The Hadith of the Hidden Treasure () is a ''hadith qudsi'' that has a very prominent role in

Islamic mysticism Sufism ( or ) is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are referred to as "Sufis" (from , ), and ...

and

Islamic philosophy Islamic philosophy is philosophy that emerges from the Islamic tradition. Two terms traditionally used in the Islamic world are sometimes translated as philosophy—''falsafa'' (), which refers to philosophy as well as logic, mathematics, and p ...

Different translations

The most cited version of this Hadith in Arabic is: کنت کنزاً مخفیاً فأحببت أن أعرف فخلقت الخلق لکی أعرف It has different translations in English: * I was a hidden treasure; I loved to be known. Hence I created the world so that I would be known * I was a hidden treasure, and I wished to be known, so I created a creation (mankind), then made Myself known to them, and they recognised Me * I was a Treasure unknown then I desired to be known so I created a creation to which I made Myself known; then they knew Me

Sufi cosmology

According to Sufi cosmology, God in Islam, God's reason for the creation of this universe and mankind is the "manifestation" and "recognition" of Himself as it is stated in this hadith.

Ghulat usage

In extreme forms of Shi'a Islam (ghulat), this has been cited as to justify that Ali and Muhammad are the manifestations of Allah.

In the Baháʼí faith

Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Baháʼí Faith, Baháʼí faith, requested his son `Abdu'l-Bahá, who later became his successor, to write a commentary on the hadith of the Hidden Treasure for a Súfí leader named `Alí Shawkat Páshá. In this commentary 'Abdu'l-Bahá discusses the themes "Hidden Treasure", "Love", "Creation", and "Knowledge".

References

External links