Kitáb-i-Íqán — §283

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 283 of 291.

Source (Persian)

باری، تحيّر است از اين عباد که چگونه با اين اشارات واضحه لائحه از حقّ احتراز نمودهاند. مثلاً ذکر حزن و سجن و ابتلاء که بر آن خلاصه فطرت الهی وارد شد در اخبار قبل ذکر شده. فِی البِحار : "إنَّ فی قائِمِنا اَربَعَ علاماتٍ من اَرْبَعَةِ نَبيٍّ مُوسی و عيسی و يُوسُفَ وَ مُحَمَّدٍ. امّا العَلامَةُ مِن موسيَ الخَوفُ و الانتظار. وَ اَمّا العَلامَةُ مِن عيسی ما قالُوا فی حَقِّهِ. و العَلامَةُ مِن يُوسُفَ السِّجنُ وَ التَّقيَّةُ. وَ العَلامَةُ مِن مُحَمَّدٍ يَظْهَرُ بِآثارٍ مِثلِ القرآنِ. " با اين حديث به اين محکمی که جميع امورات را مطابق آنچه واقع شده ذکر فرمودهاند مع ذلک احدی متنبّه نشده و گمان ندارم که بعد هم متنبّه شوند إلّا مَن شاءَ رَبُّکَ. إنَّ اللّهَ مُسمعُ مَن يَشاءُ و ما اَنَا بِمُسمعِ مَن فِی القُبور.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

How strange! Notwithstanding these explicit and manifest references these people have shunned the Truth. For instance, mention of the sorrows, the imprisonment and afflictions inflicted upon that Essence of divine virtue hath been made in the former traditions. In the “Bihár” it is recorded: “In our Qá’im there shall be four signs from four Prophets, Moses, Jesus, Joseph, and Muhammad. The sign from Moses, is fear and expectation; from Jesus, that which was spoken of Him; from Joseph, imprisonment and dissimulation; from Muhammad, the revelation of a Book similar to the Qur’án.” Notwithstanding such a conclusive tradition, which in such unmistakable language hath foreshadowed the happenings of the present day, none hath been found to heed its prophecy, and methinks none will do so in the future, except him whom thy Lord willeth. “God indeed shall make whom He will to hearken, but We shall not make those who are in their graves to hearken.”

Translation Notes

باری،

b-r-y → “Briefly”

literal: well; cistern; pit

تحيّر

ḥ-y-r → “perplexed” Distinctive

literal: bewildered; perplexed; confused; astounded; amazed; bewilderment; perplexity; wonder; amazement

است

b-w-d

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

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

عباد

ʿ-b-d → “people”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

که

k-h

literal: that; who; who, that

چگونه

ch-g-n → “how”

literal: how; in what manner

با

b-ʾ-ʾ → “have clung”

literal: to; with; by

اشارات

sh-y-r → “allusions”

literal: explanation; commentary; to explain; to open

واضحه

w-ḍ-ḥ → “evident”

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

لائحه

l-w-ḥ → “manifest”

literal: document; list; manifest; to appear; to be evident

حقّ

ḥ-q-q → “Truth”

literal: truth; right; that which is true or just

احتراز

ḥ-r-z → “shunned”

literal: avoidance; caution; protection; guard

نمودهاند.

n-m-w → “have”

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

مثلاً

m-th-l → “For instance” Distinctive

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

ذکر

dh-k-r → “mention”

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

حزن

ḥ-z-n → “sorrows”

literal: sorrow; grief; sadness; anguish

سجن

s-j-n → “imprisonment”

literal: prison, imprisonment; to imprison

ابتلاء

b-l-w → “afflictions”

literal: trial; affliction; tribulation; testing

بر

b-r-r → “upon”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

آن

ʾ-n → “that”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

خلاصه

kh-l-ṣ → “Essence”

literal: sincere; devoted; pure one

فطرت

f-ṭ-r → “true Faith”

literal: creator; the one who splits/creates

الهی

ʾ-l-h → “divine”

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

وارد

w-r-d → “inflicted”

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

شد

sh-d → “made” Distinctive

literal: to become; to be

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

اخبار

kh-b-r → “traditions”

literal: news; inform; informed

قبل

q-b-l → “former” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

فِی

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

البِحار

b-ḥ-r → “In” Distinctive

literal: sea; ocean

قائِمِنا

q-w-m → “people”

literal: rising; standing; resurrection; uprising; establishment

اَربَعَ

r-b-ʿ → “four”

literal: four

علاماتٍ

ʿ-l-m → “signs”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

من

m-n → “from”

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

نَبيٍّ

n-b-ʾ → “Prophets”

literal: prophet; messenger

مُحَمَّدٍ.

ḥ-m-d → “thanks”

literal: praise; Muhammad; praised

امّا

ʾ-m-m

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

الخَوفُ

kh-w-f → “fear”

literal: to fear; to be afraid; fear

الانتظار.

n-ẓ-r → “Consider” Distinctive

literal: sight; view; spectacle; appearance

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

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

قالُوا

q-w-l → “spoken” Distinctive

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

التَّقيَّةُ.

w-q-y → “Fear” Distinctive

literal: piety; righteousness; to protect, guard; the pious; the God-fearing; those who guard themselves

يَظْهَرُ

ẓ-h-r → “revelation” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

بِآثارٍ

ʾ-th-r

literal: effect; trace; influence; imprint; sign; mark; vestige

القرآنِ.

q-r-ʾ → “read”

literal: Qur’an; recitation; to read, recite; to read; to recite

حديث

ḥ-d-th → “tradition”

literal: events, occurrences, accidents, changes and chances

به

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

محکمی

ḥ-k-m → “conclusive”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

جميع

j-m-ʿ

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

امورات

ʾ-m-r → “happenings” Distinctive

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

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

مطابق

ṭ-b-q

literal: layer; stratum; to fold; to accord

واقع

w-q-ʿ

literal: to fall, to occur, to happen; incident, event

فرمودهاند

f-r-m → “hath foreshadowed”

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

مع

m-ʿ

literal: with; together with; alongside

ذلک

dh-l-k

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

احدی

ʾ-ḥ-d → “none”

literal: oneness; unity; absolute unicity; singleness of divine essence

متنبّه

n-b-h → “awakening” Distinctive

literal: to awaken; to alert; to warn

گمان

g-m-n → “methinks”

literal: supposition; opinion; conjecture; fancy; to suppose; to think

ندارم

d-ʾ-sh-t → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to have; to hold; to possess; to maintain

بعد

b-ʿ-d → “in the future” Distinctive

literal: after; behind; distance

هم

h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

شوند

sh-w-d

literal: become; to become; became

إلّا

ʾ-kh-r → “end”

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

شاءَ

sh-y-ʾ → “willeth” Distinctive

literal: thing; something; to will; to wish; to desire; to open; to unfold; to reveal

رَبُّکَ.

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: Lord; lord; divine

مُسمعُ

s-m-ʿ → “heard” Distinctive

literal: hear; hearing; heard

القُبور.

q-b-r → “sepulchres”

literal: Cyprus (toponym)

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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