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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §40

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 40 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و در حديث هم اطلاق شمس و قمر بر صوم و صلات شده چنانچه می فرمايد: " الصَّومُ ضِياءٌ وَالصَّلوةُ نُورٌ." و لکن روزی در محلّی نشسته بودم شخصی از علمای معروف وارد شد و به مناسبتی اين حديث را ذکر نمود و فرمود: چون صوم حرارت در مزاج احداث می نمايد لهذا به ضياء که شمس باشد تعبير يافته و صلات ليل چون برودت می طلبد لهذا به نور که قمر باشد معبّر گشته. ملاحظه نمودم که آن فقير به قطره ای از بحر معانی موفّق نشده و به جذوه ای ازنار سدرهحکمت ربّانی فائز نگشته. بعد از مدّتی در نهايت ادب اظهار داشتم که جناب، آنچه فرموديد در معنی حديث، در السن و افواه ناس مذکور است و ليکن گويا مقصود ديگر هم از حديث مستفاد می شود. بيان آن را طلب نمود. ذکر شد که خاتم انبياء و سيّد اصفياء دين مرتفع در فرقان را تشبيه به سماء فرمودهاند به علّت علوّ و رفعت و عظمت و احاطه آن بر جميع اديان. و چون در سماء ظاهره دو رکن اعظم اقوم مقرّر شده است که نيّرين باشد و به شمس و قمر ناميده، همچنين در سماء دين هم دو نيّر مقدّر گشته که صوم و صلات باشد. الإسلامُ سَماءٌ و الصَّومُ شَمسُها و الصَّلوةُ قَمَرُها.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Moreover, in the traditions the terms “sun” and “moon” have been applied to prayer and fasting, even as it is said: “Fasting is illumination, prayer is light.” One day, a well-known divine came to visit Us. While We were conversing with him, he referred to the above-quoted tradition. He said: “Inasmuch as fasting causeth the heat of the body to increase, it hath therefore been likened unto the light of the sun; and as the prayer of the night-season refresheth man, it hath been compared unto the radiance of the moon.” Thereupon We realized that that poor man had not been favoured with a single drop of the ocean of true understanding, and had strayed far from the burning Bush of divine wisdom. We then politely observed to him saying: “The interpretation your honour hath given to this tradition is the one current amongst the people. Could it not be interpreted differently?” He asked Us: “What could it be?” We made reply: “Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and the most distinguished of God’s chosen Ones, hath likened the Dispensation of the Qur’án unto heaven, by reason of its loftiness, its paramount influence, its majesty, and the fact that it comprehendeth all religions. And as the sun and moon constitute the brightest and most prominent luminaries in the heavens, similarly in the heaven of the religion of God two shining orbs have been ordained—fasting and prayer. ‘Islám is heaven; fasting is its sun, prayer, its moon.’”

Translation Notes

محلّی
mḥllí ḥ-l-l

literal: place; place, location; lawful

SE rendered وَالصَّلوةُ (wálṣṣalúh), نُورٌ (núrun), لکن (lkn), روزی (rúzí), محلّی (mḥllí), نشسته (nshsth), بودم (búdm), شخصی (shkhṣí), از (iz), علمای (ʿlmáy) as “prayer, light.”, One day, a, divine”

certain 40% abode 20% points 20% home 20%
نشسته
nshsth nshstn

literal: sit; to-sit

SE rendered نُورٌ (núrun), لکن (lkn), روزی (rúzí), محلّی (mḥllí), نشسته (nshsth), بودم (búdm), شخصی (shkhṣí), از (iz), علمای (ʿlmáy), معروف (mʿrúf), وارد (wárd) as “light.”, One day, a, divine, well-known, came to visit”

occupy 50% stain 50%
بودم
búdm búdn

literal: be; to be; been

SE rendered روزی (rúzí), محلّی (mḥllí), نشسته (nshsth), بودم (búdm), شخصی (shkhṣí), از (iz), علمای (ʿlmáy), معروف (mʿrúf), وارد (wárd) as “One day, a, divine, well-known, came to visit”

had 50% “i 25% have 25%
شخصی
shkhṣí sh-kh-ṣ → “a”

literal: person; personality/identity; persons

SE rendered روزی (rúzí), محلّی (mḥllí), نشسته (nshsth), بودم (búdm), شخصی (shkhṣí), از (iz), علمای (ʿlmáy), معروف (mʿrúf), وارد (wárd) as “One day, a, divine, well-known, came to visit”

man 44% one 11% needy 11% certain 11% person 11% herald 11%
مناسبتی
mnásbtí n-s-b

literal: attribution; relation; attributed

SE rendered علمای (ʿlmáy), معروف (mʿrúf), وارد (wárd), مناسبتی (mnásbtí), حديث (ḥdíth), ذکر (dhkr), نمود (nmúd), فرمود (frmúd) as “divine, well-known, came to visit, We were, referred, hath, said”

claim 13% relationship 13% accused 10% kinship 10% ascribed 10% bear 10% such 10% impute 10% tie 10% charges 6%
يافته
yáfth yáftn

literal: found

SE rendered ضياء (ḍíáʾ), شمس (shms), باشد (báshd), تعبير (tʿbír), يافته (yáfth), صلات (ṣlát), ليل (líl), چون (chún), برودت (brúdt), می (mí), طلبد (ṭlbd) as “the light, sun, likened, the prayer, night-season, refresheth”

برودت
brúdt b-r-d

literal: coldness

SE rendered تعبير (tʿbír), يافته (yáfth), صلات (ṣlát), ليل (líl), چون (chún), برودت (brúdt), می (mí), طلبد (ṭlbd), لهذا (lhdhá), نور (núr), قمر (qmr) as “likened, the prayer, night-season, refresheth, he, radiance, moon.””

cold 40% apathy 20% chill 20% refresheth 20%
فقير
fqír f-q-r

literal: poor; poverty

SE rendered گشته (gshth), ملاحظه (mláḥẓh), نمودم (nmúdm), فقير (fqír), قطره (qṭrh), از (iz), بحر (bḥr), معانی (mʿání), موفّق (múffq) as “have been, realized, hath, single drop, ocean, understanding, favoured”

جذوه
jdhúh j-dh-w

literal: brand

SE rendered بحر (bḥr), معانی (mʿání), موفّق (múffq), نشده (nshdh), جذوه (jdhúh), ازنار (iznár), سدرهحکمت (sdrhḥkmt), ربّانی (rbbání), فائز (fáʾz) as “ocean, understanding, favoured, not been, burning Bush, divine, strayed”

brand 50% spark 50%
مدّتی
mddtí m-d-d

literal: period; ink; extended

SE rendered ربّانی (rbbání), فائز (fáʾz), نگشته (ngshth), از (iz), مدّتی (mddtí), نهايت (nháyt), ادب (idb), اظهار (iẓhár), داشتم (dáshtm) as “divine, strayed, politely, observed, hath”

نهايت
nháyt n-h-y

literal: utmost

SE rendered فائز (fáʾz), نگشته (ngshth), از (iz), مدّتی (mddtí), نهايت (nháyt), ادب (idb), اظهار (iẓhár), داشتم (dáshtm), جناب، (jnáb،) as “strayed, politely, observed, hath, your honour”

السن
as-sn l-s-n

literal: tongue; tongue, language; tongues

SE rendered آنچه (ánchh), فرموديد (frmúdíd), معنی (mʿní), حديث، (ḥdíth،), السن (as-sn), افواه (ifúáh), ناس (nás), مذکور (mdhkúr) as “He, tradition, amongst the people, current”

tongues 33% tongue 33% languages 20% language 13%
افواه
ifúáh f-w-h

literal: mouth; mouths; fruits

SE rendered فرموديد (frmúdíd), معنی (mʿní), حديث، (ḥdíth،), السن (as-sn), افواه (ifúáh), ناس (nás), مذکور (mdhkúr), ليکن (líkn), گويا (gúyá) as “He, tradition, amongst the people, current, Could it not be interpreted differently”

mouths 57% fruits 14% am 14% whose 14%
مقصود
mqṣúd q-ṣ-d

literal: intended; purpose; desired

SE rendered ناس (nás), مذکور (mdhkúr), ليکن (líkn), گويا (gúyá), مقصود (mqṣúd) as “amongst the people, current, Could it not be interpreted differently”

purpose 28% desire 26% meant 20% goal 5% meaning 4% desired 3% who 3% object 3% intended 3% thou 3%
ديگر
dígr dígr

literal: other; other, another; other/another

SE rendered مذکور (mdhkúr), ليکن (líkn), گويا (gúyá), مقصود (mqṣúd), ديگر (dígr) as “current, Could it not be interpreted differently”

another 31% other 15% moreover 15% different 13% yet 6% furthermore 6% again 4% else 4% now 4% following 2%
مستفاد
mstfád f-y-d

literal: derived

SE rendered گويا (gúyá), مقصود (mqṣúd), ديگر (dígr), از (iz), حديث (ḥdíth), مستفاد (mstfád), می (mí), بيان (bíán), طلب (ṭlb), نمود (nmúd) as “Could it not be interpreted differently, interpretation, asked, hath”

مرتفع
mrtfʿ r-f-ʿ

literal: raise; raised; elevation

SE rendered انبياء (inbíáʾ), سيّد (sísd), اصفياء (iṣfíáʾ), دين (dín), مرتفع (mrtfʿ), فرقان (frqán), تشبيه (tshbíh), سماء (smáʾ) as “Prophets, most distinguished, chosen Ones, religion, Qur’án, unto, heaven”

raised 24% have 10% rising 10% stilled 10% did 10% hoisted 10% established 10% elevated 10% wept 5% break 5%
علّت
ʿllt ʿ-l-l

literal: cause; reason

SE rendered تشبيه (tshbíh), سماء (smáʾ), فرمودهاند (frmúdhánd), علّت (ʿllt), علوّ (ʿlúl), رفعت (rfʿt), عظمت (ʿẓmt), احاطه (iḥáṭh) as “unto, heaven, likened, loftiness, majesty, comprehendeth”

cause 23% motive 14% source 14% caused 9% instrument 9% reason 9% cannot 9% acted 5% what 5% causeth 5%
رکن
rkn r-k-n

literal: pillar; pillars

SE rendered اديان (idíán), چون (chún), سماء (smáʾ), ظاهره (ẓáhrh), دو (dú), رکن (rkn), اعظم (iʿẓm), اقوم (iqúm), مقرّر (mqrrr) as “religions, and as, heavens, brightest, most prominent”

limbs 26% foundations 26% pillars 15% members 7% whole 7% member 4% entire 4% every 4% pillar 4% limb 4%
مقرّر
mqrrr q-r-r

literal: established

SE rendered سماء (smáʾ), ظاهره (ẓáhrh), دو (dú), رکن (rkn), اعظم (iʿẓm), اقوم (iqúm), مقرّر (mqrrr), نيّرين (nínrín), باشد (báshd) as “heavens, brightest, most prominent, luminaries”

ناميده،
námídh، n-ʾ-m

literal: name; named

SE rendered نيّرين (nínrín), باشد (báshd), شمس (shms), قمر (qmr), ناميده، (námídh،), همچنين (hmchnín), سماء (smáʾ), دين (dín), دو (dú), نيّر (nínr) as “luminaries, sun, moon, similarly, heaven, two, orbs”

named 40% designated 20% surnamed 20% given 20%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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