Kitáb-i-Íqán — §35

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 35 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و اين بر هر ذی بصری مشهود است که همچنان که نور ستاره محو می شود نزد اشراق شمس ظاهره، همين قسم شمس علم و حکمت و عرفان ظاهره نزد طلوع شمس حقيقت و آفتاب معنوی محو و تاريک می شود.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

It is evident and manifest unto every discerning observer that even as the light of the star fadeth before the effulgent splendour of the sun, so doth the luminary of earthly knowledge, of wisdom, and understanding vanish into nothingness when brought face to face with the resplendent glories of the Sun of Truth, the Day-star of divine enlightenment.

Translation Notes

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

بر

b-r-r → “unto”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

هر

h-r → “every”

literal: whatever; all that; whatever thing

ذی

dh-w-y → “and” Distinctive

literal: possessor; possessor of; possessor/owner

بصری

b-ṣ-r → “observer”

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

مشهود

sh-h-d → “manifest”

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

است

b-w-d

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

که

k-h → “that”

literal: that; who; who, that

نور

n-w-r → “light”

literal: light; illumination

ستاره

s-t-r → “hidden” Distinctive

literal: to veil; to conceal; to cover; veil; covering

محو

m-ḥ-w → “blot out”

literal: to efface; to obliterate; to blot out; to cause to disappear

می

m-y-y → “will be made”

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

شود

sh-w-d → “be”

literal: to come; to go; to arrive; came

نزد

n-z-d → “unto”

literal: near; beside; with; in the presence of

اشراق

sh-r-q → “effulgent splendour” Distinctive

literal: radiance; splendor; dawn; illumination

شمس

sh-m-s → “sun”

literal: sun; daystar; manifestation of divine light

ظاهره،

ẓ-h-r → “earthly” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

همين

h-m-n → “Help in Peril” Distinctive

literal: the same; that very

قسم

q-s-m

literal: oath; division; kind; type

علم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

حکمت

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

عرفان

ʿ-r-f → “understanding”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

طلوع

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

حقيقت

ḥ-q-q → “Truth”

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

آفتاب

ʾ-f-t-ʾ-b → “Day-Star”

literal: horizon, direction, region; horizon; sun

معنوی

ʿ-n-y → “loving-kindness” Distinctive

literal: meaning; sense; significance

تاريک

t-r-k

literal: wrongedness, oppression, meekness; state of being wronged or oppressed

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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50 ¶

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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 ¶

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16 ¶

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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 ¶

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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 ¶

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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

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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 ¶