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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §196

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 196 of 291.

Source (Persian)

اگر شنيده شود از مظاهر جامعه: "إنّی اَنَا اللّه "، حقّ است و ريبی در آن نيست. چنانچه به کرّات مبرهن شد که به ظهور و صفات و اسمای ايشان ظهوراللّه و اسم اللّه و صفة اللّه در ارض ظاهر. اين است که می فرمايد: "وَ مَا رَمَيْتَ إذ رَمَيْتَ وَلکِنَّ اللّهَ رَمَی. " و همچنين " إنَّ الَّذينَ يُبَايِعُونَکَ إنّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللّهَ. " و اگر نغمه إنّی رسول اللّه برآرند، اين نيز صحيح است و شکّی در آن نه. چنانچه می فرمايد: "مَا کَانَ مُحمّدٌ اَبَا اَحَدٍ مِنْ رِجالِکُمْ وَلکِنْ رَسولَ اللّهِ. " و در اين مقام همه مرسل اند از نزد آن سلطان حقيقی و کينونت ازلی. و اگر جميع ندای اَنَا خاتَمُ النَّبيّين بر آرند آن هم حقّ است و شبهه را راهی نه و سبيلی نه زيرا که جميع حکم يک ذات و يک نفس و يک روح و يک جسد و يک امر دارند و همه مظهر بدئيّت و ختميّت و اوّليّت و آخريّت و ظاهريّت و باطنيّت آن روح الارواح حقيقی و ساذج السّواذج ازلی اند. و همچنين اگر بفرمايند: "نَحْنُ عِبادُ اللّه"، اين نيز ثابت و ظاهر است. چنانچه به ظاهر در منتهی رتبه عبوديّت ظاهر شدهاند، احدی را يارای آن نه که به آن نحو از عبوديّت در امکان ظاهر شود. اين است که از آن جواهر وجود در مقام استغراق در بحار قدس صمدی و ارتقاء به معارج معانی سلطان حقيقی، اذکار ربوبيّه و الوهيّه ظاهر شد. اگر درست ملاحظه شود در همين رتبه منتهای نيستی و فنا در خود مشاهده نمودهاند در مقابل هستی مطلق و بقای صرف، که گويا خود را معدوم صرف دانستهاند و ذکر خود را در آن ساحت شرک شمردهاند. زيرا که مطلق ذکر در اين مقام دليل هستی و وجود است و اين نزد واصلان بس خطا، چه جای آنکه ذکر غير شود و قلب و لسان و دل و جان به غير ذکر جانان مشغول گردد و يا چشم، غير جمال او ملاحظه نمايد و يا گوش، غير نغمه او شنود و يا رجل در غير سبيل او مشی نمايد.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: “I am God!” He verily speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation of God, His name and His attributes, are made manifest in the world. Thus, He hath revealed: “Those shafts were God’s, not Thine!” And also He saith: “In truth, they who plighted fealty unto thee, really plighted that fealty unto God.” And were any of them to voice the utterance: “I am the Messenger of God,” He also speaketh the truth, the indubitable truth. Even as He saith: “Muḥammad is not the father of any man among you, but He is the Messenger of God.” Viewed in this light, they are all but Messengers of that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence. And were they all to proclaim: “I am the Seal of the Prophets,” they verily utter but the truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one revelation. They are all the manifestation of the “Beginning” and the “End,” the “First” and the “Last,” the “Seen” and “Hidden”—all of which pertain to Him Who is the innermost Spirit of Spirits and eternal Essence of Essences. And were they to say: “We are the servants of God,” this also is a manifest and indisputable fact. For they have been made manifest in the uttermost state of servitude, a servitude the like of which no man can possibly attain. Thus in moments in which these Essences of being were deeply immersed beneath the oceans of ancient and everlasting holiness, or when they soared to the loftiest summits of divine mysteries, they claimed their utterance to be the Voice of divinity, the Call of God Himself. Were the eye of discernment to be opened, it would recognize that in this very state, they have considered themselves utterly effaced and non-existent in the face of Him Who is the All-Pervading, the Incorruptible. Methinks, they have regarded themselves as utter nothingness, and deemed their mention in that Court an act of blasphemy. For the slightest whispering of self, within such a Court, is an evidence of self-assertion and independent existence. In the eyes of them that have attained unto that Court, such a suggestion is itself a grievous transgression. How much more grievous would it be, were aught else to be mentioned in that Presence, were man’s heart, his tongue, his mind, or his soul, to be busied with anyone but the Well-Beloved, were his eyes to behold any countenance other than His beauty, were his ear to be inclined to any melody but His voice, and were his feet to tread any way but His way.

Translation Notes

کرّات
krrát k-r-r → “no”

literal: repeated; repeatedly

SE rendered ريبی (ríbí), نيست (níst), چنانچه (chnánchh), کرّات (krrát), مبرهن (mbrhn), ظهور (ẓhúr), صفات (ṣfát) as “He, the, truth, no, doubt, it, repeatedly demonstrated”

time 36% repeatedly 21% once 14% often 7% have 7% again 7% latter 7%
إنّمَا
ʾinnmá n-m-ʾ

literal: do; make; show

SE rendered يُبَايِعُونَکَ (yubáyiʿúnak), إنّمَا (ʾinnmá), يُبَايِعُونَ (yubáyiʿún), اللّهَ (al-lh) as “plighted, God”

suffer 18% strive 18% thou 12% consider 12% endeavour 12% do 6% set 6% hath 6% gird 6% have 6%
برآرند،
brárnd، b-r-ʾ-y → “he”

literal: raise-up

1 occurrence in corpus

صحيح
ṣḥíḥ ṣ-ḥ-ḥ

literal: correct; correct/true

SE rendered رسول (rsúl), اللّه (al-lh), برآرند، (brárnd،), نيز (níz), صحيح (ṣḥíḥ), شکّی (shkkí), نه (nh), چنانچه (chnánchh) as “Messenger, God,”, He, also, Even as”

whole 33% correct 33% truth 33%
شکّی
shkkí sh-k-k

literal: doubt; doubting; uncertainty

SE rendered برآرند، (brárnd،), نيز (níz), صحيح (ṣḥíḥ), شکّی (shkkí), نه (nh), چنانچه (chnánchh), می (mí), فرمايد (frmáyd) as “He, also, Even as, saith”

آرند
árnd ʾ-w-r

literal: bring; to bring; bring-out/gather

SE rendered خاتَمُ (khátam), النَّبيّين (an-nabíbín), بر (br), آرند (árnd), حقّ (ḥqq), شبهه (shbhh), راهی (ráhí) as “Seal, the Prophets,”, truth, shadow, way”

refuse 11% raised 11% would 11% produce 11% give 11% believed 11% breathe 11% hath 11% gather 11%
حکم
ḥkm ḥ-k-m

literal: wisdom; judgment

SE rendered سبيلی (sbílí), نه (nh), زيرا (zírá), جميع (jmíʿ), حکم (ḥkm), يک (yk), ذات (dhát), يک (yk), نفس (nfs), يک (yk), روح (rúḥ), يک (yk) as “doubt, For, they, one, person, soul, spirit”

ساذج
sádhj s-dh-j

literal: essences

SE rendered باطنيّت (báṭnínt), روح (rúḥ), الارواح (ar-rúáḥ), حقيقی (ḥqíqí), ساذج (sádhj), السّواذج (as-súádhj), ازلی (izlí), اند (ind), همچنين (hmchnín) as “Hidden, Spirit, of Spirits, truth, eternal, Essence of Essences, were”

ثابت
thábt th-b-t

literal: established; establish; affirmation

SE rendered عِبادُ (ʿibád), اللّه"، (al-lh"،), نيز (níz), ثابت (thábt), ظاهر (ẓáhr), چنانچه (chnánchh), ظاهر (ẓáhr) as “servants, God, also, have been made manifest, For”

شدهاند،
shdhánd، shdn

literal: become; to become

SE rendered منتهی (mnthí), رتبه (rtbh), عبوديّت (ʿbúdídt), ظاهر (ẓáhr), شدهاند، (shdhánd،), احدی (iḥdí), يارای (yáráy), نه (nh) as “the uttermost, state, of servitude, no man”

have 30% had 20% become 10% created 10% has 10% proceeded 10% hath 10%
يارای
yáráy yár

literal: friend; companion; friends

SE rendered عبوديّت (ʿbúdídt), ظاهر (ẓáhr), شدهاند، (shdhánd،), احدی (iḥdí), يارای (yáráy), نه (nh), نحو (nḥú), از (iz), عبوديّت (ʿbúdídt) as “servitude, no man, of”

can 33% could 33% who 33%
نحو
nḥú n-ḥ-w

literal: manner; manner, way; grammar

SE rendered احدی (iḥdí), يارای (yáráy), نه (nh), نحو (nḥú), از (iz), عبوديّت (ʿbúdídt) as “no man, of, servitude”

degree 20% manner 10% state 10% character 10% grammar 10% like 10% after 10% kind 10% universally 10%
صمدی
ṣmdí ṣ-m-d

literal: eternal; eternal, absolute; eternal, everlasting

SE rendered مقام (mqám), استغراق (istghráq), بحار (bḥár), قدس (qds), صمدی (ṣmdí), ارتقاء (irtqáʾ), معارج (mʿárj), معانی (mʿání) as “in moments, in which, oceans, holiness, soared, the loftiest summits, of divine mysteries”

درست
drst d-r-s

literal: school; schools; correct, right, properly

SE rendered ربوبيّه (rbúbíbh), الوهيّه (al-whíhh), ظاهر (ẓáhr), درست (drst), ملاحظه (mláḥẓh), همين (hmín), رتبه (rtbh), منتهای (mntháy) as “Voice, divinity, this very, state, utterly”

schools 43% any 29% school 14% unschooled 14%
مشاهده
msháhdh sh-h-d

literal: witness; observation; witnessed

SE rendered منتهای (mntháy), نيستی (nístí), فنا (fná), مشاهده (msháhdh), نمودهاند (nmúdhánd), مقابل (mqábl), هستی (hstí), مطلق (mṭlq) as “utterly, effaced and non-existent, nothingness, have, in the face, of, All-Pervading”

بقای
bqáy b-q-y

literal: eternity

SE rendered نمودهاند (nmúdhánd), مقابل (mqábl), هستی (hstí), مطلق (mṭlq), بقای (bqáy), صرف، (ṣrf،), گويا (gúyá), معدوم (mʿdúm), صرف (ṣrf) as “have, in the face, of, All-Pervading, utter, Methinks”

معدوم
mʿdúm ʿ-d-m

literal: non-existence; non-existent

SE rendered صرف، (ṣrf،), گويا (gúyá), معدوم (mʿdúm), صرف (ṣrf), دانستهاند (dánsthánd), ذکر (dhkr) as “utter, Methinks, considered, mention”

شمردهاند
shmrdhánd sh-m-r

literal: count; to count

SE rendered ذکر (dhkr), ساحت (sáḥt), شرک (shrk), شمردهاند (shmrdhánd), زيرا (zírá), مطلق (mṭlq), ذکر (dhkr), مقام (mqám) as “whispering, Court, an act of blasphemy, For, the slightest”

regard 19% count 19% unnumbered 13% seize 13% which 6% allow 6% even 6% take 6% accounting 6% hath 6%
بس
bs b-s

literal: very

SE rendered وجود (wjúd), نزد (nzd), واصلان (wáṣlán), بس (bs), خطا، (khṭá،), چه (chh), جای (jáy), آنکه (ánkh), ذکر (dhkr), غير (ghír) as “independent existence, of them, that have attained unto, grievous transgression, He, mentioned, other”

2 occurrences in corpus

جای
jáy j-y-ʾ

literal: come; came; to come

SE rendered نزد (nzd), واصلان (wáṣlán), بس (bs), خطا، (khṭá،), چه (chh), جای (jáy), آنکه (ánkh), ذکر (dhkr), غير (ghír), قلب (qlb), لسان (lsán) as “of them, that have attained unto, grievous transgression, He, mentioned, other, heart, tongue”

again 50% abide 50%
مشغول
mshghúl sh-gh-l

literal: occupied; busy; occupy

SE rendered دل (dl), جان (ján), غير (ghír), ذکر (dhkr), جانان (jánán), مشغول (mshghúl), گردد (grdd), چشم، (chshm،), غير (ghír), جمال (jmál) as “mind, soul, with anyone, but the Well-Beloved, were, eyes, beauty”

busied 31% occupied 24% engaged 7% busy 7% immersed 7% have 5% busying 5% hath 5% strive 5% commune 5%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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