THE HIDDEN WORDS
Part I.--From
the Arabic
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.
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.
2. O SON OF SPIRIT!
The best
beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou
desirest
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Me, and neglect it not that I may confide 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.
3. O 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.
4. O SON OF MAN!
I loved thy
creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy
name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.
5. O SON OF BEING!
Love Me, that I
may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know
this, O servant.
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6. O SON OF
BEING!
Thy Paradise is My love; thy heavenly home,
reunion with Me. Enter therein and tarry not. This is that which hath been
destined for thee in Our kingdom above and Our exalted dominion.
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.
8. O SON OF
SPIRIT!
There is no peace for thee save by renouncing
thyself and turning unto Me; for it behooveth thee to glory in My name, not in
thine own; to put thy trust in Me and not in thyself, since I desire to be loved
alone and above all that is.
9. O SON OF
BEING!
My love is My stronghold; he that entereth therein
is safe and secure, and he that turneth away shall surely stray and
perish.
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10. O SON OF
UTTERANCE!
Thou art My stronghold; enter therein that
thou mayest abide in safety. My love is in thee, know it, that thou mayest find
Me near unto thee.
11. O SON OF
BEING!
Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee. Get thou
from it thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich
and have bountifully shed My favor upon thee.
12. O SON OF BEING!
With the hands
of power I made thee and with the fingers of strength I created thee; and within
thee have I placed the essence of My light. Be thou content with it and seek
naught else, for My work is perfect and My command is binding. Question it not,
nor have a doubt thereof.
13. O SON OF
SPIRIT!
I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself
down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith
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dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee
being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of
love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto
thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and
self-subsisting.
14. O SON OF
MAN!
Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not;
wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never
be extinguished; why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My glory
fadeth not; thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn. Abide then in
thy love for Me, that thou mayest find Me in the realm of glory.
15. O SON OF UTTERANCE!
Turn thy
face unto Mine and renounce all save Me; for My sovereignty endureth and My
dominion perisheth not. If thou seekest another than Me, yea, if thou searchest
the universe for evermore, thy quest will be in vain.
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16. O SON OF
LIGHT!
Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit.
This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto
it.
17. O SON OF
MAN!
Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper.
For none but Me can ever suffice thee.
18. O
SON OF SPIRIT!
Ask not of Me that which We desire not for
thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that
which profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content
thyself.
19. O SON OF THE WONDROUS
VISION!
I have breathed within thee a breath of My own
Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a
beloved other than Me?
20. O SON OF
SPIRIT!
My claim on thee is great, it cannot be
forgotten. My grace to thee is plenteous, it cannot be veiled. My love has made
in thee its home,
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it cannot be concealed. My light is manifest to thee, it cannot be
obscured.
21. O SON OF
MAN!
Upon the tree of effulgent glory I have hung for
thee the choicest fruits, wherefore hast thou turned away and contented thyself
with that which is less good? Return then unto that which is better for thee in
the realm on high.
22. O SON OF
SPIRIT!
Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased
thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created.
23. O SON OF THE SUPREME!
To the
eternal I call thee, yet thou dost seek that which perisheth. What hath made
thee turn away from Our desire and seek thine own?
24. O SON OF MAN!
Transgress not thy
limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the
countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power.
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25. O SON OF
SPIRIT!
Vaunt not thyself over the poor, for I lead him
on his way and behold thee in thy evil plight and confound thee for
evermore.
26. O SON OF
BEING!
How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy
thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of
Me.
27. O SON OF
MAN!
Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art
thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou
be, and to this I bear witness.
28. O SON OF
SPIRIT!
Know thou of a truth: He that biddeth men be just
and himself committeth iniquity is not of Me, even though he bear My
name.
29. O SON OF
BEING!
Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst
not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not. This is My
command unto thee, do thou observe it.
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30. O SON OF
MAN!
Deny not My servant should he ask anything from
thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me.
31. O SON OF BEING!
Bring thyself
to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded,
shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy
deeds.
32. O SON OF THE
SUPREME!
I have made death a messenger of joy to thee.
Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why
dost thou veil thyself therefrom?
33. O SON
OF SPIRIT!
With the joyful tidings of light I hail thee:
rejoice! To the court of holiness I summon thee; abide therein that thou mayest
live in peace for evermore.
34. O SON OF
SPIRIT!
The spirit of holiness beareth unto thee the
joyful tidings of reunion; wherefore dost thou
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grieve? The spirit of power confirmeth thee in His cause; why dost
thou veil thyself? The light of His countenance doth lead thee; how canst thou
go astray?
35. O SON OF
MAN!
Sorrow not save that thou art far from Us. Rejoice
not save that thou art drawing near and returning unto Us.
36. O SON OF MAN!
Rejoice in the
gladness of thine heart, that thou mayest be worthy to meet Me and to mirror
forth My beauty.
37. O SON OF
MAN!
Divest not thyself of My beauteous robe, and forfeit
not thy portion from My wondrous fountain, lest thou shouldst thirst for
evermore.
38. O SON OF
BEING!
Walk in My statutes for love of Me and deny
thyself that which thou desirest if thou seekest My pleasure.
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39. O SON OF
MAN!
Neglect not My commandments if thou lovest My
beauty, and forget not My counsels if thou wouldst attain My good
pleasure.
40. O SON OF
MAN!
Wert thou to speed through the immensity of space
and traverse the expanse of heaven, yet thou wouldst find no rest save in
submission to Our command and humbleness before Our Face.
41. O SON OF MAN!
Magnify My cause
that I may reveal unto thee the mysteries of My greatness and shine upon thee
with the light of eternity.
42. O SON OF
MAN!
Humble thyself before Me, that I may graciously
visit thee. Arise for the triumph of My cause, that while yet on earth thou
mayest obtain the victory.
43. O SON OF
BEING!
Make mention of Me on My earth, that in My heaven
I may remember thee, thus shall Mine eyes and thine be solaced.
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44. O SON OF THE
THRONE!
Thy hearing is My hearing, hear thou therewith.
Thy sight is My sight, do thou see therewith, that in thine inmost soul thou
mayest testify unto My exalted sanctity, and I within Myself may bear witness
unto an exalted station for thee.
45. O SON
OF BEING!
Seek a martyr's death in My path, content with
My pleasure and thankful for that which I ordain, that thou mayest repose with
Me beneath the canopy of majesty behind the tabernacle of glory.
46. O SON OF MAN!
Ponder and
reflect. Is it thy wish to die upon thy bed, or to shed thy life-blood on the
dust, a martyr in My path, and so become the manifestation of My command and the
revealer of My light in the highest paradise? Judge thou aright, O
servant!
47. O SON OF
MAN!
By My beauty! To tinge thy hair with thy blood is
greater in My sight than the creation of the
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universe and the light of both worlds. Strive then to attain this,
O servant!
48. O SON OF
MAN!
For everything there is a sign. The sign of love is
fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.
49. O SON OF MAN!
The true lover
yearneth for tribulation even as doth the rebel for forgiveness and the sinful
for mercy.
50. O SON OF
MAN!
If adversity befall thee not in My path, how canst
thou walk in the ways of them that are content with My pleasure? If trials
afflict thee not in thy longing to meet Me, how wilt thou attain the light in
thy love for My beauty?
51. O SON OF
MAN!
My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire
and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy. Hasten thereunto that thou
mayest become an eternal light and an immortal spirit. This is My command unto
thee, do thou observe it.
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52. O SON OF
MAN!
Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and
should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no
more.
53. O SON OF
BEING!
If poverty overtake thee, be not sad; for in time
the Lord of wealth shall visit thee. Fear not abasement, for glory shall one day
rest on thee.
54. O SON OF
BEING!
If thine heart be set upon this eternal,
imperishable dominion, and this ancient, everlasting life, forsake this mortal
and fleeting sovereignty.
55. O SON OF
BEING!
Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We
test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.
56. O SON OF MAN!
Thou dost wish
for gold and I desire thy freedom from it. Thou thinkest thyself rich in its
possession, and I recognize thy wealth in thy sanctity
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therefrom. By My life! This is My knowledge, and that is thy fancy;
how can My way accord with thine?
57. O SON
OF MAN!
Bestow My wealth upon My poor, that in heaven
thou mayest draw from stores of unfading splendor and treasures of imperishable
glory. But by My life! To offer up thy soul is a more glorious thing couldst
thou but see with Mine eye.
58. O SON OF
MAN!
The temple of being is My throne; cleanse it of all
things, that there I may be established and there I may
abide.
59. O SON OF
BEING!
Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent.
Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My
manifestation.
60. O SON OF
MAN!
Put thy hand into My bosom, that I may rise above
thee, radiant and resplendent.
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61. O SON OF
MAN!
Ascend unto My heaven, that thou mayest obtain the
joy of reunion, and from the chalice of imperishable glory quaff the peerless
wine.
62. O SON OF
MAN!
Many a day hath passed over thee whilst thou hast
busied thyself with thy fancies and idle imaginings. How long art thou to
slumber on thy bed? Lift up thy head from slumber, for the Sun hath risen to the
zenith, haply it may shine upon thee with the light of beauty.
63. O SON OF MAN!
The light hath
shone on thee from the horizon of the sacred Mount and the spirit of
enlightenment hath breathed in the Sinai of thy heart. Wherefore, free thyself
from the veils of idle fancies and enter into My court, that thou mayest be fit
for everlasting life and worthy to meet Me. Thus may death not come upon thee,
neither weariness nor trouble.
64. O SON OF
MAN!
My eternity is My creation, I have created it for
thee. Make it the garment of thy temple. My unity
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is My handiwork; I have wrought it for thee; clothe thyself
therewith, that thou mayest be to all eternity the revelation of My everlasting
being.
65. O SON OF
MAN!
My majesty is My gift to thee, and My grandeur the
token of My mercy unto thee. That which beseemeth Me none shall understand, nor
can anyone recount. Verily, I have preserved it in My hidden storehouses and in
the treasuries of My command, as a sign of My loving-kindness unto My servants
and My mercy unto My people.
66. O CHILDREN
OF THE DIVINE AND INVISIBLE ESSENCE!
Ye shall be hindered
from loving Me and souls shall be perturbed as they make mention of Me. For
minds cannot grasp Me nor hearts contain Me.
67. O SON OF BEAUTY!
By My spirit
and by My favor! By My mercy and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto
thee with the tongue of power, and have written for
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thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy
capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My
voice.
68. O CHILDREN OF
MEN!
Know ye not why We created you all from the same
dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in
your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same
substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same
feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost
being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of
detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of
light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the
tree of wondrous glory.
69. O YE SONS OF
SPIRIT!
Ye are My treasury, for in you I have treasured
the pearls of My mysteries and the gems of My knowledge. Guard them from the
strangers amidst My servants and from the ungodly amongst My
people.
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70. O SON OF HIM THAT STOOD BY HIS OWN
ENTITY IN THE KINGDOM OF HIS SELF!
Know thou, that I have
wafted unto thee all the fragrances of holiness, have fully revealed to thee My
word, have perfected through thee My bounty and have desired for thee that which
I have desired for My Self. Be then content with My pleasure and thankful unto
Me.
71. O SON OF
MAN!
Write all that We have revealed unto thee with the
ink of light upon the tablet of thy spirit. Should this not be in thy power,
then make thine ink of the essence of thy heart. If this thou canst not do, then
write with that crimson ink that hath been shed in My path. Sweeter indeed is
this to Me than all else, that its light may endure for
ever.
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