Kitáb-i-Íqán — §181

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 181 of 291.

Source (Persian)

بسيار تعجّب است که اين قوم در بعضی از مراتب که مطابق ميل و هوای ايشان است متمسّک به آيه منزله در فرقان و احاديث اولی الايقان می شوند و از بعضی که مغاير هوای ايشان است بالمرّه اعراض می نمايند."اَفَتُؤمِنُونَ بِبَعضِ الِکتَاب و تَکفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ. " ما لَکُم کيف تَحکُمُونَ ما لا تَشعُرُونَ؟ مثل آنکه در کتاب مبين، ربّ العالمين بعد از ذکر ختميّت فی قوله تعالی: "وَ لَکِنْ رَسُولَ اللّهِ وَ خَاتَمَ النّبيّينَ"، جميع ناس را به لقای خود وعده فرموده. چنانچه آيات مدلّه بر لقای آن مليک بقا در کتاب مذکور است و بعضی از قبل ذکر شده. و خدای واحد شاهد مقال است که هيچ امری اعظم از لقا و اصرح از آن در فرقان ذکر نيافته. فَهَنيئاً لِمَن فازَ بِهِ فی يَومٍ اَعْرَضَ عَنهُ اَکثَرُ النّاسِ کَما اَنتُم تَشهَدُونَ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

How strange! These people with one hand cling to those verses of the Qur’án and those traditions of the people of certitude which they have found to accord with their inclinations and interests, and with the other reject those which are contrary to their selfish desires. “Believe ye then part of the Book, and deny part?” How could ye judge that which ye understand not? Even as the Lord of being hath in His unerring Book, after speaking of the “Seal” in His exalted utterance: “Muhammad is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets,” hath revealed unto all people the promise of “attainment unto the divine Presence.” To this attainment to the presence of the immortal King testify the verses of the Book, some of which We have already mentioned. The one true God is My witness! Nothing more exalted or more explicit than “attainment unto the divine Presence” hath been revealed in the Qur’án. Well is it with him that hath attained thereunto, in the day wherein most of the people, even as ye witness, have turned away therefrom.

Translation Notes

بسيار

b-s-r → “SON” Distinctive

literal: much; many; very; greatly

تعجّب

ʿ-j-b → “How strange”

literal: wonder; amazement; marvelous; strange

است

b-w-d

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

که

k-h → “which”

literal: that; who; who, that

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

قوم

q-w-m → “These people”

literal: rising; standing; uprising; resurrection

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

بعضی

b-ʿ-ḍ → “some”

literal: part; some; portion

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

مراتب

r-t-b

literal: rank; station; degree; time; instance

مطابق

ṭ-b-q → “conform”

literal: layer; stratum; to fold; to accord

ميل

m-y-l → “incline”

literal: inclination; leaning; preference

هوای

h-w-y → “selfish desires”

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

ايشان

ʾ-y-sh → “Prophets”

literal: that; it (object pronoun with suffix)

متمسّک

m-s-k → “cling to”

literal: musk; to seize; grip

به

b-h → “to”

literal: by it; by him; with it

آيه

ʾ-y-y → “verses”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

منزله

n-z-l

literal: to descend, to be revealed

فرقان

f-r-q → “Qur’án”

literal: faction; sect; group; company

احاديث

ḥ-d-th → “traditions”

literal: events, occurrences, accidents, changes and chances

اولی

ʾ-w-l → “first” Distinctive

literal: first; beginning; at first; the first; former; possessors of; those who have; masters of

الايقان

y-q-n → “of certitude”

literal: certainty; certitude; conviction; faith

می

m-y-y

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

شوند

sh-w-d

literal: become; to become; became

مغاير

gh-y-r → “others” Distinctive

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

بالمرّه

m-r-r

literal: to pass; to pass by; to go

اعراض

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned away”

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

نمايند."اَفَتُؤمِنُونَ

n-m-y → “show” Distinctive

literal: do; show; to do

الِکتَاب

k-t-b → “the Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

تَکفُرُونَ

k-f-r → “infidels” Distinctive

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

لَکُم

l-k-m

literal: for you, to you, your (dative pronoun)

کيف

k-y-f → “How could ye judge”

literal: how; in what manner

تَحکُمُونَ

ḥ-k-m

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَشعُرُونَ؟

sh-ʿ-r → “consciousness” Distinctive

literal: indicating; hair; perceive

مثل

m-th-l → “Even as”

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

آنکه

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مبين،

b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident; in; among; between; at this moment

ربّ

r-b-b → “Lord of”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

العالمين

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

بعد

b-ʿ-d → “after speaking”

literal: after; behind; distance

ذکر

dh-k-r → “mentioned”

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

ختميّت

kh-t-m → “Seal”

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

فی

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

قوله

q-w-l → “utterance” Distinctive

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

تعالی:

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

"وَ

w-w-w

literal: and; quotation mark

لَکِنْ

l-k-n

literal: but; however; yet; nevertheless

رَسُولَ

r-s-l → “Apostle”

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

اللّهِ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

literal: God; Allah; deity; Divinity; divine nature; godhood

النّبيّينَ"،

n-b-ʾ → “Prophets,””

literal: prophet; prophets; news

جميع

j-m-ʿ → “all people”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

لقای

l-q-y → ““attainment unto the divine” Distinctive

literal: opposite; facing; in front of; towards

خود

kh-w-d

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

وعده

w-ʿ-d → “promise of”

literal: promised; the Promised One

فرموده.

f-r-m → “hath revealed” Distinctive

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

چنانچه

ch-n-n

literal: thus; in such manner; as

مدلّه

d-l-l → “testify”

literal: to argue; to demonstrate; proof

بر

b-r-r

literal: on; on, upon; upon

مليک

m-l-k → “immortal King”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty

بقا

b-q-y

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

مذکور

dh-k-r

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

قبل

q-b-l → “before”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

شده.

sh-d

literal: to become; to be

خدای

kh-d-ʾ → “God”

literal: God; divine; deity

واحد

w-ḥ-d → “one true”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

شاهد

sh-h-d → “witness”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

هيچ

h-y-ch → “any”

literal: nothing; any; not a single

امری

ʾ-m-r

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

اعظم

ʿ-ẓ-m → “more exalted” Distinctive

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

اصرح

ṣ-r-ḥ → “explicit”

literal: explicit; clear, explicit; explicit statement

نيافته.

y-ʾ-f-t → “found” Distinctive

literal: to find, discover; to obtain, acquire; to find; to obtain; to discover

فَهَنيئاً

h-n-ʾ → “Happy”

literal: there; in that place; happy; congratulation

لِمَن

m-n → “him that” Distinctive

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

فازَ

f-w-z → “attained”

literal: to attain; to gain; to succeed; to win

يَومٍ

y-w-m → “day”

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

عَنهُ

ʿ-n → “therefrom”

literal: from; about; concerning; away from

اَکثَرُ

k-th-r → “most of”

literal: majority; multitude; abundance; multiplicity

النّاسِ

n-ʾ-s → “people”

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

کَما

k-m → “loss” Distinctive

literal: as; like; how much; lane; street; quarter; abode

اَنتُم

n-t-m

literal: you

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

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50 ¶

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A compilation of 166 selections from Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets, spanning the Baghdad, Adrianople, and ‘Akká periods (1853–1892). George Townshend assisted with English refinement. Shoghi Effendi wrote that it gives the friends a splendid opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of the Faith.

729 ¶

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16 ¶

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Published in 1938, this companion volume to Gleanings contains 184 prayers and meditations selected by Shoghi Effendi from Bahá’u’lláh’s devotional writings revealed across successive exiles from Baghdad to ‘Akká. Shoghi Effendi described it as a volume whose perusal would deepen the spirit of devotion and faith.

858 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

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Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

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Revealed during a visit to Mount Carmel, this Tablet addresses the mountain directly and prophesies its future as the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith. Shoghi Effendi designated it one of three foundational Charters. Its imagery of the Ark and the dwellers therein prefigures the Universal House of Justice.

5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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57 ¶

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Seventy-one Arabic and eighty-two Persian aphorisms revealed around 1858 while walking along the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Originally designated the “Hidden Book of Fáṭimih,” Shoghi Effendi described it as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances occupying a position of unsurpassed preeminence among the ethical writings of the Faith.

160 ¶

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Written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in three parts between 1901 and 1908, opened and read after His passing on 28 November 1921. Shoghi Effendi designated it the Charter of the New World Order — the mightiest instrument forged to ensure the continuity of the three ages of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

59 ¶