “understanding, truth, they, Hence, the standard, up mischief, they raised”

attain 60% reach 20% partake 10% obtained 10%
برافراختند
bráfrákhtnd ʾ-f-r-kh-t → “raised”

literal: to raise

1 occurrence in corpus

رايات
ráyát r-w-y

literal: banner

SE rendered لهذا (lhdhá), عَلَم (ʿalam), فساد (fsád), برافراختند (bráfrákhtnd), رايات (ráyát), فتنه (ftnh), برپا (brpá), نمودند (nmúdnd) as “Hence, the standard, up mischief, they raised, and sedition, stirred”

ensigns 50% standards 25% banners 13% banner 13%
برپا
brpá brpá

literal: erect, establish; standing

SE rendered فساد (fsád), برافراختند (bráfrákhtnd), رايات (ráyát), فتنه (ftnh), برپا (brpá), نمودند (nmúdnd), معلوم (mʿlúm) as “up mischief, they raised, and sedition, stirred, is obvious”

2 occurrences in corpus

قبطی
qbṭí q-b-ṭ → “copt”

literal: copt, egyptian

1 occurrence in corpus

سبطی
sbṭí s-b-ṭ → “sept”

literal: sept, descendant

1 occurrence in corpus

ندارد
ndárd dáshtn

literal: have; to have; had

SE rendered ظلم (ẓlm), از (iz), شراب (shráb), سبطی (sbṭí), عدل (ʿdl), نصيب (nṣíb), ندارد (ndárd), فرعون (frʿún), کفر (kfr), از (iz), بيضای (bíḍáy), موسی (músí) as “of tyranny, the cup, the Sept, of justice, partake, the Pharaoh, of unbelief, the hand, the Moses”

can 18% hath 18% never 18% will 9% should 9% disputeth 9% dim 9% deterred 9%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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17 ¶

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