Kitáb-i-Íqán — §5

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 5 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و همچنين کلمات منزله که از غمام قدرت صمدانيّه و سماء عزّت ربّانيّه نازل شده زياده از حدّ احصاء و احاطه عباد است و اولوا الأفئده و صاحبان بصر را سوره هود کفايت می کند. قدری در آن سوره مبارکه تأمّل فرمائيد و به فطرت اصليّه تدبّر نمائيد تا قدری بر بدائع امورانبياء و ردّ و تکذيب کلمات نفی اطّلاع يابيد، شايد ناس را از موطن غفلت نفسانيّه به آشيان وحدت و معرفت الهيّه پرواز دهيد و از زلال حکمت لايزال و اثمار شجره علم ذی الجلال بياشاميد و مرزوق گرديد. اين است نصيب انفس مجرّده از مائده منزله قدسيّه باقيه.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

In like manner, those words that have streamed forth from the source of power and descended from the heaven of glory are innumerable and beyond the ordinary comprehension of man. To them that are possessed of true understanding and insight the Súrah of Húd surely sufficeth. Ponder a while those holy words in your heart, and, with utter detachment, strive to grasp their meaning. Examine the wondrous behaviour of the Prophets, and recall the defamations and denials uttered by the children of negation and falsehood, perchance you may cause the bird of the human heart to wing its flight away from the abodes of heedlessness and doubt unto the nest of faith and certainty, and drink deep from the pure waters of ancient wisdom, and partake of the fruit of the tree of divine knowledge. Such is the share of the pure in heart of the bread that hath descended from the realms of eternity and holiness.

Translation Notes

همچنين

ch-n-n → “In like manner”

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

کلمات

k-l-m → “words”

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

منزله

n-z-l → “descended” Distinctive

literal: to descend, to be revealed

که

k-h → “that have streamed forth from the source of”

literal: that; who; who, that

از

ʾ-z → “from”

literal: from

غمام

gh-m-m

literal: cloud; clouds

قدرت

q-d-r → “power”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

صمدانيّه

ṣ-m-d

literal: eternal, self-sufficient, divine, the Eternal

سماء

s-m-w → “heaven”

literal: heaven; sky

عزّت

ʿ-z-z → “glory”

literal: glory; might; honor; dignity; power; majesty

ربّانيّه

r-b-b

literal: divine; of God; lordly

شده

sh-d

literal: to become; to be

زياده

z-y-d → “increase” Distinctive

literal: increase; excess; more; additional; to increase; to grow; to be added

حدّ

ḥ-d-d → “limitations”

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

احصاء

ḥ-ṣ-y → “comprehension”

literal: unnumbered, innumerable, countless, beyond count; to count; to enumerate; to be reckoned

احاطه

ḥ-w-ṭ

literal: to encompass, surround, envelop, embrace

عباد

ʿ-b-d → “man” Distinctive

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

است

b-w-d → “are”

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

اولوا

ʾ-w-l → “this world”

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

الأفئده

f-ʾ-d → “the hearts”

literal: heart, innermost soul, mind; heart; inner consciousness; mind; one who benefits; advantageous

صاحبان

ṣ-ḥ-b

literal: possessor; those who have; companion; followers

بصر

b-ṣ-r → “insight”

literal: sight; insight; discernment; spiritual perception

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

سوره

s-w-r → “riding” Distinctive

literal: chapter (of Qurʾan); surah

هود

h-w-d → “Jews”

literal: cradle; bed; couch; resting place

کفايت

k-f-y → “sufficeth”

literal: to be content; to suffice; to be satisfied; to be satisfied with

می

m-y-y

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

کند.

k-r-d → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to do; to make; to act; to dig, excavate; slow

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

آن

ʾ-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

مبارکه

b-r-k → “holy”

literal: blessed; auspicious; fruitful; blest; blessed word

تأمّل

ʾ-m-l → “Ponder”

literal: denial; belying; falsification; rejection; liar; lying; false

فرمائيد

f-r-m

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

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

فطرت

f-ṭ-r

literal: creator; the one who splits/creates

اصليّه

ʾ-ṣ-l

literal: prayer; blessing; benediction

تدبّر

d-b-r → “Take ye counsel together” Distinctive

literal: deliberation; consideration; prudence; management; planning; counsel

نمائيد

n-m-ʾ → “may” Distinctive

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

تا

t-y-y

literal: so that/until

بر

b-r-r

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

بدائع

b-d-ʿ → “wondrous”

literal: to create; most wondrous; excel

امورانبياء

n-b-ʾ → “behaviour of the Prophets”

literal: prophet; prophets; inform

ردّ

r-d-d → “reject”

literal: rejected; repudiated

تکذيب

k-dh-b → “falsehood”

literal: denial; belying; falsification; rejection; liar; lying; false

نفی

n-f-y → “denial”

literal: is not; not to be; does not exist; negation, denial, banishment; to negate, deny, banish; contradiction; opposition; contrariety

اطّلاع

ṭ-l-ʿ → “Dayspring” Distinctive

literal: rising; appearance; countenance; manifestation

يابيد،

y-b-d

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

شايد

sh-y-d → “perchance”

literal: perhaps, perchance, haply, maybe, possibly; to become; to be; to happen; to occur

ناس

n-ʾ-s

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

موطن

w-ṭ-n → “country” Distinctive

literal: homeland; native country; dwelling place

غفلت

gh-f-l → “heedlessness”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

نفسانيّه

n-f-s → “souls” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

آشيان

sh-y-n → ““shin” Distinctive

literal: evil, disgrace; the letter ‘shin’; befitting; appropriate; suitable

وحدت

w-ḥ-d

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

معرفت

ʿ-r-f

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

الهيّه

ʾ-l-h → “divine”

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

پرواز

p-r-w → “nurtured” Distinctive

literal: to kindle, to light, to inflame

دهيد

d-h

literal: to give; to provide; to yield; to grant; to bestow

زلال

z-l-l → “waters”

literal: to slip; to stumble; to fall

حکمت

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

لايزال

z-w-l

literal: to pass away; to vanish; to disappear; to cease

اثمار

th-m-r → “fruit”

literal: fruit; the fruit

شجره

sh-j-r → “tree”

literal: tree

علم

ʿ-l-m → “knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

ذی

dh-w-y

literal: possessor; possessor of; possessor/owner

الجلال

j-l-l

literal: majesty; glory; exaltation; magnificence

بياشاميد

sh-r-b → “drink”

literal: drink; drank; to drink

مرزوق

r-z-q → “partake”

literal: sustenance; provision; to grant livelihood

گرديد.

g-r-d

literal: Persian verb گردیدن (to become/turn), not from Arabic ك-ر-د

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

نصيب

n-ṣ-b → “share”

literal: share; portion; lot; fate

مجرّده

j-r-d → “detachment”

literal: neck; throat

مائده

m-y-d → “bread”

literal: extended; outstretched; sustained

قدسيّه

q-d-s → “holiness”

literal: holy, sacred, sanctified

باقيه.

b-q-y → “of eternity” Distinctive

literal: remaining; everlasting; eternal; immortal; permanence; duration; continuance

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶