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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §169

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 169 of 291.

Source (Persian)

اين است که در هر ظهور بعد، انفسی که سبقت يافتند به ايمان از کلّ من علی الارض و شربت زلال معرفت را از جمال احديّت نوشيدند و به اعلی معارج ايمان و ايقان و انقطاع ارتفاع جستند حکم رجوع انفس قبل که در ظهور قبل به اين مراتب فائز شدهاند بر اين اصحاب ظهور بعد می شود اسماً و رسماً و فعلاًو قولاً و امراً. زيرا آنچه از عباد قبل ظاهر شد از اين عباد بعد بعينه ظاهر و هويدا گشت. مثلاً اگر شاخسار گلی در مشرق ارض باشد و در مغرب هم از شاخه ديگر، آن گل ظاهر شود اطلاق گل بر او می شود. ديگر در اين مقام نظر به حدودات شاخه و هيئت آن نيست بلکه نظر به رائحه و عطری است که در هر دو ظاهر است.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Therefore, those who in every subsequent Dispensation preceded the rest of mankind in embracing the Faith of God, who quaffed the clear waters of knowledge at the hand of the divine Beauty, and attained the loftiest summits of faith and certitude, these can be regarded, in name, in reality, in deeds, in words, and in rank, as the “return” of those who in a former Dispensation had achieved similar distinctions. For whatsoever the people of a former Dispensation have manifested, the same hath been shown by the people of this latter generation. Consider the rose: whether it blossometh in the East or in the West, it is none the less a rose. For what mattereth in this respect is not the outward shape and form of the rose, but rather the smell and fragrance which it doth impart.

Translation Notes

يافتند
yáftnd y-ʾ-f

literal: find; to find; found

SE rendered هر (hr)ظهور (ẓhúr)انفسی (infsí)سبقت (sbqt)يافتند (yáftnd)ايمان (iymán)از (iz)الارض (ar-rḍ) as “every, Dispensation, those, preceded, the Faith, of, mankind”

نوشيدند
núshídnd n-w-sh

literal: drink; to drink; write

SE rendered زلال (zlál)معرفت (mʿrft)از (iz)جمال (jmál)احديّت (iḥdídt)نوشيدند (núshídnd)اعلی (iʿlí)معارج (mʿárj)ايمان (iymán)ايقان (iyqán) as “clear waters, knowledge, at the hand of, Beauty, divine, loftiest, summits, faith, certitude”

drunk 50% quaffed 25% drank 25%
انقطاع
inqṭáʿ q-ṭ-ʿ

literal: detachment; detached

SE rendered اعلی (iʿlí)معارج (mʿárj)ايمان (iymán)ايقان (iyqán)انقطاع (inqṭáʿ)ارتفاع (irtfáʿ)جستند (jstnd)حکم (ḥkm)رجوع (rjúʿ)انفس (infs) as “loftiest, summits, faith, certitude, attained, can be regarded, “return”, those”

جستند
jstnd j-s-t

literal: sought

SE rendered ايمان (iymán)ايقان (iyqán)انقطاع (inqṭáʿ)ارتفاع (irtfáʿ)جستند (jstnd)حکم (ḥkm)رجوع (rjúʿ)انفس (infs)ظهور (ẓhúr) as “faith, certitude, attained, can be regarded, “return”, those, Dispensation”

بر
br b-r-r “by”

literal: on; on, upon; upon

SE rendered مراتب (mrátb)فائز (fáʾz)شدهاند (shdhánd)بر (br)اصحاب (iṣḥáb)ظهور (ẓhúr)می (mí)اسماً (ismáan) as “similar distinctions, achieved, had, by, Dispensation, in name”

land 33% upon 11% piety 11% unto 11% pious 6% righteousness 6% beseech 6% good 6% against 6% indignities 6%
اصحاب
iṣḥáb ṣ-ḥ-b

literal: companions; companion

SE rendered مراتب (mrátb)فائز (fáʾz)شدهاند (shdhánd)بر (br)اصحاب (iṣḥáb)ظهور (ẓhúr)می (mí)اسماً (ismáan)رسماً (rsmáan) as “similar distinctions, achieved, had, by, Dispensation, in name, in reality”

می
m-y-y

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

SE rendered شدهاند (shdhánd)بر (br)اصحاب (iṣḥáb)ظهور (ẓhúr)می (mí)اسماً (ismáan)رسماً (rsmáan)فعلاًو (fʿláanú)قولاً (qúláan) as “had, by, Dispensation, in name, in reality, in deeds, in words”

3 occurrences in corpus

زيرا
zírá z-y-r “for”

literal: under

SE rendered رسماً (rsmáan)فعلاًو (fʿláanú)قولاً (qúláan)امراً (imráan)زيرا (zírá)آنچه (ánchh)از (iz)عباد (ʿbád)ظاهر (ẓáhr)از (iz) as “in reality, in deeds, in words, in rank, For, whatsoever, of, people, manifested”

inasmuch 71% beneath 14% under 14%
هويدا
húydá h-w-y

literal: desire; passion; evident

SE rendered از (iz)عباد (ʿbád)بعينه (bʿính)ظاهر (ẓáhr)هويدا (húydá)گشت (gsht)مثلاً (mthláan)شاخسار (shákhsár)گلی (glí) as “of, people, the same, shown, hath been, Consider, rose”

desire 32% selfish 14% passion 14% desires 8% manifest 8% essence 8% corrupt 5% divine 5% heat 3% evil 3%
شاخسار
shákhsár sh-ʾ-kh

literal: branch; branch-bearing

SE rendered ظاهر (ẓáhr)هويدا (húydá)گشت (gsht)مثلاً (mthláan)شاخسار (shákhsár)گلی (glí)مشرق (mshrq)ارض (irḍ)باشد (báshd) as “shown, hath been, Consider, rose, East”

5 occurrences in corpus

ارض

literal: earth; land; earth, land

SE rendered مثلاً (mthláan)شاخسار (shákhsár)گلی (glí)مشرق (mshrq)ارض (irḍ)باشد (báshd)مغرب (mghrb)از (iz) as “Consider, rose, East, West, of”

earth 68% land 14% world 7% soil 2% city 2% holy 1% upon 1% peoples 1% all 1% mankind 1%
ديگر،
dígr، d-g-r

literal: other; other, another; other/another

SE rendered مغرب (mghrb)از (iz)شاخه (shákhh)ديگر، (dígr،)گل (gl)ظاهر (ẓáhr)اطلاق (iṭláq)گل (gl)بر (br) as “West, of, rose, blossometh”

another 44% other 16% different 16% again 6% else 6% hand 3% furthermore 3% passage 3% once 3%
اطلاق
iṭláq ṭ-l-q

literal: application

SE rendered از (iz)شاخه (shákhh)ديگر، (dígr،)گل (gl)ظاهر (ẓáhr)اطلاق (iṭláq)گل (gl)بر (br)می (mí)ديگر (dígr) as “of, rose, blossometh”

حدودات
ḥdúdát ḥ-d-d

literal: limit; limited; limits

SE rendered ديگر (dígr)مقام (mqám)نظر (nẓr)حدودات (ḥdúdát)شاخه (shákhh)هيئت (híʾt)نيست (níst)بلکه (blkh)نظر (nẓr) as “respect, rather the, form, is not, but”

هيئت

literal: committee

4 occurrences in corpus

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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