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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §66

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 66 of 291.

Source (Persian)

و قوله : "حينَئِذٍ تَظهَرُ عَلامَةُ ابنِ الإنسانِ فِی السَّماء." می فرمايد: بعد از کسوف شمس معارف الهيّه و سقوط نجوم احکام مثبته و خسوف قمر علم که مربّی عباد است و انعدام اعلام هدايت و فلاح و ظلمت صبح صدق و صلاح، ظاهر می شود علامت ابن الانسان در آسمان. و مقصود از سماء، سماء ظاهره است که قريب ظهور آن فَلَک سماوات معدلت و جريان فُلک هدايت بر بحر عظمت، در آسمان نجمی بر حسب ظاهر پيدا می شود که مبشّر است خلق سماوات را به ظهور آن نيّر اعظم. و همچنين در آسمان معنی نجمی ظاهر می شود که مبشّر است اهل ارض را به آن فجر اقوم اکرم. و اين دو علامت در سماء ظاهره و سماء باطنه قبل از ظهور هر نبيّ ظاهر گشته چنانچه شنيدهاند.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

And now, concerning His words: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” By these words it is meant that when the sun of the heavenly teachings hath been eclipsed, the stars of the divinely-established laws have fallen, and the moon of true knowledge—the educator of mankind—hath been obscured; when the standards of guidance and felicity have been reversed, and the morn of truth and righteousness hath sunk in night, then shall the sign of the Son of man appear in heaven. By “heaven” is meant the visible heaven, inasmuch as when the hour draweth nigh on which the Day-star of the heaven of justice shall be made manifest, and the Ark of divine guidance shall sail upon the sea of glory, a star will appear in the heaven, heralding unto its people the advent of that most great light. In like manner, in the invisible heaven a star shall be made manifest who, unto the peoples of the earth, shall act as a harbinger of the break of that true and exalted Morn. These twofold signs, in the visible and the invisible heaven, have announced the Revelation of each of the Prophets of God, as is commonly believed.

Translation Notes

می
m-y-y

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

SE rendered ابنِ (ibn)الإنسانِ (an-nsán)السَّماء (as-samáʾ)می (mí)فرمايد (frmáyd)از (iz)کسوف (ksúf)شمس (shms)معارف (mʿárf) as “Son, man, heaven.”, eclipsed, sun, teachings”

3 occurrences in corpus

فرمايد
frmáyd f-r-m

literal: say; says

SE rendered الإنسانِ (an-nsán)السَّماء (as-samáʾ)می (mí)فرمايد (frmáyd)از (iz)کسوف (ksúf)شمس (shms)معارف (mʿárf)الهيّه (al-híhh) as “man, heaven.”, eclipsed, sun, teachings, heavenly”

saith 42% said 15% revealed 14% hath 11% spoken 4% recorded 4% may 3% conferreth 3% say 3% referred 3%
از
iz ʾ-z

literal: from

SE rendered السَّماء (as-samáʾ)می (mí)فرمايد (frmáyd)از (iz)کسوف (ksúf)شمس (shms)معارف (mʿárf)الهيّه (al-híhh)سقوط (sqúṭ) as “heaven.”, eclipsed, sun, teachings, heavenly, fallen”

23 occurrences in corpus

خسوف
khsúf kh-s-f “disruption” Distinctive

literal: sinking/collapsing; lunar-eclipse; eclipse, sink

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

disruption 33% obscured 33% hath 33%
عباد
ʿbád ʿ-b-d

literal: servants; servant; servant/slave

SE rendered مثبته (mthbth)خسوف (khsúf)قمر (qmr)علم (ʿlm)مربّی (mrbbí)عباد (ʿbád)انعدام (inʿdám)اعلام (iʿlám)هدايت (hdáyt) as “divinely-established, obscured, moon, knowledge—the, educator, reversed, standards, guidance”

servants 34% men 30% people 21% man 3% all 3% peoples 3% unto 2% who 2% serve 2% mankind 2%
فلاح
fláḥ f-l-ḥ “husbandman” Distinctive

literal: success; successful; farmers

This form usually rendered as “felicity” (2 occurrences)

husbandman 25% true 25% blest 25% felicity 25%
حسب
ḥsb ḥ-s-b

literal: according to; according

SE rendered بر (br)بحر (bḥr)عظمت، (ʿẓmt،)آسمان (ásmán)نجمی (njmí)بر (br)حسب (ḥsb)ظاهر (ẓáhr)پيدا (pídá)می (mí)مبشّر (mbshshr) as “upon, sea, glory, heaven, star, appear, heralding”

پيدا
pídá p-y-d “measure” Distinctive

literal: appearance

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

measure 50% appear 50%
دو
d-w

literal: two

SE rendered فجر (fjr)اقوم (iqúm)اکرم (ikrm)دو (dú)علامت (ʿlámt)سماء (smáʾ)ظاهره (ẓáhrh)سماء (smáʾ)باطنه (báṭnh) as “break, true, exalted, signs, heaven, visible, invisible”

two 89% twofold 11%
شنيدهاند
shnídhánd sh-n-w

literal: hear; to hear; heard

SE rendered ظهور (ẓhúr)هر (hr)نبيّ (nbíb)ظاهر (ẓáhr)گشته (gshth)چنانچه (chnánchh)شنيدهاند (shnídhánd) as “Revelation, each, Prophets, announced, have been, as is commonly believed”

heard 33% uttered 17% had 17% thou 17% have 17%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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