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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §253

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 253 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و از همه گذشته، علامت صدق و کذب در کتاب معلوم و مقرّر شده. بايد ادّعا و دعاوی کلّ عباد به اين محک الهی زده شود تا صادق را از کاذب تميز دهد. اين است که می فرمايد: "فَتَمَنَّوُا المَوْتَ إنْ کُنتُمْ صَادِقينَ." حال ملاحظه فرمائيد با اين شهدای صادق که نصّ کتاب شاهد بر صدق قول ايشان است، چنانچه ديده ايد که همه جان و مال و زن و فرزند و کلّ ما يملک را انفاق نمودهاند و به اعلی غرف رضوان عروج فرمودند، شهادت اين طلعات عاليه و انفس منقطعه بر تصديق اين امر عالی متعالی مقبول نيست و شهادت اين گروه که برای ذهب از مذهب گذشتهاند و برای جلوس بر صدر از اوّل ما صدر احتراز جستهاند بر بطلان اين نور لائح جائز و مقبول است؟ با اينکه جميع مردم ايشان را شناختهاند و اين قدر ادراک نمودهاند که از ذرهّ ای از اعتبار ظاهری ملکی در سبيل دين الهی نمی گذرند تا چه رسد به جان و مال و غيره.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Furthermore, the sign of truth and falsehood is designated and appointed in the Book. By this divinely-appointed touchstone, the claims and pretensions of all men must needs be assayed, so that the truthful may be known and distinguished from the imposter. This touchstone is no other than this verse: “Wish for death, if ye are men of truth.” Consider these martyrs of unquestionable sincerity, to whose truthfulness testifieth the explicit text of the Book, and all of whom, as thou hast witnessed, have sacrificed their life, their substance, their wives, their children, their all, and ascended unto the loftiest chambers of Paradise. Is it fair to reject the testimony of these detached and exalted beings to the truth of this pre-eminent and glorious Revelation and to regard as acceptable the denunciations which have been uttered against this resplendent Light by this faithless people, who for gold have forsaken their faith, and who for the sake of leadership have repudiated Him Who is the First Leader of all mankind? This, although their character is now revealed unto all people who have recognized them as those who will in no wise relinquish one jot or one tittle of their temporal authority for the sake of God’s holy Faith, how much less their life, their substance, and the like.

Translation Notes

از
iz ʾ-z

literal: from

SE rendered از (iz)همه (hmh)گذشته، (gdhshth،)علامت (ʿlámt)صدق (ṣdq)کذب (kdhb) as “all, sign, and, is”

23 occurrences in corpus

دهد
dhd d-h

literal: give; to give; given

SE rendered صادق (ṣádq)از (iz)کاذب (kádhb)تميز (tmíz)دهد (dhd)می (mí)فرمايد (frmáyd)فَتَمَنَّوُا (fatamannawuá) as “truthful, imposter, distinguished, revealed, “Wish”

می
m-y-y

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

SE rendered کاذب (kádhb)تميز (tmíz)دهد (dhd)می (mí)فرمايد (frmáyd)فَتَمَنَّوُا (fatamannawuá)المَوْتَ (al-mawt) as “imposter, distinguished, revealed, “Wish, death”

3 occurrences in corpus

قول
qúl q-w-l

literal: say; saying

SE rendered صادق (ṣádq)نصّ (nṣṣ)کتاب (ktáb)شاهد (sháhd)بر (br)صدق (ṣdq)قول (qúl)ايشان (iyshán)چنانچه (chnánchh)ديده (dídh) as “sincerity, explicit, text of the Book, truthfulness, testifieth, witnessed”

words 27% saith 22% through 10% word 10% utterance 7% saying 5% speech 5% theme 5% sayings 5% argument 5%
ايشان
iyshán ʾ-y-sh “prophets”

literal: they; they, them; they/them

3 occurrences in corpus

چنانچه
chnánchh ch-n-n

literal: likewise; as; just as

SE rendered صدق (ṣdq)قول (qúl)ايشان (iyshán)چنانچه (chnánchh)ديده (dídh)ايد (iyd)همه (hmh)جان (ján)مال (mál) as “truthfulness, testifieth, witnessed, all of whom, life, substance”

even 50% thus 17% thou 8% truth 8% when 8% since 8%
ايد
iyd ʾ-y-d

literal: may aid

SE rendered ايشان (iyshán)چنانچه (chnánchh)ديده (dídh)ايد (iyd)همه (hmh)جان (ján)مال (mál)زن (zn)فرزند (frznd) as “testifieth, witnessed, all of whom, life, substance, , their, children”

assist 50% may 17% aid 17% “seal.” 17%
يملک
ymlk m-l-k

literal: kingdom; owner; king

SE rendered مال (mál)زن (zn)فرزند (frznd)يملک (ymlk)انفاق (infáq)نمودهاند (nmúdhánd)اعلی (iʿlí) as “substance, , their, children, sacrificed, have, loftiest”

kingdom 27% lord 23% kings 15% king 12% angels 4% most 4% earthly 4% universe 4% earth 4% kingdoms 4%
انفس
infs n-f-s

literal: soul; souls

SE rendered شهادت (shhádt)طلعات (ṭlʿát)عاليه (ʿálíh)انفس (infs)منقطعه (mnqṭʿh)بر (br)تصديق (tṣdíq)امر (imr)عالی (ʿálí) as “testimony, beings, exalted, unquestionable, truth, Revelation, pre-eminent”

بطلان
bṭlán b-ṭ-l

literal: falsehood; false, vain

SE rendered اوّل (iwwl)صدر (ṣdr)احتراز (iḥtráz)جستهاند (jsthánd)بر (br)بطلان (bṭlán)نور (núr)لائح (láʾḥ)جائز (jáʾz) as “First, Leader, repudiated, have, against, Light, resplendent”

جائز
jáʾz j-w-z

literal: permissible

SE rendered جستهاند (jsthánd)بر (br)بطلان (bṭlán)نور (núr)لائح (láʾḥ)جائز (jáʾz)مقبول (mqbúl)اينکه (iynkh)جميع (jmíʿ) as “have, against, Light, resplendent, all”

wise 22% permissible 11% farther.” 11% acceptable 11% given 11% halted 11% fair 11% would 11%
اينکه
iynkh ʾ-y-n “this”

literal: this; where; these

SE rendered نور (núr)لائح (láʾḥ)جائز (jáʾz)مقبول (mqbúl)اينکه (iynkh)جميع (jmíʿ)مردم (mrdm)ايشان (iyshán)شناختهاند (shnákhthánd) as “Light, resplendent, all, people, them, recognized”

قدر
qdr q-d-r

literal: power; powerful

SE rendered مردم (mrdm)ايشان (iyshán)شناختهاند (shnákhthánd)قدر (qdr)ادراک (idrák)نمودهاند (nmúdhánd) as “people, them, recognized, have”

power 23% ordained 18% ordain 17% hath 12% might 8% decreed 6% had 5% do 5% value 4% measure 4%
ادراک
idrák d-r-k

literal: comprehension; perception; perception, understanding

SE rendered ايشان (iyshán)شناختهاند (shnákhthánd)قدر (qdr)ادراک (idrák)نمودهاند (nmúdhánd) as “them, recognized, have”

ذرهّ
dhrhh dh-r-r

literal: atom; atoms

SE rendered قدر (qdr)ادراک (idrák)نمودهاند (nmúdhánd)از (iz)ذرهّ (dhrhh)از (iz)اعتبار (iʿtbár)ظاهری (ẓáhrí)ملکی (mlkí) as “have, authority, temporal”

atom 73% insignificant 7% dust 7% thing 7% mote 7%
ملکی
mlkí m-l-k

literal: kingdom; king; owner

SE rendered اعتبار (iʿtbár)ظاهری (ẓáhrí)ملکی (mlkí)سبيل (sbíl)دين (dín)الهی (al-hí)نمی (nmí)گذرند (gdhrnd) as “authority, temporal, Faith, God’s, relinquish”

سبيل
sbíl s-b-l

literal: path; way; path/way

SE rendered اعتبار (iʿtbár)ظاهری (ẓáhrí)ملکی (mlkí)سبيل (sbíl)دين (dín)الهی (al-hí)نمی (nmí)گذرند (gdhrnd)چه (chh)رسد (rsd) as “authority, temporal, Faith, God’s, relinquish, how much less”

path 72% way 12% straight 3% sake 3% road 2% means 2% state 2% door 2% self 2% path!” 2%
نمی
nmí n-h-y

literal: end; ended; utmost

SE rendered ظاهری (ẓáhrí)ملکی (mlkí)سبيل (sbíl)دين (dín)الهی (al-hí)نمی (nmí)گذرند (gdhrnd)چه (chh)رسد (rsd)جان (ján)مال (mál) as “temporal, Faith, God’s, relinquish, how much less, life, substance”

end 16% forbidden 12% ended 12% infinite 12% highest 12% forbiddeth 8% most 8% utmost 8% last 8% unnumbered 4%
چه
chh ch-h

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

SE rendered سبيل (sbíl)دين (dín)الهی (al-hí)نمی (nmí)گذرند (gdhrnd)چه (chh)رسد (rsd)جان (ján)مال (mál)غيره (ghírh) as “Faith, God’s, relinquish, how much less, life, substance, and the like”

what 50% whatsoever 50%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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