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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §199

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 199 of 291.

Source (Persian)

باری، در کلمات شموس حقيقت بايد تفکّر نمود و اگر ادراک نشد بايد از واقفين مخازن علم سؤال شود تا بيان فرمايند و رفع اشکال نمايند نه آنکه به عقل ناقص خود کلمات قدسيّه را تفسير نمايند و چون مطابق نفس و هوای خود نيابند بنای ردّ و اعتراض گذارند. چنانچه اليوم علماء و فقهای عصر که بر مسند علم و فضل نشستهاند و جهل را علم نام گذاشتهاند و ظلم را عدل ناميدهاند اگر مجعولات خاطر خود را از شمس حقيقی سؤال نمايند و جواب موافق آنچه فهميده و يا از کتاب مثل خود ادراک نمودهاند نشنوند البتّه نفی علم از آن معدن و منبع علم نمايند. چنانچه در هر زمانی اين واقع شد.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Those words uttered by the Luminaries of Truth must needs be pondered, and should their significance be not grasped, enlightenment should be sought from the Trustees of the depositories of Knowledge, that these may expound their meaning, and unravel their mystery. For it behooveth no man to interpret the holy words according to his own imperfect understanding, nor, having found them to be contrary to his inclination and desires, to reject and repudiate their truth. For such, today, is the manner of the divines and doctors of the age, who occupy the seats of knowledge and learning, and who have named ignorance knowledge, and called oppression justice. Were these to ask the Light of Truth concerning those images which their idle fancy hath carved, and were they to find His answer inconsistent with their own conceptions and their own understanding of the Book, they would assuredly denounce Him Who is the Mine and Wellhead of all Knowledge as the very negation of understanding. Such things have happened in every age.

Translation Notes

نشد
nshd sh-d “not”

literal: become; to become; became

SE rendered بايد (báyd)تفکّر (tfkkr)نمود (nmúd)ادراک (idrák)نشد (nshd)بايد (báyd)از (iz)واقفين (wáqfín)مخازن (mkházn)علم (ʿlm)سؤال (sʾál) as “should, pondered, may, grasped, not, from, Trustees, depositories, Knowledge, sought”

occurred 14% never 14% did 14% have 14% appeared 14% failed 14% hath 14%
از

literal: from

SE rendered تفکّر (tfkkr)نمود (nmúd)ادراک (idrák)نشد (nshd)بايد (báyd)از (iz)واقفين (wáqfín)مخازن (mkházn)علم (ʿlm)سؤال (sʾál) as “pondered, may, grasped, not, should, from, Trustees, depositories, Knowledge, sought”

23 occurrences in corpus

اشکال
ishkál sh-k-l “difficult” Distinctive

literal: difficult; difficult, problem

This form usually rendered as “mystery” (1 occurrences)

difficult 60% mystery 20% must 20%
نه
nh n-h-y

literal: end; ended; utmost

SE rendered بيان (bíán)فرمايند (frmáynd)رفع (rfʿ)اشکال (ishkál)نمايند (nmáynd)نه (nh)آنکه (ánkh)عقل (ʿql)ناقص (náqṣ)کلمات (klmát)قدسيّه (qdsísh) as “meaning, expound, unravel, mystery, hath, understanding, imperfect, words, holy”

end 16% forbidden 12% ended 12% infinite 12% highest 12% forbiddeth 8% most 8% utmost 8% last 8% unnumbered 4%
آنکه
ánkh ʾ-n “to”

literal: that; indeed; that, to

SE rendered فرمايند (frmáynd)رفع (rfʿ)اشکال (ishkál)نمايند (nmáynd)نه (nh)آنکه (ánkh)عقل (ʿql)ناقص (náqṣ)کلمات (klmát)قدسيّه (qdsísh) as “expound, unravel, mystery, hath, understanding, imperfect, words, holy”

have 10% behold 10% will 10% such 10% either 10% \‘verily 10% verily 10% truth 10% \‘they 10% although 10%
مطابق
mṭábq ṭ-b-q

literal: conforming; conforming, matching

SE rendered قدسيّه (qdsísh)تفسير (tfsír)نمايند (nmáynd)چون (chún)مطابق (mṭábq)نفس (nfs)هوای (húáy)نيابند (níábnd) as “holy, interpret, having, inclination, desires, found”

بنای
bnáy b-n-y

literal: foundation

SE rendered نفس (nfs)هوای (húáy)نيابند (níábnd)بنای (bnáy)ردّ (rdd)اعتراض (iʿtráḍ)گذارند (gdhárnd)چنانچه (chnánchh) as “inclination, desires, found, reject, repudiate, their truth., For”

بر
br b-r-r

literal: on; on, upon; upon

SE rendered چنانچه (chnánchh)اليوم (al-yúm)علماء (ʿlmáʾ)فقهای (fqháy)عصر (ʿṣr)بر (br)مسند (msnd)علم (ʿlm)فضل (fḍl)نشستهاند (nshsthánd)جهل (jhl) as “For, today, divines, doctors, age, seats, knowledge, learning, occupy, ignorance”

land 33% upon 11% piety 11% unto 11% pious 6% righteousness 6% beseech 6% good 6% against 6% indignities 6%
مسند
msnd s-n-d “mainstay” Distinctive

literal: support; lean; my support

This form usually rendered as “seats” (2 occurrences)

mainstay 75% seats 25%
نشستهاند
nshsthánd n-sh-s “find” Distinctive

literal: sit; sit/settle; to-sit

This form usually rendered as “occupy” (1 occurrences)

find 33% occupy 33% stain 33%
مثل
mthl m-th-l

literal: like; likeness; example

SE rendered موافق (múáfq)آنچه (ánchh)فهميده (fhmídh)از (iz)کتاب (ktáb)مثل (mthl)ادراک (idrák)نمودهاند (nmúdhánd)نشنوند (nshnúnd)البتّه (al-btth) as “inconsistent, conceptions, Book, understanding, have, find, assuredly”

consider 20% such 15% even 15% like 11% same 9% instance 9% similar 7% what 6% equal 4% likened 4%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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