A collection of lyrical, gem-like verses of scripture that convey timeless spiritual wisdom "clothed in the garment of brevity," The Hidden Words is one of the most important and cherished scriptural works of the Baha'i Faith.
"This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory,...revealed unto the prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity..." --Baha'u'llah
"The Hidden Words is a Treasury of Divine Mysteries." --'Abdu'l-Baha
A collection of lyrical, gem-like verses of scripture that convey timeless spiritual wisdom "clothed in the garment of brevity," The Hidden Words is one of the most important and cherished scriptural works of the Baha'i Faith.
Revealed by Baha'u'llah, the founder of the religion, the verses are a perfect guidebook to walking a spiritual path and drawing closer to God. They address themes such as turning to God, humility, detachment, and love, to name but a few. These verses are among Baha'u'llah's earliest and best-known works, having been translated into more than seventy languages and read by millions worldwide. This edition will offer many readers their first introduction to the vast collection of Baha'i scripture.
Persian religious leader Bahaullah, originally Mirza Huseyn Ali, a follower of the Bab, founded the Baha'i in 1863.
Baha'i, the word, signifies a follower of Bahaullah, which means the "splendor of God" in Persian.
Bahá'u'lláh, a member of the great patrician family, endowed with wealth and vast estates, ably traced lineage to the ruling dynasties of imperial past. Bahá'u'lláh turned his back on the position at court, which these advantages offered; people knew his generosity and kindliness, which made him deeply loved among his countrymen.
The religious revolution caused much social upheaval, and Bahá'u'lláh announced support for the message, so his privileged position survived not long. After the execution, authorities unleashed the the waves of violence unleashed upon the Bábis; Bahá'u'lláh, engulfed, suffered the loss of all his worldly endowments, and imprisonment, torture, and a series of banishment subjected him. In the first banishment to Baghdad, he in 1863 announced that God promised his coming as the one divine messenger.
From Baghdad, people sent Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople, to Adrianople, and finally to Acre in the Holy Land, where he arrived as a prisoner in 1868. From Adrianople and later from Acre, Bahá'u'lláh addressed a series of letters among the most remarkable documents in religious history to the rulers of his day. They proclaimed the coming unification of humanity and the emergence of a world civilization. They called upon the monarchs, emperors, and presidents of the 19th century to reconcile their differences, to curtail their armaments, and to devote their energies to the establishment of universal peace.
Bahá'u'lláh passed away at Bahji, just north of Acre, and people buried his body. His teachings already began to spread beyond the confines of the Middle East and brought the world community, focused on the point of his shrine today.