Kitáb-i-Íqán — §248

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 248 of 291.

Source (Persian)

از آن جمله جناب ملّا حسين است که محلّ اشراق شمس ظهور شدند. لَو لاهُ مَا استَوَی اللّهُ عَلی عَرشِ رَحمانِيَّتِهِ و ما استَقَرَّ علی کُرسِيِّ صَمَدانِيَّتِهِ.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Among them was Mullá Husayn, who became the recipient of the effulgent glory of the Sun of divine Revelation. But for him, God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of eternal glory. Among them also was Siyyid Yahyá, that unique and peerless figure of his age,

Translation Notes

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

آن

ʾ-n → “them”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

جمله

j-m-l

literal: beauty; totality; beautiful

جناب

j-n-b

literal: to avoid; to shun; to keep away from

ملّا

m-l-ʾ → “Concourse”

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

حسين

ḥ-s-n → “most excellent”

literal: best; Husayn; beautiful

است

b-w-d → “was” Distinctive

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

که

k-h → “which”

literal: that; who; who, that

محلّ

ḥ-l-l → “recipient”

literal: place; location; spot

اشراق

sh-r-q → “of the effulgent glory of” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

شمس

sh-m-s → “Sun”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

ظهور

ẓ-h-r → “Revelation”

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

شدند.

sh-d → “became”

literal: to not become; to not be

لَو

l-w → “But for” Distinctive

literal: if; would that; O that

لاهُ

ʾ-h → “Alas”

literal: no; not; negation particle

مَا

m-ʾ → “that”

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

استَوَی

s-w-y → “been established”

literal: level; equal; straight; upon a throne; resting upon

اللّهُ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

عَلی

ʿ-l-w → “upon” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

عَرشِ

ʿ-r-sh → “throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

رَحمانِيَّتِهِ

r-ḥ-m → “His mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

استَقَرَّ

q-r-r → “acknowledged” Distinctive

literal: to settle, to be established, to remain fixed

کُرسِيِّ

k-r-s → “seat”

literal: throne, seat; chair

صَمَدانِيَّتِهِ.

ṣ-m-d → “eternal glory”

literal: eternal; eternal, absolute; eternal, everlasting

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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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 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

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16 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

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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

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17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

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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

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57 ¶

The Hidden Words

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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 ¶