Issuu

Translated by Shoghi E²endi with the assistance of some English friends

EVANSTON, ILLINOIS

Bahá’í Publishing 1233 Central St., Evanston, Illinois 60201 Copyright © 2012 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in China 27 26 25 24

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bahá’u’lláh, 1817–1892. [Kalimat al-maknunah. English] The hidden words / Bahá’u’lláh ; translated by Shoghi Effendi, with the assistance of some English friends. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-61851-018-1 (alk. paper) 1. Bahai Faith—Prayers and devotions. I. Shoghi, Effendi. II. Title. BP362.K313 2012 297.9’3822—dc23 2012021249

Cover design by Andrew Johnson Book design by Patrick Falso

Contents Introduction, vii

The Hidden Words Part I.—From the Arabic, 3 Part II.—From the Persian, 77 Appendix: About Bahá’u’lláh, 165 Index, 173

Introduction The Word of God in every major religion has been delivered to humankind through His great Prophets. Bahá’u’lláh, Whose name means the “Glory of God,” and Whose followers believe Him to be the most recent in the succession of these great Prophets of God, has brought a new revelation for today. His followers, known as Bahá’ís, regard His recorded writings and utterances as holy scripture. During the forty years of Bahá’u’lláh’s ministry (1852–1892)—despite exile from His native land of Iran, bitter religious persecution, and unspeakable physical hardships and su²ering—He delivered an immense and glorious revelation that is unique for its breadth as well as its authenticity. For the ³rst time in history, the words of the Prophet have been recorded as He dictated them, sometimes even in His own hand. Many times the circumstances in which they were revealed were also recorded by His amanuensis or by other companions and followers who were in His presence. vii

Introduction

Among the vast body of scriptures that Bahá’u’lláh has bequeathed to humanity is The Hidden Words, a collection of 153 gem-like aphorisms He revealed in 1858 while meditating and walking the banks of the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq. Composed partly in Arabic and partly in Persian, the book was ³rst translated into English around the beginning of the twentieth century, making it one of the earliest works of Bahá’u’lláh to be made available in the West. It is now one of the best known of Bahá’u’lláh’s many works, having been translated into many other languages and distributed virtually all over the world. The Hidden Words was originally known to Bahá’ís as the “Hidden Book of Fatimah,” the daughter of the Prophet Mu¥ammad and the holiest, most outstanding woman of Islam. According to the traditions of Shiah Islam, Fatimah was deeply stricken with grief after her father’s death. The traditions hold that the angel Gabriel visited her and whispered inspiring, consoling words to give her spiritual comfort during a time of extreme anguish. Bahá’u’lláh Himself has identi³ed The Hidden Words with the words of consolation that were whispered to Fatimah and characterizes it as “that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by viii

Part I.—From the Arabic

He Is the Glory of Glories his is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may ful³ll in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of divine virtue.

From the Arabic

1. Son of Spirit! My ³rst counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.

The Hidden Words

2. Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may con³de in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

From the Arabic

3. Son of Man! Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.

Part II.—From the Persian

In the Name of the Lord of Utterance, the Mighty.

From the Persian

1. Ye People that Have Minds to Know and Ears to Hear! The ³rst call of the Beloved is this: O mystic nightingale! Abide not but in the rose garden of the spirit. O messenger of the Solomon of love! Seek thou no shelter except in the Sheba of the well-beloved, and O immortal phoenix! dwell not save on the mount of faithfulness. Therein is thy habitation, if on the wings of thy soul thou soarest to the realm of the in³nite and seekest to attain thy goal.

The Hidden Words

2. Son of Spirit! The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the charm of the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with transient dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned towards the slough of heedlessness are bereft of the glory of the divine presence. Alas! How strange and pitiful; for a mere cupful, they have turned away from the billowing seas of the Most High, and remained far from the most e²ulgent horizon.

From the Persian

3. Friend! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of a²ection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly.

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