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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §46

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 46 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و همچنين از اين بيانات واضحه محکمه متقنه غير متشابه تفطّر سماء را که از علائم ساعت و قيامت است ادراک نما. اين است که می فرمايد: "إذَا السَّمَاءُ انفَطَرَتْ." مقصود سماء اديان است که در هر ظهور مرتفع میشود و به ظهور بعد شکافته می گردد، يعنی باطل و منسوخ می شود.قسم به خدا که اگر درست ملاحظه شود تفطّر اين سماء اعظم است از تفطّر سماء ظاهری. قدری تأمّل فرمائيد. دينی که سال ها مرتفع شده باشد و جميع در ظلّ آن نشو و نما نموده باشند و به احکام مشرقه آن مدّت ها تربيت يافته و از آباء و اجداد جز ذکر آن را نشنيده، به قسمی که چشم ها جز نفوذ امرش را ادراک نکرده و گوش ها جز احکامش را استماع ننموده، بعد نفسی ظاهر شود و جميع اينها را به قوّت و قدرت الهی تفريق نمايد و فصل کند بلکه همه را نفی فرمايد . حال فکر نما که اين اعظم است يا آنچه اين همج رعاع گمان نمودهاند از تفطّر سماء؟

Shoghi Effendi Translation

In like manner, strive thou to comprehend from these lucid, these powerful, conclusive, and unequivocal statements the meaning of the “cleaving of the heaven”—one of the signs that must needs herald the coming of the last Hour, the Day of Resurrection. As He hath said: “When the heaven shall be cloven asunder.” By “heaven” is meant the heaven of divine Revelation, which is elevated with every Manifestation, and rent asunder with every subsequent one. By “cloven asunder” is meant that the former Dispensation is superseded and annulled. I swear by God! That this heaven being cloven asunder is, to the discerning, an act mightier than the cleaving of the skies! Ponder a while. That a divine Revelation which for years hath been securely established; beneath whose shadow all who have embraced it have been reared and nurtured; by the light of whose law generations of men have been disciplined; the excellency of whose word men have heard recounted by their fathers; in such wise that human eye hath beheld naught but the pervading influence of its grace, and mortal ear hath heard naught but the resounding majesty of its command—what act is mightier than that such a Revelation should, by the power of God, be “cloven asunderand be abolished at the appearance of one soul? Reflect, is this a mightier act than that which these abject and foolish men have imagined the “cleaving of the heaven” to mean?

Translation Notes

غير
ghír gh-y-r

literal: other; other than

SE rendered بيانات (bíánát)واضحه (wáḍḥh)محکمه (mḥkmh)متقنه (mtqnh)غير (ghír)متشابه (mtshábh)تفطّر (tfṭṭr)سماء (smáʾ)از (iz) as “statements, lucid, conclusive, powerful, unequivocal, “cleaving, heaven”—one, of”

other 28% without 11% another 11% none 11% any 8% others 8% different 6% unseemly 6% else 6% anyone 6%
می
m-y-y “will”

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

3 occurrences in corpus

شکافته
shkáfth sh-k-f “hath” Distinctive

literal: bloom; split

This form usually rendered as ““cloven” (1 occurrences)

hath 33% “cloven 33% spring 33%
گردد،
grdd، g-r-d

literal: become; to become

SE rendered میشود (míshúd)ظهور (ẓhúr)شکافته (shkáfth)می (mí)گردد، (grdd،)يعنی (yʿní)باطل (báṭl)منسوخ (mnsúkh)می (mí)شود.قسم (shúd.qsm) as “is, Revelation, “cloven asunder”, meant, superseded, annulled, I swear”

may 31% made 13% become 13% end 6% arise 6% set 6% shake 6% station 6% disclosed 6% exert 6%
خدا
khdá kh-d-ʾ “god”

literal: God

3 occurrences in corpus

درست
drst d-r-s

literal: school; schools; teaching

SE rendered منسوخ (mnsúkh)می (mí)شود.قسم (shúd.qsm)خدا (khdá)درست (drst)ملاحظه (mláḥẓh)تفطّر (tfṭṭr)سماء (smáʾ) as “annulled, I swear, God, cloven asunder, heaven”

schools 29% frequented 14% school 14% unschooled 14% any 14% ponder 14%
ملاحظه
mláḥẓh l-ḥ-ẓ

literal: observation; observe; observation, consideration

SE rendered شود.قسم (shúd.qsm)خدا (khdá)درست (drst)ملاحظه (mláḥẓh)تفطّر (tfṭṭr)سماء (smáʾ)اعظم (iʿẓm) as “I swear, God, cloven asunder, heaven, mightier”

ها
w-j-h

literal: face; attention; turning

SE rendered تأمّل (tʾamml)فرمائيد (frmáʾíd)دينی (díní)سال (sál)ها (há)مرتفع (mrtfʿ)باشد (báshd)جميع (jmíʿ)ظلّ (ẓll) as “Ponder, He, Revelation, years, established, being, all, shadow”

face 35% faces 12% countenance 10% set 10% sake 9% turn 8% turning 7% turned 4% setting 3% have 2%
نشو
nshú n-sh-w “reared”

literal: bringing-forth; growth

2 occurrences in corpus

مدّت
mddt m-d-d

literal: period

SE rendered احکام (iḥkám)مشرقه (mshrqh)مدّت (mddt)ها (há)تربيت (trbít)يافته (yáfth)از (iz)آباء (ábáʾ) as “law, light, disciplined, of, fathers”

period 50% remoteness 17% space 17% all 17%
يافته
yáfth y-ʾ-f

literal: found

SE rendered احکام (iḥkám)مشرقه (mshrqh)مدّت (mddt)ها (há)تربيت (trbít)يافته (yáfth)از (iz)آباء (ábáʾ)اجداد (ijdád)جز (jz) as “law, light, disciplined, of, fathers, naught”

found 67% attained 33%
اجداد
ijdád j-d-d

literal: new; renewal; renew

SE rendered تربيت (trbít)يافته (yáfth)از (iz)آباء (ábáʾ)اجداد (ijdád)جز (jz)ذکر (dhkr)نشنيده، (nshnídh،)قسمی (qsmí) as “disciplined, of, fathers, naught, recounted, such wise”

new 57% fresh 11% renew 9% again 4% put 4% renewed 4% present 4% thyself 2% supplant 2% regenerated 2%
ذکر
dhkr dh-k-r

literal: mention; remembrance; mentioned

SE rendered از (iz)آباء (ábáʾ)اجداد (ijdád)جز (jz)ذکر (dhkr)نشنيده، (nshnídh،)قسمی (qsmí)چشم (chshm) as “of, fathers, naught, recounted, such wise, eye”

نفوذ
nfúdh n-f-dh

literal: penetration; penetrating

SE rendered نشنيده، (nshnídh،)قسمی (qsmí)چشم (chshm)ها (há)جز (jz)نفوذ (nfúdh)امرش (imrsh)ادراک (idrák)نکرده (nkrdh)گوش (gúsh) as “recounted, such wise, eye, naught, influence, beheld, hath, ear”

فصل
fṣl f-ṣ-l

literal: separated; separation

SE rendered قوّت (qúqt)قدرت (qdrt)الهی (al-hí)تفريق (tfríq)نمايد (nmáyd)فصل (fṣl)کند (knd)بلکه (blkh)همه (hmh)نفی (nfí) as “power, God, cloven asunder, every, abolished”

separation 17% separated 17% decided 17% hath 17% settled 17% decisive 17%
بلکه
blkh b-l-k

literal: rather/nay

SE rendered الهی (al-hí)تفريق (tfríq)نمايد (nmáyd)فصل (fṣl)کند (knd)بلکه (blkh)همه (hmh)نفی (nfí)فرمايد (frmáyd)حال (ḥál)فکر (fkr) as “God, cloven asunder, every, abolished, Reflect”

nay 71% practised—nay 14% yea 14%
حال
ḥál ḥ-w-l

literal: state; now

SE rendered همه (hmh)نفی (nfí)فرمايد (frmáyd)حال (ḥál)فکر (fkr)نما (nmá)اعظم (iʿẓm) as “every, abolished, Reflect, mightier”

now 57% consider 11% present 8% reflect 5% behold 5% state 4% how 3% today 3% what 3% ponder 3%
آنچه
ánchh ʾ-n

literal: that; indeed; that, to

SE rendered فکر (fkr)نما (nmá)اعظم (iʿẓm)آنچه (ánchh)همج (hmj)رعاع (rʿáʿ)گمان (gmán)نمودهاند (nmúdhánd)از (iz) as “Reflect, mightier, abject, foolish, imagined, have, of”

have 10% behold 10% will 10% such 10% either 10% \‘verily 10% verily 10% truth 10% \‘they 10% although 10%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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50 ¶

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729 ¶

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16 ¶

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858 ¶

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17 ¶

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶