Kitáb-i-Íqán — §216

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 216 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و چون سراج طلب و مجاهده و ذوق وشوق و عشق و وله و جذب و حبّ در قلب روشن شد و نسيم محبّت از شطر احديّه وزيد ظلمت ضلالت شکّ و ريب زائل شود و انوار علم و يقين همه ارکان وجود را احاطه نمايد. درآن حين بشير معنوی به بشارت روحانی از مدينه الهی چون صبح صادق طالع شود و قلب و نفس و روح را به صور معرفت از نوم غفلت بيدار نمايد. و عنايات و تأييدات روح القدس صمدانی حيات تازه جديد مبذول دارد به قسمی که خود را صاحب چشم جديد و گوش بديع و قلب و فؤاد تازه می بيند و رجوع به آيات واضحه آفاقيه و خفيّات مستوره انفسيّه می نمايد و به عين اللّه بديعه در هر ذرّه بابی مفتوح مشاهده نمايد برای وصول به مراتب عين اليقين و حقّ اليقين و نور اليقين، و در جميع اشياء اسرار تجلّی وحدانيّه و آثار ظهور صمدانيّه ملاحظه کند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker’s heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of negligence. Then will the manifold favours and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of divine Revelation and the evidences of an everlasting manifestation.

Translation Notes

چون

ch-w-n → “As”

literal: since; when; as

سراج

s-r-j → “lamp”

literal: lamp; light; illuminator

طلب

ṭ-l-b → “seeker” Distinctive

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

مجاهده

j-h-d → “earnest striving”

literal: effort; striving; exertion; endeavor

ذوق

dh-w-q → “rapture”

literal: to taste; taste, flavor

وشوق

sh-w-q → “longing desire”

literal: to encourage; to incite; yearning; enthusiasm

عشق

ʿ-sh-q → “love”

literal: love, passion, ardor

وله

w-l-h

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

جذب

j-dh-b → “attract” Distinctive

literal: to draw, attract, pull; to be enraptured

حبّ

ḥ-b-b → “passionate devotion” Distinctive

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

قلب

q-l-b → “heart”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

روشن

r-w-sh → “illumined”

literal: light; illumination; brilliance; clarity

شد

sh-d → “is” Distinctive

literal: to become; to be

نسيم

n-s-m → “breeze”

literal: breeze; gentle wind; fragrance

از

ʾ-z

literal: from

شطر

sh-ṭ-r

literal: side, direction; half; to split

احديّه

ʾ-ḥ-d → “His” Distinctive

literal: oneness; uniqueness; absolute unity; singularity of God

وزيد

w-z-d → “be wafted” Distinctive

literal: increase; excess; more; additional; to increase; to grow; to be added

ظلمت

ẓ-l-m → “darkness”

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

ضلالت

ḍ-l-l → “error”

literal: error; straying; misguidance; delusion; falsehood

شکّ

sh-k-k → “doubt”

literal: doubt; doubting

ريب

r-y-b → “doubts”

literal: doubt, suspicion, uncertainty; doubt; suspicion

زائل

z-w-l → “at all times” Distinctive

literal: to pass away; to vanish; to disappear; to cease

شود

sh-w-d → “be”

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

انوار

n-w-r → “lights”

literal: light; illumination

علم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

يقين

y-q-n → “certitude”

literal: certainty; certitude; conviction; faith

همه

h-m-h

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

ارکان

r-k-n

literal: pillar; cornerstone; support; fundamental element; limb; member

وجود

w-j-d → “being”

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

احاطه

ḥ-w-ṭ → “envelop”

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

نمايد.

n-m-ʾ → “will” Distinctive

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

حين

ḥ-y-n → “hour”

literal: time; moment; while; season

بشير

b-sh-r → “Herald”

literal: human; mankind; human nature

معنوی

ʿ-n-y → “mystic”

literal: meaning; sense; significance

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

روحانی

r-w-ḥ → “Spirit”

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

مدينه

m-d-n → “City”

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

الهی

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

صبح

ṣ-b-ḥ → “morn”

literal: morning, dawn; daybreak

صادق

ṣ-d-q

literal: to confirm; to verify; to acknowledge; to testify to truth

طالع

ṭ-l-ʿ → “shine forth”

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

نفس

n-f-s → “soul”

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

صور

ṣ-w-r → “trumpet-blast” Distinctive

literal: to imagine; to conceive; to suppose

معرفت

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

نوم

n-w-m → “slumber”

literal: to sleep; to slumber

غفلت

gh-f-l → “negligence”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

بيدار

b-y-d → “must” Distinctive

literal: awake; vigilant; to awaken

تأييدات

ʾ-y-d

literal: to support, assist, strengthen, confirm; to support; to assist; to strengthen; to aid; confirmation; support; strengthening

القدس

q-d-s → “holy”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

صمدانی

ṣ-m-d → “everlasting”

literal: eternal, self-sufficient, divine, the Eternal

حيات

ḥ-y-y → “life”

literal: life; vitality; living

تازه

t-ʾ-z → “fresh measure”

literal: fresh; new; renewed

جديد

j-d-d → “new”

literal: new, novel, renewed; novelty, innovation

مبذول

b-dh-l → “confer”

literal: to give; to bestow; to expend

دارد

d-ʾ-r

literal: to have; to hold; to possess; to maintain

قسمی

q-s-m

literal: oath; division; kind; type

که

k-h → “that he”

literal: that; who; who, that

خود

kh-w-d → “himself”

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

صاحب

ṣ-ḥ-b

literal: possessor; those who have; companion; followers

چشم

ch-sh-m → “eye”

literal: eye; vision; sight

گوش

g-w-sh → “ear”

literal: ear; hearing; to listen

بديع

b-d-ʿ → “new”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

فؤاد

f-ʾ-d → “hearts”

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind; heart; inner consciousness; mind; one who benefits; advantageous

می

m-y-y → “will be made”

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

بيند

b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

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

رجوع

r-j-ʿ

literal: return; reference; place of return; resort

آيات

ʾ-y-y → “signs”

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

واضحه

w-ḍ-ḥ → “evident”

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

آفاقيه

ʾ-f-q → “horizon” Distinctive

literal: horizon; horizons; horizonal/external

خفيّات

kh-f-y → “conceal” Distinctive

literal: hiddenness, concealment, obscurity

مستوره

s-t-r → “hidden”

literal: to veil; to conceal; to cover; veil; covering

عين

ʿ-y-n → “eye”

literal: eye; fountain; spring; essence; to appoint; to designate; to specify; to determine

هر

h-r → “every”

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

ذرّه

dh-r-r → “atom”

literal: atom; particle; mote

بابی

b-w-b → “door”

literal: door; gate; opening; chapter; way

مفتوح

f-t-ḥ

literal: opening; opening up; conquests; revelations; disclosure

مشاهده

sh-h-d

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

برای

b-r-y

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

وصول

w-ṣ-l

literal: reunion; union; meeting; connection

مراتب

r-t-b → “stations”

literal: rank; station; degree; time; instance

حقّ

ḥ-q-q

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

جميع

j-m-ʿ → “all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

اشياء

sh-y-ʾ → “things”

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

اسرار

s-r-r → “mysteries”

literal: throne; couch; seat of authority

تجلّی

j-l-w → “Revelation”

literal: effulgence; manifestation; revelation; manifestation, revelation, appearance

وحدانيّه

w-ḥ-d → “divine”

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

آثار

ʾ-th-r → “signs”

literal: effect; trace; influence; imprint; sign; mark; vestige

ظهور

ẓ-h-r → “manifestation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

ملاحظه

l-ḥ-ẓ → “discover” Distinctive

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

کند.

k-r-d

literal: to do; to make; to act; to dig, excavate; slow

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

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.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

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Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Gleanings

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶

Will and Testament

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

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 ¶