Kitáb-i-Íqán — §79

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 79 of 291.

Source (Persian)

پس، از اين بيانات محکمه واضحه لائحه مقصود از سماء در آيه مُنزله معلوم شد و مفهوم گشت. و اينکه می فرمايد: با ابر و غمام نازل می شود مقصود از ابر آن اموری است که مخالف نفس و هوای ناس است. چنانچه ذکرشد در آيه مذکوره: "اَفَکُلَّما جَاءَکُمْ رَسولٌ بِما لا تَهوَی اَنفُسُکُم استَکبَرتُمْ فَفَرِيقاً کَذَّبتُم وَ فَريِقاً تَقتُلُونَ."١ مثلاً از قبيل تغيير احکام و تبديل شرائع و ارتفاع قواعد و رسوم عاديّه و تقدّم مؤمنين از عوام بر معرضين از علماء. و همچنين ظهور آن جمال ازلی بر حدودات بشريّه از اکل و شرب و فقر و غنا و عزّت و ذلّت و نوم و يقظه و امثال آن، از آن چيزهائی که مردم را به شبهه می اندازد و منع می نمايد. همه اين حجبات به غمام تعبير شده.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

By these luminous, these conclusive, and lucid statements, the meaning of “heaven” in the aforementioned verse hath thus been made clear and evident. And now regarding His words, that the Son of man shall “come in the clouds of heaven.” By the term “clouds” is meant those things that are contrary to the ways and desires of men. Even as He hath revealed in the verse already quoted: “As oft as an Apostle cometh unto you with that which your souls desire not, ye swell with pride, accusing some of being impostors and slaying others.” These “clouds” signify, in one sense, the annulment of laws, the abrogation of former Dispensations, the repeal of rituals and customs current amongst men, the exalting of the illiterate faithful above the learned opposers of the Faith. In another sense, they mean the appearance of that immortal Beauty in the image of mortal man, with such human limitations as eating and drinking, poverty and riches, glory and abasement, sleeping and waking, and such other things as cast doubt in the minds of men, and cause them to turn away. All such veils are symbolically referred to as “clouds.”

Translation Notes

پس،

p-s → “By” Distinctive

literal: then; then, therefore; therefore

از

ʾ-z → “of”

literal: from

اين

ʾ-y-n → “this Chapter”

literal: this; these

بيانات

b-y-n → “utterance”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident

محکمه

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom” Distinctive

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

واضحه

w-ḍ-ḥ → “evident”

literal: clear; evident; manifest; obvious

لائحه

l-w-ḥ → “Tablet” Distinctive

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

مقصود

q-ṣ-d → “purpose”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

سماء

s-m-w → ““heaven””

literal: heaven; sky

در

d-r-r → “in”

literal: in; in, at; radiant

آيه

ʾ-y-y → “verse”

literal: verse; sign; miracle; proof; sign, verse, miracle, token, indication; ayah; he; him; it

مُنزله

n-z-l → “sent down” Distinctive

literal: to descend, to be revealed

معلوم

ʿ-l-m → “evident”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

شد

sh-d → “been made”

literal: to become; to be

مفهوم

f-h-m → “understanding” Distinctive

literal: understanding; comprehension; to understand; to comprehend

گشت.

g-sh-t

literal: to become; to turn; to be

می

m-y-y → “will be made”

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

فرمايد:

f-r-m → “saith”

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

با

b-ʾ-ʾ → “in” Distinctive

literal: to; with; by

ابر

ʾ-b-r → “clouds”

literal: expression; phrase; utterance; statement; passage; wording

غمام

gh-m-m → “clouds”

literal: cloud; clouds

شود

sh-w-d

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

آن

ʾ-n → “to”

literal: that; those; he; she; it

اموری

ʾ-m-r → “things”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

است

b-w-d → “is”

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

که

k-h → “that”

literal: that; who; who, that

مخالف

kh-l-f → “contrary”

literal: opposing; contrary; conflicting

نفس

n-f-s → “ways and desires” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

هوای

h-w-y

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

ناس

n-ʾ-s → “men”

literal: companionship; fellowship; familiarity; to keep company

چنانچه

ch-n-n → “Even as”

literal: thus; in such manner; as

ذکرشد

dh-k-r → “mention” Distinctive

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

مذکوره:

dh-k-r → “mentioned”

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

"اَفَکُلَّما

k-l-m

literal: word; words; speech

جَاءَکُمْ

j-y-ʾ → “cometh”

literal: to come; to arrive; to happen

رَسولٌ

r-s-l → “Apostle”

literal: to send; dispatch; transmission

بِما

m-ʾ → “that” Distinctive

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

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

تَهوَی

h-w-y → “desire”

literal: desire; vain desire; inclination; passion; whim; realm; region

استَکبَرتُمْ

k-b-r → “swell with pride”

literal: great; grand; mighty; large; greatness; majesty; sovereignty; arrogance

فَفَرِيقاً

f-r-q → “some”

literal: faction; sect; group; company

کَذَّبتُم

k-dh-b

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

تَقتُلُونَ."١

q-t-l → “slaying others.””

literal: kill; killing; killed

مثلاً

m-th-l → “as”

literal: like; example; parable; similitude

قبيل

q-b-l → “before” Distinctive

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

تغيير

gh-y-r → “other” Distinctive

literal: without; besides; other than; except; other; different

احکام

ḥ-k-m → “laws”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom

تبديل

b-d-l → “change”

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

شرائع

sh-r-ʿ → “Dispensations”

literal: law; legislation; religious law; canon; ordinance

ارتفاع

r-f-ʿ → “raised” Distinctive

literal: to be raised, elevated, exalted, lifted up

قواعد

q-ʿ-d → “seat” Distinctive

literal: rule; principle; foundation; basis

رسوم

r-s-m → “customs”

literal: form; custom; tradition; design; symbol

عاديّه

ʿ-ʾ-d → “current”

literal: customary; ordinary

تقدّم

q-d-m → “Ancient of Days” Distinctive

literal: ancient; step; eternity

مؤمنين

ʾ-m-n → “faithful”

literal: faith; believer; believe

عوام

ʿ-w-m → “common people”

literal: with her/it; associated with her/it

بر

b-r-r → “righteous” Distinctive

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

معرضين

ʿ-r-ḍ → “opposers” Distinctive

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

ظهور

ẓ-h-r → “appearance” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

جمال

j-m-l → “Beauty”

literal: beauty; comeliness

ازلی

ʾ-z-l → “eternal”

literal: eternity; pre-eternity; without beginning; eternal; everlasting; from eternity

حدودات

ḥ-d-d → “limitations”

literal: iron; sharp, keen, acute

بشريّه

b-sh-r → “announce”

literal: human; mankind; human nature

اکل

ʾ-k-l → “eating”

literal: eating

شرب

sh-r-b → “drinking” Distinctive

literal: to drink; to imbibe

فقر

f-q-r → “poverty”

literal: poor; needy; the poor one; pauper

غنا

gh-n-y → “riches”

literal: to be independent of; to be in no need of; to dispense with; rich; wealthy; needless

عزّت

ʿ-z-z → “glory”

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

ذلّت

dh-l-l → “abasement”

literal: abasement; humiliation; lowliness; to be abased

نوم

n-w-m → “sleeping”

literal: to sleep; to slumber

يقظه

y-q-ẓ → “waking”

literal: awakened; awaken; awakened me

چيزهائی

sh-y-ʾ → “things”

literal: thing; will; things

مردم

m-r-d → “men”

literal: rebellion; mutiny; revolt

را

r-ʾ-ʾ

literal: object marker; object-marker; to

به

b-h → “as”

literal: by it; by him; with it

شبهه

sh-b-h → “doubt”

literal: doubt; uncertainty; suspicion; resemblance; semblance

اندازد

ʾ-n-d-ʾ-z → “cause”

literal: throws; casts; hurls; measurement; proportion

منع

m-n-ʿ → “hinder”

literal: forbidden; prevented; deprived

نمايد.

n-m-ʾ → “may”

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

همه

h-m-h → “All”

literal: them (pronoun + object marker)

حجبات

ḥ-j-b → “veils”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

تعبير

ʿ-b-r → “tears” Distinctive

literal: expression; phrase; utterance; statement; passage; wording

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

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.

268 ¶

Fire Tablet

Bahá’u’lláh

Revealed in late 1871 during a period of severe hardship in ‘Akká, this Tablet takes the form of an anguished dialogue between Bahá’u’lláh and God. Questions about the sufferings of the faithful are answered with divine assurances, building to a crescendo of triumph over tribulation.

50 ¶

Gleanings

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

Prayers and Meditations

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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

Bahá’u’lláh

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 ¶