''The Hidden Words'' (, , ) is a book written by

Baháʼu'lláh Baháʼu'lláh (, born Ḥusayn-ʻAlí; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892) was an Iranian religious leader who founded the Baháʼí Faith. He was born to an aristocratic family in Iran and was exiled due to his adherence to the messianic Báb ...

, the founder of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

, around 1858. He composed it while walking along the banks of the Tigris river during his exile in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. The book is written partly in Arabic and partly in Persian. ''The Hidden Words'' is written in the form of a collection of 153 short

aphorisms An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...

, 71 in Arabic and 82 in Persian, in which Baháʼu'lláh says he has taken the basic essence of certain spiritual truths and written them in brief form.

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian: , ;, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás (, ), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, who designated him to be his successor and head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 un ...

, Baháʼu'lláh's son and the authorized interpreter of his teachings, advised Baháʼís to read them every day and every night and to implement their latent wisdom into their daily lives. He also said that ''The Hidden Words'' is "a treasury of divine mysteries" and that when one ponders its contents, "the doors of the mysteries will open".

History

There is a Shiʻa

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

tradition called " Mushaf of Fatimah" (), which speaks of

Fatimah Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and ...

upon the passing of her father,

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. There are several versions of this tradition, but common to all are that the angel Gabriel appeared to her and consoled her by telling her things that she wrote in a book. According to one tradition they were prophesies. The book, if ever physical, did not survive, and was seen to be something that the

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

would reveal in the last days. Baháʼís believe that ''The Hidden Words'' was revealed by Baháʼu'lláh in fulfillment of this tradition. Baháʼu'lláh originally named the book '' The Book of Fatimah'' (), though he later referred to it in its modern appellation. This aspect of fulfillment corresponds with the Baháʼí beliefs that end times prophesies of all the world's religions are to be interpreted mystically and metaphorically. This puts the Baháʼí understanding of what Gabriel revealed to Fatimah somewhat at odds with the Shiʻa traditions. According to Jonah Winters, there have been more translations of ''The Hidden Words'' than of any other Bahá'í text. It was first translated in 1894, meaning it was one of the first books of Bahá'í scripture to be translated into English. The current official translation by

Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; ;1896 or 1897 – 4 November 1957) was Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1922 until his death in 1957. As the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, he was charged with guiding the development of the Baháʼí Faith, in ...

was the result of a process of drafts beginning in 1923 and ending with a final revision in 1954.

Text

The text of ''The Hidden Words'' has 153 passages divided into two sections: one in Arabic and the other in Persian. Each consists of a series of short, numbered passages. The Arabic has 71 passages and the Persian has 82. Each passage begins with an invocation, many of which repeat. Some common invocations include "O Son of Spirit", "O Son of Man", and "O Son of Being". Baháʼí prayers are written in the first person of humanity, so that the reader can feel like they are having a conversation with God. ''The Hidden Words'' are written in the first person of God, so that the reader feels like God is speaking to them.

Introduction

From the Arabic, the following is the introduction written by Baháʼu'lláh: :"HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES :This 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 fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue."

Samples

From the Arabic :1. "O SON OF SPIRIT! :My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. :7. "O SON OF MAN! :If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself; and if thou seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own; that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally live in thee." :49. "O SON OF MAN! :The true lover yearneth for tribulation even as doth the rebel for forgiveness and the sinful for mercy." From the Persian :3. "O FRIEND! :In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly." :12. "O MAN OF TWO VISIONS! :Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved." :27. "O SON OF DUST! :All that is in heaven and earth I have ordained for thee, except the human heart, which I have made the habitation of My beauty and glory; yet thou didst give My home and dwelling to another than Me; and whenever the manifestation of My holiness sought His own abode, a stranger found He there, and, homeless, hastened unto the sanctuary of the Beloved. Notwithstanding I have concealed thy secret and desired not thy shame."

Ending

After the last passage, Baháʼu'lláh wrote: :"The mystic and wondrous Bride, hidden ere this beneath the veiling of utterance, hath now, by the grace of God and His divine favor, been made manifest even as the resplendent light shed by the beauty of the Beloved. I bear witness, O friends! that the favor is complete, the argument fulfilled, the proof manifest and the evidence established. Let it now be seen what your endeavors in the path of detachment will reveal. In this wise hath the divine favor been fully vouchsafed unto you and unto them that are in heaven and on earth. All praise to God, the Lord of all Worlds."

References

External links

''The Hidden Words'' at the official Baháʼí Reference Library

Compendium on ''The Hidden Words''

''The Hidden Words'' in many languages
(bilingual display) * (in Persian and Arabic) {{Authority control Works by Baháʼu'lláh 1857 books 19th-century Persian books