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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §236

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 236 of 291.

Source (Persian)

اين است که بعد از اين انکارها و اعتراضات که مذکور شد گفتند: بعد از موسی و عيسی، موافق کتب نبايد نبيّ مستقلّ که ناسخ شريعت باشد مبعوث شود. بايد شخصی بيايد که مکمّل شريعت قبل باشد. اين آيه مبارکه که مشعر بر جميع مطالب الهيّه و مُدلّ بر عدم انقطاع فيوضات رحمانيّه است نازل شد: "وَ لَقَدْ جَائَکُمْ يُوسُفُ مِنْ قَبْلُ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا زِلْتُمْ فی شَکٍّ مِمَّا جائَکُمْ به حَتّی إذَا هَلَکَ قُلتُمْ لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللّهُ مِنْ بَعدِهِ رَسُولاً کَذلِکَ يُضِلُّ اللّهُ مَن هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ مُرْتَابٌ." و به تحقيق آمد شما را يوسف از پيش با بيّنه ها، پس پيوسته بوديد در شکّ از آنچه آمد شما را به آن، تا چون هلاک شد گفتيد مبعوث نمی گرداند خدا بعد از او رسولی را، و همچنين اضلال می کند خدا کسی را که اوست اسراف کننده و شکّ آورنده به پروردگار خود. پس، از اين آيه ادراک فرمائيد و يقين کنيد که در هر عصر امم آن عهد به آيه ای از کتاب تمسّک جسته از اين گونه حرف های مزخرف می گفتند که ديگر نبيّ نبايد در ابداع بيايد. مثل آنکه آيه انجيل را که مذکور شده، علمای آن استدلال به آن نمودند که هرگز حکم انجيل مرتفع نمی شود و پيغمبری مستقلّ مبعوث نگردد الّا برای اثبات شريعت انجيل. و اکثری از ملل مبتلا به اين مرض روحی شدهاند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

After the denials and denunciations which they uttered, and unto which We have referred, they protested saying: “No independent Prophet, according to our Scriptures, should arise after Moses and Jesus to abolish the Law of divine Revelation. Nay, he that is to be made manifest must needs fulfil the Law.” Thereupon this verse, indicative of all the divine themes, and testifying to the truth that the flow of the grace of the All-Merciful can never cease, was revealed: “And Joseph came to you aforetime with clear tokens, but ye ceased not to doubt of the message with which He came to you, until, when He died, ye said, ‘God will by no means raise up a Messenger after Him.’ Thus God misleadeth him who is the transgressor the doubter.” Therefore, understand from this verse and know of a certainty that the people in every age, clinging to a verse of the Book, have uttered such vain and absurd sayings, contending that no Prophet should again be made manifest to the world. Even as the Christian divines who, holding fast to the verse of the Gospel to which We have already referred, have sought to explain that the law of the Gospel shall at no time be annulled, and that no independent Prophet shall again be made manifest, unless He confirmeth the law of the Gospel. Most of the people have become afflicted with the same spiritual disease.

Translation Notes

اين

literal: this; these

که

literal: that; who; who, that

بعد

literal: after; behind; distance

از

literal: from

انکارها

literal: denial; rejection; repudiation; wrong; evil; to deny; to reject

اعتراضات
ʿ-r-ḍ “denunciations” Distinctive

literal: objection, protest, denial; cavil

مذکور

literal: remembrance; mention; memory; invocation; reminders; commemorations

شد

literal: to become; to be

گفتند:

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

موافق
w-f-q “aid” Distinctive

literal: accord, agreement, harmony; to agree, accord with

کتب

literal: book; scripture; writing

نبايد
b-ʾ-d “must needs” Distinctive

literal: it is necessary; it behooves; one must

نبيّ

literal: prophet; messenger

مستقلّ
q-l-l “less” Distinctive

literal: independent; self-standing; autonomous

ناسخ
n-s-kh “annulled” Distinctive

literal: abrogator; repealer; one who abrogates or abrogates the law

شريعت

literal: law; legislation; religious law; canon; ordinance

باشد
b-w-d “was” Distinctive

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

مبعوث

literal: strong; severe; intense; violent

شود.

literal: become; to become; became

بايد

literal: it is necessary; it behooves; one must

شخصی

literal: person, individual, self; movement, stirring

بيايد

literal: to find; to obtain; to discover

مکمّل

literal: perfection; completeness; fully; with full; in complete; to complete, perfect, fulfill

قَبْلُ
q-b-l “aforetime” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

آيه

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

مبارکه

literal: blessed; auspicious; fruitful

مشعر

literal: hair

بر

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

جميع

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

مطالب
ṭ-l-b “themes” Distinctive

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

الهيّه

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

مُدلّ

literal: to argue; to demonstrate; proof

عدم

literal: nonexistent; void; nullified

انقطاع
q-ṭ-ʿ “cease” Distinctive

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

فيوضات

literal: flood; abundance; overflow; emanation; grace; overflowing; emanating; surplus

رحمانيّه

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

نازل

literal: to descend, to be revealed

"وَ

literal: and; quotation mark

لَقَدْ
q-d

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

جائَکُمْ

literal: to come; to arrive; to happen

مِنْ
m-n

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

بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ
b-y-n “utterance” Distinctive

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

فَمَا

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

زِلْتُمْ

literal: cease; to cease; decline

فی
f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

شکّ

literal: doubt; doubting

به
b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

حَتّی

literal: to be necessary, inevitable; determined

إذَا

literal: when; if; whenever; then suddenly

هَلَکَ
h-l-k “consumed” Distinctive

literal: to destroy; to ruin; to cause to perish; perishing; destroyer; lost

قُلتُمْ

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

لَنْ
l-n

literal: will not (negation of future)

رَسُولاً

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

کَذلِکَ

literal: thus; likewise; also

يُضِلُّ
ḍ-l-l “error” Distinctive

literal: error; straying; misguidance; delusion; falsehood

هُوَ
h-w

literal: He; He is

مُسْرِفٌ

literal: to be extravagant; to exceed; to squander

مُرْتَابٌ."

literal: doubt; doubter; suspicion

تحقيق

literal: truth; true; right

آمد

literal: to find; to obtain; to discover

شما

literal: you (plural); your

را

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

پيش

literal: before; in front; ago; forward; leader; guide; one who precedes

با

literal: to; with; by

بيّنه

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

ها،

literal: face; attention; turning

پس،

literal: then; then, therefore; therefore

پيوسته

literal: continuously

در

literal: in; in, at; radiant

آنچه

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تا

literal: so that/until

چون

literal: since; when; as

نمی

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

گرداند

literal: to become; to happen; to come to pass

خدا

literal: God; the Divine

او

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

همچنين
ch-n-n “Even as” Distinctive

literal: always; ever; forever; at all times; constantly

می

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

کند
k-r-d “made” Distinctive

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

کسی

literal: someone; anyone; a person

اوست
h-s-t “have” Distinctive

literal: is; be; are

آورنده

literal: wandering; vagabond; homeless

پروردگار

literal: Lord; Sustainer; Provider; Creator

خود.

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

ادراک

literal: to overtake; to catch; to reach; to attain; to perceive; to comprehend

فرمائيد
f-r-m “He” Distinctive

literal: to say; to decree; to ordain; to command

يقين

literal: certainty; certitude; conviction; faith

هر
h-r

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

عصر

literal: age; era; century; period of time

امم

literal: mother; to lead; to head; matter; affair; people; nation; community; female servant; handmaiden; umma

عهد

literal: covenant; testament; promise; command

ای

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

تمسّک
m-s-k “clinging” Distinctive

literal: musk; to seize; grip; to hold fast; to cling to; to grasp

جسته

literal: to seek; to cling; to grasp; to strive

گونه

literal: kind, type; kind; manner

حرف

literal: letter; character; edge

های

literal: and; that; in

مزخرف

literal: fable; fiction; fabrication; ornament

ديگر
d-g-r “again” Distinctive

literal: home; place; land; abode

ابداع

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

مثل

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

انجيل

literal: Gospel; the Good Tidings

علمای

literal: world; universe; the worlds

نمودند

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

هرگز

literal: never; at no time; never ever

حکم

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

مرتفع

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

پيغمبری

literal: prophet; prophethood; messenger/prophet

الّا

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

برای

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

اثبات
th-b-t “confirmeth” Distinctive

literal: firm; steadfast; established; fixed

اکثری

literal: majority; multitude; abundance; multiplicity

ملل

literal: nation; people; religion; community

مبتلا

literal: affliction; trial; calamity; trial, tribulation, affliction, calamity; yes; indeed; verily

مرض
m-r-ḍ “ills” Distinctive

literal: illness, disease; sickness

روحی
r-w-ḥ “spiritual” Distinctive

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

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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50 ¶

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Gleanings

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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 ¶

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16 ¶

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858 ¶

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17 ¶

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5 ¶

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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‘Abdu’l-Bahá

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59 ¶