Kitáb-i-Íqán — §232

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 232 of 291.

Source (Persian)

گوش به حرف های مزخرف عباد مدهيد که می گويند کتاب و آيات از برای عوام حجّت نمی شود زيرا که نمی فهمند و احصاء نمی کنند، با اينکه اين قرآن حجّت است بر مشرق و مغرب عالم. اگر قوّه ادراک آن در مردم نبود چگونه حجّت بر کلّ واقع می شد؟ از اين قرار، بر معرفت الهيّه هم نفسی مکلّف نيست و لازم نه زيرا که عرفان او اعظم از عرفان کتاب اوست و عوام استعداد ادراک آن ندارند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Heed not the idle contention of those who maintain that the Book and verses thereof can never be a testimony unto the common people, inasmuch as they neither grasp their meaning nor appreciate their value. And yet, the unfailing testimony of God to both the East and the West is none other than the Qur’án. Were it beyond the comprehension of men, how could it have been declared as a universal testimony unto all people? If their contention be true, none would therefore be required, nor would it be necessary for them to know God, inasmuch as the knowledge of the divine Being transcendeth the knowledge of His Book, and the common people would not possess the capacity to comprehend it.

Translation Notes

گوش

g-w-sh → “ear”

literal: ear; hearing; to listen

به

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

حرف

ḥ-r-f → “contention” Distinctive

literal: letter; character; edge

های

null

literal: and; that; in

مزخرف

z-kh-r-f

literal: fable; fiction; fabrication; ornament

عباد

ʿ-b-d → “those who” Distinctive

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

مدهيد

d-ʾ-d

literal: give; to give; given

که

k-h → “that”

literal: that; who; who, that

می

m-y-y → “will be made”

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

گويند

g-w-y → “maintain”

literal: say; to say; as-if

کتاب

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

آيات

ʾ-y-y → “verses”

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

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

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

عوام

ʿ-w-m → “common people”

literal: with her/it; associated with her/it

حجّت

ḥ-j-j → “testimony”

literal: path, way; clear path

نمی

n-h-y → “forbidden”

literal: to show, to display, to manifest, to exhibit; to manifest; to display; to show

شود

sh-w-d

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

زيرا

z-y-r → “inasmuch as”

literal: because; since; for; inasmuch as

فهمند

f-h-m → “understanding” Distinctive

literal: all; together; also; even

احصاء

ḥ-ṣ-y → “comprehension”

literal: unnumbered, innumerable, countless, beyond count; to count; to enumerate; to be reckoned

کنند،

k-r-d → “made” Distinctive

literal: do; to do; do, make

با

b-ʾ-ʾ → “have clung”

literal: to; with; by

اين

ʾ-y-n → “the”

literal: that, the fact that, this (demonstrative particle)

قرآن

q-r-ʾ → “read”

literal: conjunction; union; coupling; association

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

بر

b-r-r → “unto”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

مشرق

sh-r-q → “East” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

مغرب

gh-r-b → “West”

literal: west; sunset; place of setting

عالم.

ʿ-l-m

literal: world; universe; the worlds

اگر

ʾ-g-r → “were they”

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

قوّه

q-w-y

literal: strength; power; might

ادراک

d-r-k → “comprehend”

literal: veiling; concealment

آن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

در

d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

مردم

m-r-d → “men”

literal: rebellion; mutiny; revolt

چگونه

ch-g-n → “how”

literal: how; in what manner

کلّ

k-l-l → “all people”

literal: for us; to us

واقع

w-q-ʿ → “occurred”

literal: to fall, to occur, to happen; incident, event

شد؟

sh-d → “declared” Distinctive

literal: to become; to be

قرار،

q-r-r → “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

معرفت

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

الهيّه

ʾ-l-h → “divine Being”

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

هم

h-m-m

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

نفسی

n-f-s

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

مکلّف

k-l-f → “required”

literal: obligation, duty; obligated; obligation

لازم

l-z-m → “necessary”

literal: necessary, incumbent, obligatory, essential

او

h-w-w

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

اعظم

ʿ-ẓ-m → “transcendeth” Distinctive

literal: greatest; supreme; mightiest

اوست

h-s-t → “have” Distinctive

literal: is; be; are

استعداد

ʿ-d-d → “capacity”

literal: numerous; many; multiple

ندارند.

d-ʾ-sh-t → “have no”

literal: cycle; dispensation; age; turn; round

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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