Skip to main content

Kitáb-i-Íqán — §279

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 279 of 291.

Source (Persian)

باری، چه اظهار نمايم که امکان را اگر انصاف باشد طاقت اين بيان نه. و اين عبد در اوّل ورود اين ارض چون فی الجمله بر امورات محدثه بعد اطّلاع يافتم، از قبل مهاجرت اختيار نمودم و سر در بيابان های فراق نهادم و دو سال وحده در صحراهای هجر بسر بردم و از عيونم عيون جاری بود و از قلبم بحور دم ظاهر. چه ليالی که قوت دست نداد و چه ايّام که جسد راحت نيافت. و با اين بلايای نازله و رزايای متواتره فوَالَّذی نفسی بِيَدِهِ کمال سرور موجود بود و نهايت فرح مشهود. زيرا که از ضرر و نفع و صحّت و سقم نفسی اطّلاع نبود. به خود مشغول بودم و از ما سوی غافل. و غافل از اينکه کمند قضای الهی اوسع از خيال است و تير تقدير او مقدّس از تدبير. سر را از کمندش نجات نه و اراده اش را جز رضا چاره ای نه. قسم به خدا که اين مهاجرتم را خيال مراجعت نبود و مسافرتم را اميد مواصلت نه. و مقصود جز اين نبود که محلّ اختلاف احباب نشوم و مصدر انقلاب اصحاب نگردم و سبب ضرّ احدی نشوم و علّت حزن قلبی نگردم. غير از آنچه ذکر شد خيالی نبود و امری منظور نه. اگرچه هر نفسی محملی بست و به هوای خود خيالی نمود. باری، تا آنکه از مصدر امر حکم رجوع صادر شد و لابدّاً تسليم نمودم و راجع شدم.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

What more shall We say? The universe, were it to gaze with the eye of justice, would be incapable of bearing the weight of this utterance! In the early days of Our arrival in this land, when We discerned the signs of impending events, We decided, ere they happened, to retire. We betook Ourselves to the wilderness, and there, separated and alone, led for two years a life of complete solitude. From Our eyes there rained tears of anguish, and in Our bleeding heart there surged an ocean of agonizing pain. Many a night We had no food for sustenance, and many a day Our body found no rest. By Him Who hath My being between His hands! notwithstanding these showers of afflictions and unceasing calamities, Our soul was wrapt in blissful joy, and Our whole being evinced an ineffable gladness. For in Our solitude We were unaware of the harm or benefit, the health or ailment, of any soul. Alone, We communed with Our spirit, oblivious of the world and all that is therein. We knew not, however, that the mesh of divine destiny exceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the dart of His decree transcendeth the boldest of human designs. None can escape the snares He setteth, and no soul can find release except through submission to His will. By the righteousness of God! Our withdrawal contemplated no return, and Our separation hoped for no reunion. The one object of Our retirement was to avoid becoming a subject of discord among the faithful, a source of disturbance unto Our companions, the means of injury to any soul, or the cause of sorrow to any heart. Beyond these, We cherished no other intention, and apart from them, We had no end in view. And yet, each person schemed after his own desire, and pursued his own idle fancy, until the hour when, from the Mystic Source, there came the summons bidding Us return whence We came. Surrendering Our will to His, We submitted to His injunction.

Translation Notes

اوّل
iwwl ʾ-w-l

literal: first; beginning; firstness

SE rendered بيان (bíán), نه (nh), عبد (ʿbd), اوّل (iwwl), ورود (wrúd), ارض (irḍ), چون (chún) as “utterance, We, arrival, land, when”

الجمله
al-jmlh j-m-l

literal: beauty; totality; beautiful

SE rendered ورود (wrúd), ارض (irḍ), چون (chún), الجمله (al-jmlh), بر (br), امورات (imúrát), محدثه (mḥdthh) as “arrival, land, when, signs, impending events”

among 57% while 7% one 7% partially 7% amongst 4% briefly 4% glimmer 4% came 4% all 4% none 4%
نهادم
nhádm nhádn

literal: place; forbidding; forbid

SE rendered نمودم (nmúdm), سر (sr), بيابان (bíábán), های (háy), فراق (fráq), نهادم (nhádm), دو (dú), سال (sál), وحده (wḥdh), صحراهای (ṣḥráháy), هجر (hjr) as “hath, wilderness, separated, two years, a, alone, solitude”

forbidden 30% things 10% hath 10% appeared 10% eschew 10% forbid 10% betook 10% enacteth 10%
صحراهای
ṣḥráháy ṣ-ḥ-r

literal: desert, wilderness

SE rendered فراق (fráq), نهادم (nhádm), دو (dú), سال (sál), وحده (wḥdh), صحراهای (ṣḥráháy), هجر (hjr), بسر (bsr), بردم (brdm), از (iz), عيونم (ʿíwnm), عيون (ʿíwn) as “separated, two years, a, alone, solitude, led, the eye, eyes”

wilds 50% wilderness 25% meads 13% glorious 13%
بردم
brdm brdn

literal: take, carry

SE rendered سال (sál), وحده (wḥdh), صحراهای (ṣḥráháy), هجر (hjr), بسر (bsr), بردم (brdm), از (iz), عيونم (ʿíwnm), عيون (ʿíwn), جاری (járí) as “a, alone, solitude, led, the eye, eyes, rained tears”

1 occurrence in corpus

نداد
ndád dádn

literal: give; to give; given

SE rendered دم (dm), ظاهر (ẓáhr), چه (chh), ليالی (líálí), قوت (qút), دست (dst), نداد (ndád), چه (chh), ايّام (iyyám), جسد (jsd), راحت (ráḥt), نيافت (níáft) as “bleeding, surged, many a, night, food, hands, day, body, rest, found no”

have 28% hath 18% will 10% pronounced 8% may 8% oil 8% proclaim 5% delivered 5% brought 5% betrayed 5%
متواتره
mtúátrh w-t-r

literal: continuous

SE rendered بلايای (bláyáy), نازله (názlh), رزايای (rzáyáy), متواتره (mtúátrh), فوَالَّذی (fwálladhí), نفسی (nfsí), بِيَدِهِ (bíadih), کمال (kmál) as “afflictions, and unceasing, calamities, By Him Who, soul, blissful”

بِيَدِهِ
bíadih y-d-y

literal: hand; hands; by-hand

SE rendered رزايای (rzáyáy), متواتره (mtúátrh), فوَالَّذی (fwálladhí), نفسی (nfsí), بِيَدِهِ (bíadih), کمال (kmál), سرور (srúr), موجود (mújúd), نهايت (nháyt) as “calamities, By Him Who, soul, blissful, joy, was wrapt, ineffable gladness”

hand 61% hands 22% into 2% rod 2% mercy 2% right 2% all 2% care 2% between 2% whose 2%
فرح
frḥ f-r-ḥ

literal: joy; joy, gladness

SE rendered کمال (kmál), سرور (srúr), موجود (mújúd), نهايت (nháyt), فرح (frḥ), مشهود (mshhúd), زيرا (zírá), از (iz), ضرر (ḍrr), نفع (nfʿ) as “blissful, joy, was wrapt, ineffable gladness, evinced, For, harm, benefit”

نگردم
ngrdm gshtn

literal: become; became; to become

SE rendered نشوم (nshúm), مصدر (mṣdr), انقلاب (inqláb), اصحاب (iṣḥáb), نگردم (ngrdm), سبب (sbb), ضرّ (ḍrr), احدی (iḥdí), نشوم (nshúm), علّت (ʿllt) as “avoid becoming, source, disturbance, companions, means, injury, any soul, cause”

have 26% hath 20% become 9% may 9% thou 9% made 9% will 7% returned 4% life-vein 4% failed 4%
ذکر
dhkr dh-k-r

literal: mention; remembrance; mentioned

SE rendered حزن (ḥzn), قلبی (qlbí), نگردم (ngrdm), غير (ghír), از (iz), آنچه (ánchh), ذکر (dhkr), خيالی (khíálí), نبود (nbúd), امری (imrí), منظور (mnẓúr) as “sorrow, heart, Beyond these, He, intention, no other, end in view”

محملی
mḥmlí ḥ-m-l

literal: carry; bearing; burden

SE rendered امری (imrí), منظور (mnẓúr), نه (nh), اگرچه (igrchh), هر (hr), نفسی (nfsí), محملی (mḥmlí), بست (bst), هوای (húáy), خيالی (khíálí), نمود (nmúd) as “end in view, And yet, each, person, schemed, desire, fancy, pursued”

bear 21% hath 12% sustained 12% endured 9% bearer 9% borne 9% sustain 9% endure 6% lay 6% sustaining 6%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf cover

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Bahá’u’lláh

The last outstanding Tablet revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, written around 1891 and addressed to Shaykh Muḥammad-Taqí of Iṣfahán. It calls upon that rapacious priest to repent, quotes the most celebrated passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s own writings, and adduces proofs establishing the validity of His Cause.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet cover

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Gleanings cover

Gleanings

Bahá’u’lláh

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 cover

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

Bahá’u’lláh

The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Prayers and Meditations cover

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

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 cover

Tablet of Aḥmad

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in Adrianople and addressed to a believer named Aḥmad, this Tablet has been invested by Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance. Its central imagery draws on the metaphor of fire and water: “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones.”

17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel cover

Tablet of Carmel

Bahá’u’lláh

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 cover

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

Bahá’u’lláh

Chanted aloud in the outskirts of Baghdad just weeks before the Declaration in the Garden of Riḍván, its gloomy prognostications aroused the grave apprehensions of all who heard it. Only the Arabic portion has an authorized translation; the Persian portion remains untranslated.

57 ¶

The Hidden Words cover

The Hidden Words

Bahá’u’lláh

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 cover

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 ¶