Kitáb-i-Íqán — §180

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 180 of 291.

Source (Persian)

باری ای حبيب من، مقدّس است نغمه لاهوت که به استماع و عقول ناسوت محدود شود. نمله وجود کجا تواند به عرصه معبود قدم گذارد؟ اگر چه نفوس ضعيفه از عدم ادراک، اين بيانات معضله را انکار نمايند و امثال اين احاديث را نفی کنند. بلی، لا يَعرِفُ ذلِکَ إلّا اُولو الاَلبابِ. قُل هُوالخَتمُ الَّذی لَيس لهُ خَتمٌ فِی الإبداعِ و لا بَدءٌ لَهُ فی الإختِراعِ إذاً يا مَلأ الاَرضِ فی ظُهُوراتِ البدءِ تَجلّياتِ الخَتم تَشهَدُونَ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O my beloved! Immeasurably exalted is the celestial Melody above the strivings of human ear to hear or mind to grasp its mystery! How can the helpless ant step into the court of the All-Glorious? And yet, feeble souls, through lack of understanding, reject these abstruse utterances, and question the truth of such traditions. Nay, none can comprehend them save those that are possessed of an understanding heart. Say, He is that End for Whom no end in all the universe can be imagined, and for Whom no beginning in the world of creation can be conceived. Behold, O concourse of the earth, the splendours of the End, revealed in the Manifestations of the Beginning!

Translation Notes

باری

b-r-y

literal: well; cistern; pit

ای

ʾ-y-y → “O”

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

حبيب

ḥ-b-b → “beloved”

literal: love; affection

من،

m-n → “my” Distinctive

literal: from; out of; than (preposition and particle)

مقدّس

q-d-s → “Immeasurably exalted”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

است

b-w-d → “is”

literal: to be; are (third person plural present copula)

نغمه

n-gh-m → “Melody”

literal: melody; tone; note

لاهوت

l-h-w → “for him” Distinctive

literal: divine nature; Godhead; divinity; theistic

که

k-h → “that are possessed of an understanding”

literal: that; who; who, that

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

استماع

s-m-ʿ → “hear”

literal: heard, hearkened to, acceptable, worthy of attention

عقول

ʿ-q-l → “mind”

literal: intellect; wise persons; to understand

ناسوت

n-w-s → “men” Distinctive

literal: human nature; humanity; the physical or material realm; corporeality

محدود

ḥ-d-d → “limitations” Distinctive

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

شود.

sh-w-d

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

نمله

n-m-l → “ant”

literal: ant

وجود

w-j-d

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

کجا

k-j-ʾ → “How”

literal: how; in what manner

تواند

t-w-n → “can”

literal: to be able, can; power, strength

عرصه

ʿ-r-ṣ → “realm”

literal: arena; field; space; open place

معبود

ʿ-b-d → “servants” Distinctive

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

قدم

q-d-m → “step” Distinctive

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

گذارد؟

g-dh-r

literal: pass; place; passed

اگر

ʾ-g-r

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

چه

ch-h

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

نفوس

n-f-s → “souls”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

ضعيفه

ḍ-ʿ-f → “feeble”

literal: weak; feeble; imperfect

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

عدم

ʿ-d-m → “lack”

literal: nonexistent; void; nullified

ادراک،

d-r-k → “understanding”

literal: veiling; concealment

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

بيانات

b-y-n → “utterances”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident

معضله

ʿ-ḍ-l → “mysteries” Distinctive

literal: difficult problems; perplexing questions; complicated issues

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

انکار

n-k-r → “denied”

literal: denial; rejection; repudiation; wrong; evil; to deny; to reject

نمايند

n-m-ʾ

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

امثال

m-th-l → “such”

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

احاديث

ḥ-d-th → “traditions”

literal: events, occurrences, accidents, changes and chances

نفی

n-f-y → “denial”

literal: is not; not to be; does not exist; negation, denial, banishment; to negate, deny, banish; contradiction; opposition; contrariety

کنند.

k-r-d

literal: do; to do; do, make

بلی،

b-l-y → “Yea”

literal: affliction; trial; calamity; trial, tribulation, affliction, calamity; yes; indeed; verily

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

يَعرِفُ

ʿ-r-f → “comprehend”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

ذلِکَ

dh-l-k → “Thus” Distinctive

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

إلّا

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

literal: except; but; if not; lo; now; at this time; save; only; unless

اُولو

ʾ-w-l → “first”

literal: first; firstness; beginning

الاَلبابِ.

l-b-b → “heart”

literal: core; essence; intellect; hearts (of understanding)

قُل

q-w-l → “Say”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

هُوالخَتمُ

kh-t-m → “End”

literal: to seal; to conclude; to end; seal

الَّذی

l-dh-y → “that” Distinctive

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

لَيس

l-y-s → “no”

literal: is not; to be not

لهُ

h-w → “is”

literal: for them both; to both of them (dual pronoun)

فِی

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

الإبداعِ

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous” Distinctive

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

بَدءٌ

b-d-ʾ → “beginning”

literal: beginning; primacy; originality; origin; principle; starting point; commencement; start; inception; creation

الإختِراعِ

kh-r-ʿ → “world of creation”

literal: invention; creation; origination

إذاً

ʾ-dh-n → “ears”

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

يا

y-ʾ → “O”

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

مَلأ

m-l-ʾ → “concourse”

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

الاَرضِ

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth”

literal: earth; land; ground; country

ظُهُوراتِ

ẓ-h-r → “Manifestations”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

تَجلّياتِ

j-l-w → “revelation” Distinctive

literal: effulgence; manifestation; revelation

تَشهَدُونَ.

sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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