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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §218

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 218 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و مجاهدين فی اللّه بعد از انقطاع از ما سوی چنان به آن مدينه انس گيرند که آنی از آن منفکّ نشوند. دلائل قطعيّه را از سنبل آن محفل شنوند و براهين واضحه را از جمال گل و نوای بلبل اخذ نمايند. و اين مدينه در رأس هزار سنه اَو اَزيد اَو اقلّ تجديد شود و تزيين يابد.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

They that valiantly labour in quest of God’s will, when once they have renounced all else but Him, will be so attached and wedded to that City that a moment’s separation from it would to them be unthinkable. They will hearken unto infallible proofs from the Hyacinth of that assembly, and receive the surest testimonies from the beauty of its Rose and the melody of its Nightingale. Once in about a thousand years shall this City be renewed and re-adorned.

Translation Notes

مجاهدين
j-h-d → “Strive” Distinctive

literal: effort; striving; exertion; endeavor

فی
f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

اللّه
ʾ-l-h → “of God’s”

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

بعد
b-ʿ-d

literal: after; behind; distance

از
ʾ-z → “from”

literal: from

انقطاع
q-ṭ-ʿ → “renounced” Distinctive

literal: to be severed; to be cut off; to detach oneself; to abstain

ما
m-ʾ → “that”

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

سوی
s-w-y → “but Him”

literal: worst; evil; bad; other than; besides; save; except

چنان
ch-n-ʾ → “how” Distinctive

literal: thus; in such manner; as

به
b-h → “to”

literal: by it; by him; with it

آن
ʾ-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مدينه
m-d-n → “City”

literal: religion; faith; creed; belief

انس
ʾ-n-s

literal: familiar; intimate; companionship; to be acquainted with

گيرند
g-y-r → “abide ye” Distinctive

literal: to take; to seize; to grasp; to hold; to seek

که
k-h → “that”

literal: that; who; who, that

آنی
ʾ-n-n → “that” Distinctive

literal: I, verily; behold I

منفکّ
f-k-k → “opened the seal” Distinctive

literal: separated; detached; parted

نشوند.
sh-d

literal: become; to become; became

دلائل
d-l-l → “proofs”

literal: to argue; to demonstrate; proof

را
r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

سنبل
s-n-b-l → “Hyacinth”

literal: spike of grain; ear of corn; hyacinth

محفل
ḥ-f-l → “assembly”

literal: assembly, gathering, council, meeting

شنوند
sh-n-w → “hearken”

literal: most ugly; most abominable; most heinous

براهين
b-r-h → “testimonies”

literal: proof, evidence, demonstration, argument

واضحه
w-ḍ-ḥ → “surest” Distinctive

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

جمال
j-m-l → “beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

گل
g-l → “Rose”

literal: rose-garden; garden of flowers

نوای
n-w-y → “melody”

literal: melody, song, voice, sound; vessel, container; utensil

بلبل
b-l-b-l → “Nightingale”

literal: confusion; mixture of languages; disorder

اخذ
ʾ-kh-dh → “arrested”

literal: to take; to seize; to affect; to grasp

نمايند.
n-m-ʾ → “will” Distinctive

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

اين
ʾ-y-n → “this”

literal: this; these

در
d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

رأس
r-ʾ-s → “head”

literal: chief; leader; head; president; beginning

هزار
h-z-r → “about a thousand”

literal: thousand

سنه
s-n-h → “years”

literal: year; way; tradition; custom

اَو
h-w-w

literal: he; it (third person pronoun); refuge; shelter; dwelling place; abode; lamentation, cry, woe; melody, song

اَزيد
z-y-d

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

اقلّ
q-l-l

literal: little; few; scanty; small in quantity

تجديد
j-d-d → “renewed”

literal: to demolish, destroy, tear down

شود
sh-w-d

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

تزيين
z-y-n → “re-adorned”

literal: to adorn; ornament; beauty; adornment; embellishment; decoration

يابد.
y-ʾ-f-t

literal: find; to find, obtain; found

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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