Kitáb-i-Íqán — §244

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 244 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و همچنين می فرمايد:" وَ لَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْکَ کِتاباً فِی قِرْطَاسٍ فَلَمَسُوهُ بِاَيْدِيهِمْ لَقَالَ الَّذِينَ کَفَرُوا إنْ هَذا اِلّا سِحرٌ مُبينٌ. " و اکثری آيات فرقانيّه مدلّ و مشعر بر اين مطلب است و اين بنده اختصار نمودم به اين آيات مذکوره. و حال ملاحظه فرمائيد که در جميع کتاب جز آيات را که حجّت قرار فرموده برای معرفت مظاهر جمال خود، ديگر امری ذکر شده تا به آن متمسّک شوند و اعتراض نمايند؟ بلکه در همه موارد بر منکرين آيات و استهزاء کننده آن وعده نار فرمودهاند چنانچه معلوم شد.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And likewise, He saith: “And had We sent down unto Thee a Book written on parchment, and they had touched it with their hands, the infidels would surely have said ‘This is naught but palpable sorcery.’” Most of the verses of the Qur’án are indicative of this theme. We have, for the sake of brevity, mentioned only these verses. Consider, hath anything else besides the verses been established in the whole Book, as a standard for the recognition of the Manifestations of His Beauty, that the people might cling to, and reject the Manifestations of God? On the contrary, in every instance, He hath threatened with fire those that repudiate and scoff at the verses, as already shown.

Translation Notes

همچنين

ch-n-n → “likewise”

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

می

m-y-y → “will be made”

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

فرمايد:"

f-r-m → “saith”

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

لَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: if; would that; O that

نَزَّلْنَا

n-z-l → “sent down”

literal: to descend, to be revealed

عَلَيْکَ

ʿ-l-y → “unto Thee” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

کِتاباً

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

فِی

f-y → “on” Distinctive

literal: in; in-it; in it

قِرْطَاسٍ

q-r-ṭ → “parchment”

literal: parchment

فَلَمَسُوهُ

l-m-s → “touch”

literal: touch

بِاَيْدِيهِمْ

y-d-y → “with their hands”

literal: hand; power; strength; (plural) hands; agents; helpers; to assist, to support, to aid, to strengthen

لَقَالَ

q-w-l → “have said”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y → “the” Distinctive

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

کَفَرُوا

k-f-r → “infidels” Distinctive

literal: to disbelieve, reject; unbelief, ingratitude; to deny, to disbelieve, to reject

إنْ

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

هَذا

h-dh-ʾ → “‘This”

literal: this; that

اِلّا

ʾ-kh-r → “but” Distinctive

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

سِحرٌ

s-ḥ-r → “sorcery.’””

literal: dawn, daybreak; morning hour

مُبينٌ.

b-y-n → “utterance” Distinctive

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

اکثری

k-th-r

literal: majority; multitude; abundance; multiplicity

آيات

ʾ-y-y → “verses”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof

فرقانيّه

f-r-q → “Qur’án”

literal: faction; sect; group; company

مدلّ

d-l-l → “proof” Distinctive

literal: to argue; to demonstrate; proof

مشعر

sh-ʿ-r

literal: hair

بر

b-r-r

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this”

literal: this; these

مطلب

ṭ-l-b → “theme”

literal: seeker, one who seeks; those who seek

است

b-w-d

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

بنده

b-n-d → “We”

literal: servants; bondsmen; slaves

اختصار

kh-ṣ-r → “brief”

literal: brevity; curtailment; abridgement

نمودم

n-m-w → “have”

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

به

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

مذکوره.

dh-k-r

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

حال

ḥ-w-l → “Consider”

literal: state; condition; circumstance

ملاحظه

l-ḥ-ẓ → “Consider”

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

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

جميع

j-m-ʿ → “whole” Distinctive

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

کتاب

k-t-b → “Book”

literal: book; scripture; writing

جز

j-z → “apart from”

literal: except

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

حجّت

ḥ-j-j → “testimony”

literal: path, way; clear path

قرار

q-r-r → “established”

literal: stability; firmness; establishment

برای

b-r-y → “for”

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

معرفت

ʿ-r-f → “recognition” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

مظاهر

ẓ-h-r → “Manifestations”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

جمال

j-m-l → “Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

خود،

kh-w-d → “His” Distinctive

literal: self; himself; herself; itself; own

ديگر

d-g-r → “else” Distinctive

literal: home; place; land; abode

امری

ʾ-m-r → “anything” Distinctive

literal: command; cause; matter; affair; Cause (of God); to command; to order

ذکر

dh-k-r → “mention”

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

شده

sh-d → “been”

literal: to become; to be

تا

t-y-y

literal: so that/until

متمسّک

m-s-k → “cling”

literal: musk; to seize; grip

شوند

sh-w-d

literal: become; to become; became

اعتراض

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned away” Distinctive

literal: objection, protest, denial; cavil

نمايند؟

n-m-ʾ → “hath” Distinctive

literal: do; show; make

بلکه

b-l-k → “Nay”

literal: nay; but rather; on the contrary; but

همه

h-m-h → “every”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

موارد

w-r-d → “hath befallen” Distinctive

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

منکرين

n-k-r → “denied”

literal: denial; rejection; repudiation

استهزاء

h-z-ʾ → “scorn”

literal: to mock; to ridicule; mockery

کننده

k-r-d

literal: to do; to make; to perform

وعده

w-ʿ-d → “promised”

literal: promised; the Promised One

نار

n-ʾ-r → “fire”

literal: light; illumination

معلوم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge” Distinctive

literal: world; universe; the worlds

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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