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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §204

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 204 of 291.

Source (Persian)

سبحان اللّه، با اين ادراک چه اعتراضات و تهمت ها که به هياکل علم نا متناهی الهی وارد آورده. فنعم ما قال: متّهم داری کسانی را که حقّ کرد امين مخزن هفتم طبق و يک نفر از اهل بصيرت و دانش و صاحبان علوم و عقول ملتفت اين مزخرفات نشده. با اينکه بر هر صاحب بصيرتی واضح و هويدا است که اين گونه علم ها لم يزل مردود حقّ بوده و هست. و چگونه علومی که مردود است نزد علمای حقيقی، ادراک آن شرط ادراک معارج معراج می شود با اينکه صاحب معراج حرفی از اين علوم محدوده محجوبه حمل نفرموده و قلب منير آن سيّد لولاک از جميع اين اشارات مقدّس و منّزه بوده ؟ چه خوب می گويد: جمله ادراکات بر خرهای لنگ حقّ سوار باد پرّان چون خدنگ واللّه هر کس بخواهد سرّ معراج را ادراک نمايد و يا قطره ای از عرفان اين بحر بنوشد اگر هم اين علوم نزد او باشد يعنی مرآت قلب او از نقوش اين علوم غبار گرفته باشد البتّه بايد پاک و منزّه نمايد تا سرّ اين امر در مرآت قلب او تجلّی نمايد.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Gracious God! Such is the measure of his understanding. And yet, behold what cavils and calumnies he hath heaped upon those Embodiments of God’s infinite knowledge! How well and true is the saying: “Flingest thou thy calumnies unto the face of Them Whom the one true God hath made the Trustees of the treasures of His seventh sphere?” Not one understanding heart or mind, not one among the wise and learned, hath taken notice of these preposterous statements. And yet, how clear and evident it is to every discerning heart that this so-called learning is and hath ever been, rejected by Him Who is the one true God. How can the knowledge of these sciences, which are so contemptible in the eyes of the truly learned, be regarded as essential to the apprehension of the mysteries of the “Mi’ráj,” whilst the Lord of the “Mi’ráj” Himself was never burdened with a single letter of these limited and obscure learnings, and never defiled His radiant heart with any of these fanciful illusions? How truly hath he said: “All human attainment moveth upon a lame ass, whilst Truth, riding upon the wind, darteth across space.” By the righteousness of God! Whoso desireth to fathom the mystery of this “Mi’ráj,” and craveth a drop from this ocean, if the mirror of his heart be already obscured by the dust of these learnings, he must needs cleanse and purify it ere the light of this mystery can be reflected therein.

Translation Notes

چه
chh ch-h

literal: what; what/for; whatsoever, that which

SE rendered سبحان (sbḥán)اللّه، (al-lh،)ادراک (idrák)چه (chh)اعتراضات (iʿtráḍát)تهمت (thmt)ها (há)هياکل (híákl) as “Gracious, God, understanding, cavils, calumnies, face, Embodiments”

what 50% whatsoever 50%
آورده
áwrdh ʾ-w-r

literal: bring; to bring; to_bring

SE rendered هياکل (híákl)علم (ʿlm)نا (ná)متناهی (mtnáhí)الهی (al-hí)وارد (wárd)آورده (áwrdh)فنعم (fnʿm)قال (qál)متّهم (mtthm) as “Embodiments, knowledge, infinite, God’s, heaped, said, “Flingest”

فنعم
fnʿm n-ʿ-m

literal: bounty; favor

SE rendered متناهی (mtnáhí)الهی (al-hí)وارد (wárd)آورده (áwrdh)فنعم (fnʿm)قال (qál)متّهم (mtthm)داری (dárí) as “infinite, God’s, heaped, said, “Flingest, thou”

favor 18% favors 18% bounty 14% how 14% prosperity 9% “yea 9% done 5% delights 5% hidden 5% temporal 5%
از
iz ʾ-z

literal: from

SE rendered امين (imín)مخزن (mkhzn)هفتم (hftm)طبق (ṭbq)يک (yk)نفر (nfr)از (iz)اهل (ihl)بصيرت (bṣírt)دانش (dánsh) as “Trustees, treasures, seventh, sphere?”, one, understanding, discerning, knowledge”

23 occurrences in corpus

اهل
ihl ʾ-h-l

literal: people; people, folk; people/inhabitants

SE rendered امين (imín)مخزن (mkhzn)هفتم (hftm)طبق (ṭbq)يک (yk)نفر (nfr)از (iz)اهل (ihl)بصيرت (bṣírt)دانش (dánsh)صاحبان (ṣáḥbán)علوم (ʿlúm) as “Trustees, treasures, seventh, sphere?”, one, understanding, discerning, knowledge”

اينکه

literal: this; where; these

SE rendered ملتفت (mltft)مزخرفات (mzkhrfát)نشده (nshdh)اينکه (iynkh)بر (br)هر (hr)صاحب (ṣáḥb)بصيرتی (bṣírtí)واضح (wáḍḥ) as “taken notice, preposterous, was, upon, every, heart, clear”

گونه
gúnh g-w-n “such”

literal: kind, type; kind; manner

9 occurrences in corpus

می
m-y-y

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

SE rendered شرط (shrṭ)ادراک (idrák)معارج (mʿárj)معراج (mʿráj)می (mí)اينکه (iynkh)صاحب (ṣáḥb)معراج (mʿráj)حرفی (ḥrfí) as “essential, “Mi’ráj”, Lord, letter”

3 occurrences in corpus

نفرموده
nfrmúdh f-r-m-w-d

literal: to say, command; command; command, say

SE rendered علوم (ʿlúm)محدوده (mḥdúdh)محجوبه (mḥjúbh)حمل (ḥml)نفرموده (nfrmúdh)قلب (qlb)منير (mnír) as “learnings, limited, obscure, burdened, heart, radiant”

saith 33% have 22% summoned 11% said 11% consider 11% hath 11%
سيّد
sísd s-y-d

literal: lord; master/lord

SE rendered حمل (ḥml)نفرموده (nfrmúdh)قلب (qlb)منير (mnír)سيّد (sísd)لولاک (lúlák)از (iz)جميع (jmíʿ) as “burdened, heart, radiant”

siyyid 29% lord 29% prince 14% cynosure 14% “prince 14%
لولاک
lúlák l-w-l-k

literal: if not for thee

SE rendered قلب (qlb)منير (mnír)سيّد (sísd)لولاک (lúlák)از (iz)جميع (jmíʿ)اشارات (ishárát)مقدّس (mqdds) as “heart, radiant”

1 occurrence in corpus

جميع
jmíʿ j-m-ʿ

literal: all; all, entire

SE rendered قلب (qlb)منير (mnír)سيّد (sísd)لولاک (lúlák)از (iz)جميع (jmíʿ)اشارات (ishárát)مقدّس (mqdds) as “heart, radiant”

all 81% every 8% whole 3% each 2% whatsoever 1% one 1% concourse 1% under 1% divers 1% any 1%
جمله
jmlh j-m-l

literal: beauty; totality; beautiful

SE rendered خوب (khúb)می (mí)گويد (gúyd)جمله (jmlh)ادراکات (idrákát)بر (br)خرهای (khrháy)لنگ (lng) as “truly, attainment, upon, lame”

among 38% partially 15% others 8% briefly 8% within 8% while 8% one 8% another 8%
خرهای
khrháy kh-r

literal: donkey, ass

SE rendered ادراکات (idrákát)بر (br)خرهای (khrháy)لنگ (lng) as “attainment, upon, lame”

1 occurrence in corpus

لنگ
lng l-n-g “lame”

literal: lame

1 occurrence in corpus

پرّان
prrán p-r

literal: feather; flying; full

SE rendered حقّ (ḥqq)سوار (súár)باد (bád)پرّان (prrán)چون (chún)خدنگ (khdng)واللّه (wálllh)هر (hr)کس (ks)بخواهد (bkhúáhd) as “Truth, riding, wind, By the righteousness, Whoso, one, desireth”

5 occurrences in corpus

چون
chún ch-w-n

literal: when; as

SE rendered حقّ (ḥqq)سوار (súár)باد (bád)پرّان (prrán)چون (chún)خدنگ (khdng)واللّه (wálllh)هر (hr)کس (ks)بخواهد (bkhúáhd)سرّ (srr) as “Truth, riding, wind, By the righteousness, Whoso, one, desireth, mystery”

“when 20% inasmuch 20% soon 20% “inasmuch 20% even 20%
خدنگ
khdng kh-d-n-g

literal: arrow (darteth across space)

SE rendered حقّ (ḥqq)سوار (súár)باد (bád)پرّان (prrán)چون (chún)خدنگ (khdng)واللّه (wálllh)هر (hr)کس (ks)بخواهد (bkhúáhd)سرّ (srr)معراج (mʿráj) as “Truth, riding, wind, By the righteousness, Whoso, one, desireth, mystery, “Mi’ráj,””

1 occurrence in corpus

عرفان
ʿrfán ʿ-r-f

literal: knowledge; know; knower

SE rendered ادراک (idrák)نمايد (nmáyd)قطره (qṭrh)از (iz)عرفان (ʿrfán)بحر (bḥr)بنوشد (bnúshd)علوم (ʿlúm) as “fathom, hath, drop, ocean, learnings”

بنوشد
bnúshd n-w-sh

literal: drink; to drink; write

SE rendered قطره (qṭrh)از (iz)عرفان (ʿrfán)بحر (bḥr)بنوشد (bnúshd)علوم (ʿlúm)نزد (nzd) as “drop, ocean, learnings”

have 22% drink 17% drunk 17% quaffed 11% hath 6% wrote 6% communications 6% writings 6% refused 6% let 6%
باشد
báshd b-w-d

literal: be; is; to be

SE rendered علوم (ʿlúm)نزد (nzd)باشد (báshd)يعنی (yʿní)مرآت (mrát)قلب (qlb)از (iz)نقوش (nqúsh) as “learnings, mirror, heart”

may 20% self 10% dwelling 10% interpreted 10% true 10% regarded 10% should 10% sincerely 10% required 10%
يعنی
yʿní ʿ-n-y

literal: meaning

SE rendered علوم (ʿlúm)نزد (nzd)باشد (báshd)يعنی (yʿní)مرآت (mrát)قلب (qlb)از (iz)نقوش (nqúsh) as “learnings, mirror, heart”

who 40% meant 40% meaneth 20%
نقوش
nqúsh n-q-sh

literal: painter; painting; engraving/inscription

SE rendered باشد (báshd)يعنی (yʿní)مرآت (mrát)قلب (qlb)از (iz)نقوش (nqúsh)علوم (ʿlúm)غبار (ghbár)گرفته (grfth) as “mirror, heart, dust, obscured”

seal 20% painter 20% painting 20% trace 20% limitations 20%
البتّه
al-btth b-t-t

literal: certainly; certainly, definitely

SE rendered علوم (ʿlúm)غبار (ghbár)گرفته (grfth)باشد (báshd)البتّه (al-btth)بايد (báyd)پاک (pák)منزّه (mnzzh)نمايد (nmáyd)سرّ (srr) as “dust, obscured, must, cleanse, purify, hath, mystery”

امر
imr ʾ-m-r

literal: command; matter; cause

SE rendered پاک (pák)منزّه (mnzzh)نمايد (nmáyd)سرّ (srr)امر (imr)مرآت (mrát)قلب (qlb)تجلّی (tjllí)نمايد (nmáyd) as “cleanse, purify, hath, mystery, behold, heart, reflected”

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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