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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §25

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 25 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و علمای انجيل چون عارف به معانی اين بيانات و مقصود مودعه در اين کلمات نشدند و به ظاهر آن متمسّک شدند لهذا از شريعه فيض محمّديّه و از سحاب فضل احمديّه ممنوع گشتند. و جهّال آن طائفه هم تمسّک به علمای خود جسته، از زيارت جمال سلطان جلال محروم ماندند زيرا که در ظهور شمس احمديّه چنين علامات که مذکور شد به ظهور نيامد. اين است که قرن ها گذشت و عهدها به آخر رسيد و آن جوهر روح به مقرّ بقای سلطنت خود راجع شد و نفخه ديگر از نَفْس روحانی در صور الهی دميده شد و نفس های مرده از قبور غفلت و ضلالت به ارض هدايت و محلّ عنايت محشورشدند و هنوز آن گروه در انتظار که کی اين علامات ظاهر شود و آن هيکل معهود به وجود آيد تا نصرت نمايند و مال ها در راهش انفاق کنند و جان ها در سبيلش ايثار. چنانچه امم ديگر هم به همين ظنونات از کوثر معانيِ رحمت نامتناهيِ حضرت باری دور ماندهاند و به خيال خود مشغولند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Inasmuch as the Christian divines have failed to apprehend the meaning of these words, and did not recognize their object and purpose, and have clung to the literal interpretation of the words of Jesus, they therefore became deprived of the streaming grace of the Muhammadan Revelation and its showering bounties. The ignorant among the Christian community, following the example of the leaders of their faith, were likewise prevented from beholding the beauty of the King of glory, inasmuch as those signs which were to accompany the dawn of the sun of the Muhammadan Dispensation did not actually come to pass. Thus, ages have passed and centuries rolled away, and that most pure Spirit hath repaired unto the retreats of its ancient sovereignty. Once more hath the eternal Spirit breathed into the mystic trumpet, and caused the dead to speed out of their sepulchres of heedlessness and error unto the realm of guidance and grace. And yet, that expectant community still crieth out: When shall these things be? When shall the promised One, the object of our expectation, be made manifest, that we may arise for the triumph of His Cause, that we may sacrifice our substance for His sake, that we may offer up our lives in His path? In like manner, have such false imaginings caused other communities to stray from the Kawthar of the infinite mercy of Providence, and to be busied with their own idle thoughts.

Translation Notes

بيانات
bíánát b-y-n

literal: utterance

SE rendered انجيل (injíl), چون (chún), عارف (ʿárf), معانی (mʿání), بيانات (bíánát), مقصود (mqṣúd), مودعه (múdʿh), کلمات (klmát) as “the, Inasmuch as, failed to apprehend, the meaning, purpose, the words”

مودعه
múdʿh w-d-ʿ

literal: leave; deposit; deposited

SE rendered معانی (mʿání), بيانات (bíánát), مقصود (mqṣúd), مودعه (múdʿh), کلمات (klmát), نشدند (nshdnd), ظاهر (ẓáhr) as “the meaning, purpose, the words, did not recognize, the literal interpretation”

cast 17% abandon 17% thou 15% leave 10% entrusted 7% have 7% trust 7% hath 7% forsake 7% which 5%
شريعه
shríʿh sh-r-ʿ

literal: law; law, religious law

SE rendered ظاهر (ẓáhr), متمسّک (mtmssk), شدند (shdnd), لهذا (lhdhá), از (iz), شريعه (shríʿh), فيض (fíḍ), محمّديّه (mḥmmdídh), از (iz), سحاب (sḥáb), فضل (fḍl) as “the literal interpretation, became, they therefore, deprived of, the streaming grace, of the Muhammadan, its showering bounties”

law 39% river 22% path 13% faith 9% divine 9% dictates 4% waters 4%
جسته،
jsth، jstn

literal: seek; sought; to seek

SE rendered طائفه (ṭáʾfh), تمسّک (tmssk), علمای (ʿlmáy), جسته، (jsth،), از (iz), زيارت (zíárt), جمال (jmál), سلطان (slṭán), جلال (jlál) as “Christian community, following the example, the leaders, from, beholding, the beauty, of the King, of glory”

turned 29% cling 14% hath 14% following 14% asked 14% plotted 14%
محروم
mḥrúm ḥ-r-m

literal: deprived; deprive

SE rendered از (iz), زيارت (zíárt), جمال (jmál), سلطان (slṭán), جلال (jlál), محروم (mḥrúm), ماندند (mándnd), زيرا (zírá), ظهور (ẓhúr), شمس (shms) as “from, beholding, the beauty, of the King, of glory, inasmuch as, the dawn, of the sun”

ماندند
mándnd mándn

literal: remain; remained; to remain

SE rendered زيارت (zíárt), جمال (jmál), سلطان (slṭán), جلال (jlál), محروم (mḥrúm), ماندند (mándnd), زيرا (zírá), ظهور (ẓhúr), شمس (shms), احمديّه (iḥmdídh) as “beholding, the beauty, of the King, of glory, inasmuch as, the dawn, of the sun, of the Muhammadan Dispensation”

failed 25% deprived 25% have 25% lost 25%
چنين
chnín chnín

literal: such

SE rendered زيرا (zírá), ظهور (ẓhúr), شمس (shms), احمديّه (iḥmdídh), چنين (chnín), علامات (ʿlámát), مذکور (mdhkúr), ظهور (ẓhúr) as “inasmuch as, Revelation, of the sun, of the Muhammadan Dispensation, those signs, were to accompany”

such 50% also 25% way 25%
قرن
qrn q-r-n

literal: century; century, age; centuries

SE rendered مذکور (mdhkúr), ظهور (ẓhúr), نيامد (níámd), قرن (qrn), ها (há), گذشت (gdhsht), عهدها (ʿhdhá), آخر (ákhr), رسيد (rsíd) as “were to accompany, Revelation, did not actually come, and centuries rolled away, have passed”

ages 50% centuries 50%
آخر
ákhr ʾ-kh-r

literal: end; hereafter; other

SE rendered قرن (qrn), ها (há), گذشت (gdhsht), عهدها (ʿhdhá), آخر (ákhr), رسيد (rsíd), جوهر (júhr), روح (rúḥ), مقرّ (mqrr) as “and centuries rolled away, have passed, that most pure Spirit, the retreats”

world 32% end 20% next 19% finally 6% another 5% hath 5% life 5% last 4% new 2% latter 2%
رسيد
rsíd rsídn

literal: reach; to reach

SE rendered ها (há), گذشت (gdhsht), عهدها (ʿhdhá), آخر (ákhr), رسيد (rsíd), جوهر (júhr), روح (rúḥ), مقرّ (mqrr), بقای (bqáy), سلطنت (slṭnt) as “and centuries rolled away, have passed, that most pure Spirit, the retreats, of its ancient sovereignty”

reached 19% come 13% hath 13% there 13% now 13% inflicted 6% waxed 6% have 6% attained 6% armed 6%
راجع
rájʿ r-j-ʿ

literal: return; returning; to return

SE rendered جوهر (júhr), روح (rúḥ), مقرّ (mqrr), بقای (bqáy), سلطنت (slṭnt), راجع (rájʿ), نفخه (nfkhh), ديگر (dígr), از (iz), نَفْس (nafs), روحانی (rúḥání) as “that most pure Spirit, the retreats, of its ancient sovereignty, Once more, hath, the eternal Spirit”

مرده
mrdh m-w-t

literal: dead

SE rendered صور (ṣúr), الهی (al-hí), دميده (dmídh), نفس (nfs), های (háy), مرده (mrdh), از (iz), قبور (qbúr), غفلت (ghflt), ضلالت (ḍlált), ارض (irḍ) as “the mystic trumpet, breathed into, the dead, to speed out of, their sepulchres, of heedlessness, error, realm”

dead 50% one 25% lifeless 25%
محلّ
mḥll ḥ-l-l

literal: place; place, location

SE rendered غفلت (ghflt), ضلالت (ḍlált), ارض (irḍ), هدايت (hdáyt), محلّ (mḥll), عنايت (ʿnáyt), محشورشدند (mḥshúrshdnd), هنوز (hnúz), گروه (grúh) as “of heedlessness, error, realm, of guidance, grace, And yet, that expectant community”

place 19% seat 19% recipient 12% recipients 12% targets 8% path 8% within 8% object 8% one 4% another 4%
محشورشدند
mḥshúrshdnd ḥ-sh-r

literal: gather; gathered; gathering

SE rendered ارض (irḍ), هدايت (hdáyt), محلّ (mḥll), عنايت (ʿnáyt), محشورشدند (mḥshúrshdnd), هنوز (hnúz), گروه (grúh), انتظار (intẓár) as “realm, of guidance, grace, And yet, that expectant community, still crieth out”

have 24% resurrection 18% gathered 12% judgment 12% will 6% gathering 6% all 6% shall 6% arise 6% raising 6%
هنوز
hnúz hnúz → “and yet”

literal: still; still, yet

SE rendered هدايت (hdáyt), محلّ (mḥll), عنايت (ʿnáyt), محشورشدند (mḥshúrshdnd), هنوز (hnúz), گروه (grúh), انتظار (intẓár), کی (kí) as “of guidance, grace, And yet, that expectant community, still crieth out, When”

still 67% yet 33%
کی
kí k-w → “unto”

literal: street

1 occurrence in corpus

وجود
wjúd w-j-d

literal: existence; existent

SE rendered ظاهر (ẓáhr), هيکل (híkl), معهود (mʿhúd), وجود (wjúd), آيد (áyd), نصرت (nṣrt), نمايند (nmáynd), مال (mál) as “be made manifest, the object of our expectation, for the triumph, may, sacrifice our substance”

world 17% notwithstanding 17% all 14% beings 11% creation 8% yet 8% mankind 8% existence 6% exist 6% souls 6%
آيد
áyd ʾ-y-d

literal: support; come; strengthen

SE rendered ظاهر (ẓáhr), هيکل (híkl), معهود (mʿhúd), وجود (wjúd), آيد (áyd), نصرت (nṣrt), نمايند (nmáynd), مال (mál) as “be made manifest, the object of our expectation, for the triumph, may, sacrifice our substance”

may 33% assist 33% aid 10% all-merciful 5% will 5% “seal.” 5% how 5% step 5%
انفاق
infáq n-f-q

literal: hypocrisy; spend; spending

SE rendered نصرت (nṣrt), نمايند (nmáynd), مال (mál), ها (há), راهش (ráhsh), انفاق (infáq), کنند (knnd), جان (ján), ها (há), سبيلش (sbílsh), ايثار (iythár) as “for the triumph, may, sacrifice our substance, for His sake, hath, our lives, in His path, offer up”

دور
dúr d-w-r

literal: far

SE rendered معانيِ (mʿány), رحمت (rḥmt), نامتناهيِ (námtnáhy), حضرت (ḥḍrt), باری (bárí), دور (dúr), ماندهاند (mándhánd), خيال (khíál) as “of the, infinite mercy, of Providence, we, idle thoughts”

far 44% remote 11% failed 6% swerve 6% away 6% how 6% divest 6% stray 6% digressed 6% dispensation 6%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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858 ¶

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17 ¶

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