Kitáb-i-Íqán — §211

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 211 of 291.

Source (Persian)

باری ای برادر من، لئالی علم ربّانی جز از معدن الهی بدست نيايد و رائحه ريحان معنوی جز از گلزار حقيقی استشمام نشود و گل های علوم احديّه جز از مدينه قلوب صافيه نرويد. "و البَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَ الَّذی خَبُثَ لا يَخرُجُ إلّا نَکِداً ."

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O my brother! A divine Mine only can yield the gems of divine knowledge, and the fragrance of the mystic Flower can be inhaled only in the ideal Garden, and the lilies of ancient wisdom can blossom nowhere except in the city of a stainless heart. “In a rich soil, its plants spring forth abundantly by permission of its Lord, and in that soil which is bad, they spring forth but scantily.”

Translation Notes

باری

b-r-y

literal: well; cistern; pit

ای

ʾ-y-y → “O”

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

برادر

b-r-d → “brother”

literal: brother

من،

m-n → “my” Distinctive

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

لئالی

l-ʾ-l → “pearls”

literal: night; darkness

علم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

جز

j-z → “apart from”

literal: except

از

ʾ-z → “in” Distinctive

literal: from

معدن

ʿ-d-n → “Mine”

literal: mine; source; origin; repository

الهی

ʾ-l-h → “divine”

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

بدست

d-s-t

literal: hand; control, power, authority

نيايد

ʾ-m-d → “came” Distinctive

literal: to come; to arrive; to attain; to support; to aid; to strengthen; to confirm

رائحه

r-w-ḥ → “fragrance”

literal: banner; standard; flag; sign; banner, standard, flag, ensign

معنوی

ʿ-n-y → “mystic”

literal: meaning; sense; significance

گلزار

g-l → “clay” Distinctive

literal: rose-garden; flower-bed

حقيقی

ḥ-q-q → “ideal”

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

استشمام

sh-m-m → “inhaled”

literal: smell; smelling; Syria

نشود

sh-w-d → “be”

literal: to not become; to not be

های

null

literal: and; that; in

احديّه

ʾ-ḥ-d → “none”

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

مدينه

m-d-n → “city”

literal: city; month; fame, renown

قلوب

q-l-b → “heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

صافيه

ṣ-f-w → “Thy chosen ones” Distinctive

literal: attribute; quality; characteristic

نرويد.

r-w-y → “tradition” Distinctive

literal: face; grow; tradition

"و

w-w-w → “and”

literal: and; quotation mark

البَلَدُ

b-l-d → “city”

literal: city; land; country

الطَّيِّبُ

ṭ-y-b → “goodly”

literal: good; blessed; good, pure

يَخْرُجُ

kh-r-j → “spring forth”

literal: bringing out, taking out, expulsion, extraction

نَبَاتُهُ

n-b-t → “bringeth forth” Distinctive

literal: prophet; messenger

بِإذْنِ

ʾ-dh-n → “by permission”

literal: ear; permission; leave; to permit; to allow; to listen

رَبِّهِ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: education; upbringing; training; cultivation

الَّذی

l-dh-y → “that soil which is”

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

خَبُثَ

kh-b-th → “bad”

literal: evil, wicked, vile, filthy; worst, vilest

لا

l-ʾ

literal: no; not; negation particle

إلّا

ʾ-kh-r → “but” Distinctive

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

نَکِداً

n-k-d → “scantily.””

literal: scantily, barely

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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