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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §15

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 15 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و در همه اوقات سبب صدّ عباد و منع ايشان از شاطی بحر احديّه علمای عصر بودهاند که زمام آن مردم در کف کفايت ايشان بود. و ايشان هم بعضی نظر به حبّ رياست و بعضی از عدم علم و معرفت، ناس را منع می نمودند. چنانچه همه انبياء به اذن و اجازه علمای عصر سلسبيل شهادت را نوشيدند و به اعلی افق عزّت پرواز نمودند. چه ظلم ها که از رؤسای عهد و علمای عصر بر سلاطين وجود و جواهر مقصود وارد شد. و به اين ايّام محدوده فانيه قانع شدند و از ملک لا يفنی باز ماندند چنانچه چشم را از مشاهده انوار جمال محبوب بی نصيب نمودند و گوش را از بدائع نغمات ورقاء مقصود محروم ساختند. اين است که در جميع کتب سماويّه ذکر احوال علمای هر عصر شده، چنانچه می فرمايد: "يَا اَهلَ الکِتابِ لِمَ تَکفُرُونَ بآياتِ اللّه وَ اَنتُم تَشهَدُونَ." و همچنين می فرمايد: "يا اَهلَ الکِتاب لِمَ تَلبِسُونَ الحَقَّ بِالباطِل وَتکتُمُونَ الحَقَّ وَاَنتُم تعلمُونَ"

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Leaders of religion, in every age, have hindered their people from attaining the shores of eternal salvation, inasmuch as they held the reins of authority in their mighty grasp. Some for the lust of leadership, others through want of knowledge and understanding, have been the cause of the deprivation of the people. By their sanction and authority, every Prophet of God hath drunk from the chalice of sacrifice, and winged His flight unto the heights of glory. What unspeakable cruelties they that have occupied the seats of authority and learning have inflicted upon the true Monarchs of the world, those Gems of divine virtue! Content with a transitory dominion, they have deprived themselves of an everlasting sovereignty. Thus, their eyes beheld not the light of the countenance of the Well-Beloved, nor did their ears hearken unto the sweet melodies of the Bird of Desire. For this reason, in all sacred books mention hath been made of the divines of every age. Thus He saith: “O people of the Book! Why disbelieve the signs of God to which ye yourselves have been witnesses?” And also He saith: “O people of the Book! Why clothe ye the truth with falsehood? Why wittingly hide the truth?” Again, He saith: “Say, O people of the Book! Why repel believers from the way of God?” It is evident that by the “people of the Book,” who have repelled their fellow-men from the straight path of God, is meant none other than the divines of that age, whose names and character have been revealed in the sacred books, and alluded to in the verses and traditions recorded therein, were you to observe with the eye of God.

Translation Notes

صدّ
ṣdd ṣ-d

literal: hundred

SE rendered همه (hmh)اوقات (iwqát)سبب (sbb)صدّ (ṣdd)عباد (ʿbád)منع (mnʿ)ايشان (iyshán)از (iz)شاطی (sháṭí) as “every, age, the, people from, have been, their, from, shores of”

hundred 50% thousand 50%
ايشان
iyshán ʾ-y-sh “prophets”

literal: they; they, them; they/them

3 occurrences in corpus

بحر
bḥr b-ḥ-r

literal: sea; ocean; sea, ocean

SE rendered عباد (ʿbád)منع (mnʿ)ايشان (iyshán)از (iz)شاطی (sháṭí)بحر (bḥr)احديّه (iḥdídh)علمای (ʿlmáy)عصر (ʿṣr)بودهاند (búdhánd) as “people from, have been, their, from, shores of, eternal, Leaders of, age, have hindered”

ocean 76% sea 16% waters 2% most 1% billowing 1% where 1% outpouring 1% rushing 1% oceans 1% seeking 1%
کفايت
kfáyt k-f-y “of”

literal: sufficient; sufficiency; suffice

SE rendered بودهاند (búdhánd)زمام (zmám)مردم (mrdm)کف (kf)کفايت (kfáyt)ايشان (iyshán)ايشان (iyshán)بعضی (bʿḍí) as “have hindered, the reins, people, their mighty grasp, of, their, Some”

suffice 50% sufficeth 33% enough 17%
نظر
nẓr n-ẓ-r “for”

literal: look; looking; view

SE rendered ايشان (iyshán)ايشان (iyshán)بعضی (bʿḍí)نظر (nẓr)حبّ (ḥbb)رياست (ríást)بعضی (bʿḍí)از (iz)عدم (ʿdm) as “their, others, for, the lust, leadership, through, want”

observe 15% beholding 15% because 11% sight 11% owing 11% consider 7% ponder 7% considering 7% eye 7% reason 7%
می
m-y-y “will”

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

3 occurrences in corpus

اذن
idhn ʾ-dh-n

literal: permission; ear; ears

SE rendered نمودند (nmúdnd)چنانچه (chnánchh)همه (hmh)انبياء (inbíáʾ)اذن (idhn)اجازه (ijázh)علمای (ʿlmáy)عصر (ʿṣr)سلسبيل (slsbíl)شهادت (shhádt) as “hath, every, Prophet, sanction and authority, divines, the chalice, sacrifice”

permission 38% leave 31% ear 8% ears 8% ordained 8% fixed 8%
افق
ifq ʾ-f-q

literal: horizon; horizons; horizons/regions

SE rendered شهادت (shhádt)نوشيدند (núshídnd)اعلی (iʿlí)افق (ifq)عزّت (ʿzzt)پرواز (prúáz)نمودند (nmúdnd)چه (chh)ظلم (ẓlm) as “sacrifice, drunk, the heights, glory, winged His flight, What, cruelties”

horizon 67% dayspring 10% above 5% heaven 5% realm 5% orient 3% supreme 1% works 1% created 1% realms 1%
پرواز
prúáz p-r-w “nurtured” Distinctive

literal: fly, flight

This form usually rendered as “winged”, “wing”, “rise” (6 occurrences)

winged 25% wing 25% rise 25% fly 25%
ها
w-j-h

literal: face; attention; turning

SE rendered عزّت (ʿzzt)پرواز (prúáz)نمودند (nmúdnd)چه (chh)ظلم (ẓlm)ها (há)از (iz)رؤسای (rʾsáy)عهد (ʿhd)علمای (ʿlmáy) as “glory, winged His flight, What, cruelties, of, authority, learning”

face 35% faces 12% countenance 10% set 10% sake 9% turn 8% turning 7% turned 4% setting 3% have 2%
عهد
ʿhd ʿ-h-d

literal: covenant; age

SE rendered پرواز (prúáz)نمودند (nmúdnd)چه (chh)ظلم (ẓlm)ها (há)از (iz)رؤسای (rʾsáy)عهد (ʿhd)علمای (ʿlmáy)عصر (ʿṣr)بر (br)سلاطين (sláṭín)وجود (wjúd) as “winged His flight, What, cruelties, of, authority, learning, upon, Monarchs, world”

ايّام
iyyám y-w-m

literal: day; days; today

SE rendered مقصود (mqṣúd)وارد (wárd)ايّام (iyyám)محدوده (mḥdúdh)فانيه (fáníh)قانع (qánʿ)شدند (shdnd)از (iz) as “of, have inflicted, transitory, Content, they have”

days 65% day 18% time 4% daytime 2% night 2% past 2% many 2% day-time 1% night-season 1% long 1%
باز
báz b-ʾ-z

literal: open; back, open

SE rendered قانع (qánʿ)شدند (shdnd)از (iz)ملک (mlk)يفنی (yfní)باز (báz)ماندند (mándnd)چنانچه (chnánchh)چشم (chshm)از (iz)مشاهده (msháhdh) as “Content, they have, from, sovereignty, everlasting, deprived themselves, Thus, their eyes, beheld”

بی
b-y “not”

literal: without; is; to

SE rendered از (iz)مشاهده (msháhdh)انوار (inúár)جمال (jmál)محبوب (mḥbúb)بی (bí)نصيب (nṣíb)نمودند (nmúdnd)گوش (gúsh)از (iz) as “of, beheld, light, countenance, Well-Beloved, not, they, their ears”

5 occurrences in corpus

نصيب
nṣíb n-ṣ-b

literal: portion; share; share, portion

SE rendered از (iz)مشاهده (msháhdh)انوار (inúár)جمال (jmál)محبوب (mḥbúb)بی (bí)نصيب (nṣíb)نمودند (nmúdnd)گوش (gúsh)از (iz)بدائع (bdáʾʿ)نغمات (nghmát) as “of, beheld, light, countenance, Well-Beloved, not, they, their ears, melodies”

share 42% portion 33% partake 8% favour 8% deprive 8%
بدائع
bdáʾʿ b-d-ʿ

literal: wondrous; wonders

SE rendered بی (bí)نصيب (nṣíb)نمودند (nmúdnd)گوش (gúsh)از (iz)بدائع (bdáʾʿ)نغمات (nghmát)ورقاء (wrqáʾ)مقصود (mqṣúd) as “not, they, their ears, of, melodies, Bird, Desire”

محروم
mḥrúm ḥ-r-m

literal: deprived; deprive

SE rendered از (iz)بدائع (bdáʾʿ)نغمات (nghmát)ورقاء (wrqáʾ)مقصود (mqṣúd)محروم (mḥrúm)ساختند (sákhtnd)جميع (jmíʿ) as “of, melodies, Bird, Desire, all”

ساختند
sákhtnd s-ʾ-kh

literal: make

SE rendered نغمات (nghmát)ورقاء (wrqáʾ)مقصود (mqṣúd)محروم (mḥrúm)ساختند (sákhtnd)جميع (jmíʿ)کتب (ktb) as “melodies, Bird, Desire, all, books”

3 occurrences in corpus

وَتکتُمُونَ
watktumún k-t-m “hide”

literal: hide

hide 50% unveiled 50%
وَاَنتُم
wáantum n-t-m “you”

literal: you

1 occurrence in corpus

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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