Kitáb-i-Íqán — §48

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 48 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و همچنين معنی تبديل ارض را ادراک نما که غمام رحمت آن سماء بر قلوبی که نيسان مکرمت مبذول داشت،تبديل شد اراضی آن قلوب به ارض معرفت و حکمت. و چه رياحين توحيد که در رياض قلوبشان انبات شده و چه شقايق های حقايق علم وحکمت که از صدور منيرشان روئيده. و اگر ارض قلوبشان تبديل نمی شد چگونه رجالی که حرفی تعليم نگرفتهاند و معلّم را نديدهاند و به هيچ دبستانی قدم نگذاشتهاند به کلمات و معارفی تکلّم می نمايند که احدی ادراک نتواند نمود؟ گويا از تراب علم سرمدی سرشته شدهاند و از آب حکمت لدنّی عجين گشتهاند. اين است که می فرمايد: "اَلعِلمُ نُورٌ يَقْذِفُه اللّهُ فی قَلبِ مَن يَشاء." و اين نحو از علم است که ممدوح بوده و هست. نه علوم محدوده که از افکار محجوبه کدره احداث شده و آن را گاهی از هم سرقت می نمايند و بر ديگران افتخار می کنند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

In like manner, endeavour to comprehend the meaning of the “changing of the earth.” Know thou, that upon whatever hearts the bountiful showers of mercy, raining from the “heaven” of divine Revelation, have fallen, the earth of those hearts hath verily been changed into the earth of divine knowledge and wisdom. What myrtles of unity hath the soil of their hearts produced! What blossoms of true knowledge and wisdom hath their illumined bosoms yielded! Were the earth of their hearts to remain unchanged, how could such souls who have not been taught one letter, have seen no teacher, and entered no school, utter such words and display such knowledge as none can apprehend? Methinks they have been moulded from the clay of infinite knowledge, and kneaded with the water of divine wisdom. Therefore, hath it been said: “Knowledge is a light which God casteth into the heart of whomsoever He willeth.” It is this kind of knowledge which is and hath ever been praiseworthy, and not the limited knowledge that hath sprung forth from veiled and obscured minds. This limited knowledge they even stealthily borrow one from the other, and vainly pride themselves therein!

Translation Notes

همچنين

ch-n-n

literal: always; ever; forever; at all times; constantly

معنی

ʿ-n-y → “meaning”

literal: meaning; sense; significance

تبديل

b-d-l → “change”

literal: in place of; instead of; to change; to alter (preposition or verb stem)

ارض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “earth.””

literal: earth; land; ground; country

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

ادراک

d-r-k → “comprehend”

literal: to overtake; to catch; to reach; to attain; to perceive; to comprehend

نما

n-m-ʾ → “may” Distinctive

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

که

k-h → “that”

literal: that; who; who, that

غمام

gh-m-m → “clouds”

literal: cloud; clouds

رحمت

r-ḥ-m → “mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

آن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

سماء

s-m-w → ““heaven””

literal: heaven; sky

بر

b-r-r → “upon”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

قلوبی

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

نيسان

n-y-s → “men” Distinctive

literal: nonexistence; nothingness; nullity; to rest; to settle; to lay to rest

مکرمت

k-r-m

literal: Carmel (Mount Carmel); vineyard, fruitful field; honor; generosity; nobility

مبذول

b-dh-l

literal: to give; to bestow; to expend

داشت،تبديل

d-ʾ-sh → “have been” Distinctive

literal: have; to have; had

شد

sh-d → “been changed”

literal: to become; to be

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

معرفت

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

حکمت.

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

چه

ch-h → “For”

literal: what; what/for; whatsoever, that which

رياحين

r-w-ḥ → “spirit” Distinctive

literal: to go; to depart; to rest; spirit; soul

توحيد

w-ḥ-d → “unity”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

در

d-r-r

literal: in; in, at; radiant

رياض

r-w-ḍ → “garden”

literal: garden; meadow; enclosed garden

انبات

n-b-t → “bringeth forth” Distinctive

literal: to grow, to spring forth, to produce; plant, growth

شقايق

sh-q-q

literal: discord; dissension; rebellion; strife

های

null

literal: and; that; in

حقايق

ḥ-q-q → “true” Distinctive

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

علم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

از

ʾ-z

literal: from

صدور

ṣ-d-r → “bosoms” Distinctive

literal: to issue, emanate, proceed; issued, emanating

منيرشان

n-w-r → “illumined”

literal: light; illumination

روئيده.

r-w-y → “traditions” Distinctive

literal: banner; face; tradition

اگر

ʾ-g-r

literal: although; even if; though; notwithstanding

چگونه

ch-g-n → “how”

literal: how; in what manner

رجالی

r-j-l → “feet” Distinctive

literal: man; men; person

حرفی

ḥ-r-f → “letter”

literal: letter; character; edge

نگرفتهاند

g-r-f

literal: captive, afflicted, troubled, caught; affliction, trouble

نديدهاند

d-y-d → “seen”

literal: see; seen; to see

هيچ

h-y-ch → “no”

literal: nothing; any; not a single

دبستانی

d-b-s → “school”

literal: school

قدم

q-d-m

literal: ancientness; antiquity; foot; to come forward

نگذاشتهاند

g-dh-r → “renounced” Distinctive

literal: to leave; to pass; to abandon

کلمات

k-l-m → “words”

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

تکلّم

k-l-m → “utter” Distinctive

literal: words; utterances; locutions; word; utterance; speech; sayings; verses

می

m-y-y

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

احدی

ʾ-ḥ-d → “none”

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

نتواند

t-w-ʾ-n → “unto Thy weak creatures” Distinctive

literal: to be able, can; power, strength

گويا

g-w-y → “Methinks”

literal: speech; utterance; saying; word

تراب

t-r-b → “clay” Distinctive

literal: dust; earth; soil

سرمدی

s-r-m → “infinite”

literal: eternal; everlasting; perpetual; unending

سرشته

s-r-sh → “moulded”

literal: descent; sing; created

آب

m-w-h → “water”

literal: father; ancestry; forefathers

لدنّی

l-d-n → “divine”

literal: from; on the part of; from before; near

عجين

ʿ-j-n → “kneaded”

literal: kneaded; knead

گشتهاند.

g-sh-t

literal: become; became; to become

اين

ʾ-y-n → “It”

literal: this; these

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

فرمايد:

f-r-m → “said”

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

يَقْذِفُه

q-dh-f → “casteth”

literal: cast, throw; cast

اللّهُ

ʾ-l-h → “God”

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

فی

f-y

literal: in; in-it; in it

مَن

m-n → “whomsoever” Distinctive

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

يَشاء."

sh-y-ʾ → “willeth.””

literal: thing; will; things

نحو

n-ḥ-w → “manner”

literal: manner; way; direction; towards

ممدوح

m-d-ḥ → “praiseworthy”

literal: praiseworthy

هست.

h-s-t → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

نه

n-h-y → “not” Distinctive

literal: to show, to display, to manifest, to exhibit; to manifest; to display; to show

محدوده

ḥ-d-d → “limited”

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

افکار

f-k-r → “minds”

literal: thoughts; ideas; fancies; opinions; to think; to reflect; to contemplate

محجوبه

ḥ-j-b → “veiled”

literal: to veil oneself, to be veiled

کدره

k-d-r → “angry” Distinctive

literal: turbidity; turbidness; cloudiness; murkiness

احداث

ḥ-d-th → “traditions” Distinctive

literal: events, occurrences, accidents, changes and chances

گاهی

g-ʾ-h → “At one time”

literal: sometimes; at times; occasionally

هم

h-m-m → “endeavor” Distinctive

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

سرقت

s-r-q → “stolen”

literal: thief; theft; steal

ديگران

d-g-r

literal: home; place; land; abode

افتخار

f-kh-r → “pride”

literal: glory; boasting; pride

کنند.

k-r-d → “made” Distinctive

literal: do; to do; do, make

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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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.

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Gleanings

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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 ¶

Kitáb-i-’Ahd

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16 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

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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 ¶

Tablet of Aḥmad

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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

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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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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

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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

‘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 ¶