IBefore You Read
Around the years 1857 and 1858, along the banks of the Tigris River flowing through the ancient city of Baghdad, an exiled prisoner who had recently returned from two years of solitary retreat in the mountains of Kurdistan walked in quiet contemplation and uttered a series of brief, crystalline aphorisms in Arabic and Persian. Setting aside legal technicalities and scholastic disputation, every passage opened with an intimate call addressed directly to the human soul: O Son of Spirit!, O Son of Man!, O Son of Being! The slender volume born from those walks beside the Tigris bears the title Kalimát-i-Maknúnih, known across the English-speaking world as The Hidden Words and treasured at the heart of the Bahá'í Faith.
Within the vast corpus of more than one hundred volumes and tablets revealed by Bahá'u'lláh, if the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is the central book of laws (where the Short Obligatory Prayer and the Medium Obligatory Prayer are prescribed) and the Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude) is the doctrinal cornerstone explaining progressive revelation, The Hidden Words was described by Shoghi Effendi as a marvelous collection of gem-like utterances and the supreme ethical-mystical work of Bahá'u'lláh's Baghdad period. In the opening Arabic preamble, the Author Himself defines the book's nature: it is the inner essence of what was sent down in past ages unto the Prophets of old, now distilled to its pure jewels and clothed in the garment of brevity (qamīṣ al-ikhtiṣār) so that humanity may fulfill the covenant of God within its own soul.
In literary form, The Hidden Words renews and transforms the Near Eastern genre of the Ḥadīth Qudsī (Sacred Saying) and classical wisdom literature: the Divine Voice speaks directly in the first person (I, My, We) in intimate dialogue with the human spirit in the second person (thou, thee). Though many aphorisms contain scarcely fifteen to twenty Arabic words, each opens a profound spiritual paradox: the human being is at once poor before God's grace and created rich as the crystal lamp housing God's own flame; God's love is the stronghold in which humanity finds shelter, and in the very next breath, the human heart itself is declared to be God's stronghold.
This monograph presents the fully vocalized Arabic text, international Latin transliteration, and parallel English and Vietnamese translations of the superscription, the opening preamble, the first eleven Arabic aphorisms, and the closing Arabic postscript. Subsequent sections examine the classical Arabic roots, compare Shoghi Effendi's translation methodology with the Vietnamese community edition, and trace the historical background of the Book of Fátimih tradition.
According to Shoghi Effendi's historical narrative God Passes By and Adib Taherzadeh's documentary study (The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 1), the genesis of The Hidden Words belongs to the spiritual regeneration of the Bábí community following the tragic upheavals in Persia in 1852. After four months of imprisonment in the subterranean dungeon of the Síyáh-Chál in Tehran and His banishment to Baghdad in early 1853, Bahá'u'lláh withdrew from 1854 to 1856 into the mountains of Sulaymáníyyih in Kurdistan, living incognito as a dervish to allow internal strife within the community to subside. Upon returning to Baghdad in 1856, several years before His formal declaration in the Garden of Riḍván in 1863, He revived the moral and spiritual life of His companions through two twin mystical masterpieces: The Seven Valleys (Haft Vádí) and The Hidden Words (Kalimát-i-Maknúnih).
Historical witnesses record that Bahá'u'lláh often chanted verses of The Hidden Words while pacing beside the Euphrates and the Tigris, and the earliest manuscripts were transcribed on loose leaves by His amanuensis Mírzá Áqá Ján. The completed work is divided into two sections: the First Part in Arabic comprising 71 aphorisms framed by an Arabic preamble and postscript, and the Second Part in Persian comprising 82 aphorisms. In His tablets to believers, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá urged Bahá'ís to read and ponder The Hidden Words every morning and every night, praying for grace to live out their counsels in daily conduct rather than merely reciting them with the tongue.
Regarding its title, when the work first circulated in Baghdad it was known as the Mushaf-i-Fátimih (the Book of Fátimih). In Shí'ah Islamic tradition, believers held that after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad, His daughter Fátimih was consoled in her grief by the angel Gabriel, who spoke words of comfort that her husband Imám ‘Alí recorded in a secret book destined to reappear with the Promised One. In His final major work, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá'u'lláh explicitly stated that He had renamed the work Kalimát-i-Maknúnih (The Hidden Words) and identified it with the spiritual fulfillment of that ancient promise.
IIOriginal Arabic Text: Preamble, Opening Eleven Aphorisms and Postscript
The four-column table below presents the complete opening and closing frame of the Arabic Part together with its first eleven aphorisms (Arabic 1 to 11). These eleven passages form a unified spiritual arc moving from a Pure Heart (Aphorism 1) and Independent Justice (Aphorism 2), through the Mystery of Creation out of Love (Aphorisms 3 to 6), Self-Renunciation (Aphorisms 7 and 8), and the Reciprocal Stronghold between God and Humanity (Aphorisms 9 and 10), culminating in the image of the Divine Lamp within the Human Niche (Aphorism 11). The English column provides a close literal rendering by the library to illuminate the Arabic syntax, while Shoghi Effendi's classic literary translation is examined side by side in the comparative table immediately following.
| Verse | Original Arabic | Transliteration | English | Vietnamese |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | هُوَ الْبَهِيُّ الْأَبْهَى | Huwa'l-Bahiyyu'l-Abhā | [Superscription] He is the Glorious, the Most Glorious. | [Đề dẫn] Ngài là Đấng Vinh Quang, Đấng Vinh Quang Tối Thượng. |
| 2 | هٰذَا مَا نُزِّلَ مِنْ مَلَكُوتِ الْعِزِّ بِلِسَانِ الْقُدْرَةِ وَالْقُوَّةِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ. | Hādhā mā nuzzila min malakūti'l-ʿizzi bi-lisāni'l-qudrati wa'l-quwwati ʿalā'n-nabiyyīna min qablu. | [Preamble - Part 1] This is that which was sent down from the realm of majesty, uttered in the tongue of power and might, unto the Prophets of old. | [Tiền ngôn - Phần 1] Đây là những gì đã được truyền xuống từ vương quốc uy nghiêm bằng ngôn ngữ của quyền năng và sức mạnh cho các đấng Tiên tri thuở trước. |
| 3 | وَإِنَّا أَخَذْنَا جَوَاهِرَهُ وَأَقْمَصْنَاهَا قَمِيصَ الِاخْتِصَارِ فَضْلًا عَلَى الْأَحْبَارِ لِيُوفُوا بِعَهْدِ اللّٰهِ وَيُؤَدُّوا أَمَانَاتِهِ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلِيَكُونُنَّ بِجَوْهَرِ التُّقَى فِي أَرْضِ الرُّوحِ مِنَ الْفَائِزِينَ. | Wa-innā akhadhnā jawāhirahu wa-aqmaṣnāhā qamīṣa'l-ikhtiṣāri faḍlan ʿalā'l-aḥbāri li-yūfū bi-ʿahdi'llāhi wa-yuʾaddū amānātihi fī anfusihim wa-li-yakūnunna bi-jawhari't-tuqā fī arḍi'r-rūḥi mina'l-fāʾizīna. | [Preamble - Part 2] And verily, We have taken its inner jewels and clothed them in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous and learned, that they may fulfill the Covenant of God, discharge His trusts within their own selves, and through the essence of piety become of those who triumph in the land of the spirit. | [Tiền ngôn - Phần 2] Và quả thật, Ta đã rút lấy những viên ngọc cốt tủy của nó rồi khoác cho chúng tấm áo ngắn gọn, như một ân huệ ban xuống những người hiền lương, để họ giữ trọn giao ước của Thượng Đế, làm tròn tín thác của Ngài ngay trong bản thân mình, và nhờ tinh chất của lòng kính cẩn thanh sạch mà trở thành những người đắc thắng trên mảnh đất của tinh thần. |
| 4 | يَا ابْنَ الرُّوحِ! فِي أَوَّلِ الْقَوْلِ امْلِكْ قَلْبًا جَيِّدًا حَسَنًا مُنِيرًا لِتَمْلِكَ مُلْكًا دَائِمًا بَاقِيًا أَزَلًا قَدِيمًا. | Yā Ibna'r-Rūḥ! Fī awwali'l-qawli imlik qalban jayyidan ḥasanan munīran li-tamlika mulkan dāʾiman bāqiyan azalan qadīman. | [Arabic 1] O Son of Spirit! In the very first word: possess a pure, kindly, and radiant heart, that thou mayest possess a sovereignty continuous, enduring, eternal, and ancient. | [Câu 1 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Tinh thần! Ngay ở lời đầu tiên của Ta: hãy làm chủ một trái tim thuần khiết, tốt lành và tỏa sáng, để con được làm chủ một vương quốc trường tồn, bất diệt, vô thủy và cổ xưa. |
| 5 | يَا ابْنَ الرُّوحِ! أَحَبُّ الْأَشْيَاءِ عِنْدِي الْإِنْصَافُ. لَا تَرْغَبْ عَنْهُ إِنْ تَكُنْ إِلَيَّ رَاغِبًا وَلَا تَغْفُلْ مِنْهُ لِتَكُونَ لِي أَمِينًا وَأَنْتَ تُوَفَّقُ بِذٰلِكَ أَنْ تُشَاهِدَ الْأَشْيَاءَ بِعَيْنِكَ لَا بِعَيْنِ الْعِبَادِ وَتَعْرِفَهَا بِمَعْرِفَتِكَ لَا بِمَعْرِفَةِ أَحَدٍ فِي الْبِلَادِ. فَكِّرْ فِي ذٰلِكَ كَيْفَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَكُونَ. ذٰلِكَ مِنْ عَطِيَّتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعِنَايَتِي لَكَ فَاجْعَلْهُ أَمَامَ عَيْنَيْكَ. | Yā Ibna'r-Rūḥ! Aḥabbu'l-ashyāʾi ʿindī al-Inṣāfu. Lā targhab ʿanhu in takun ilayya rāghiban wa-lā taghful minhu li-takūna lī amīnan wa-anta tuwaffaqu bi-dhālika an tushāhida'l-ashyāʾa bi-ʿaynika lā bi-ʿayni'l-ʿibādi wa-taʿrifahā bi-maʿrifatika lā bi-maʿrifati aḥadin fī'l-bilādi. Fakkir fī dhālika kayfa yanbaghī an takūna. Dhālika min ʿaṭiyyatī ʿalayka wa-ʿināyatī laka fa-jʿalhu amāma ʿaynayka. | [Arabic 2] O Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice and Fairness (al-Inṣāf). Turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not, that thou mayest be trustworthy unto Me. By its aid thou shalt be enabled to behold all things with thine own eyes and not with the eyes of the servants, and to know them through thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of anyone in the land. Ponder this in thy heart, how it behooveth thee to be. This is of My bounty upon thee and My loving providence unto thee; keep it therefore ever before thine eyes. | [Câu 2 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Tinh thần! Điều được yêu quý nhất trong muôn sự trước mắt Ta là sự Công Bằng (al-Inṣāf). Đừng quay lưng khỏi nó nếu con thật lòng khao khát hướng về Ta, và đừng sao lãng nó để con trở thành người tín cẩn của Ta. Nhờ có sự công bằng ấy, con sẽ đủ sức nhìn ngắm vạn vật bằng chính đôi mắt của con chứ không phải bằng đôi mắt của người đời, và nhận biết chúng bằng chính tri thức của con chứ không phải bằng tri thức của bất kỳ ai trong xứ sở. Hãy suy ngẫm về điều đó xem con cần phải sống như thế nào. Đó là món quà Ta ban xuống cho con và là sự quan phòng của Ta dành cho con; vậy hãy luôn đặt nó ngay trước đôi mắt mình. |
| 6 | يَا ابْنَ الْإِنْسَانِ! كُنْتُ فِي قِدَمِ ذَاتِي وَأَزَلِيَّةِ كَيْنُونَتِي فَعَرَفْتُ حُبِّي فِيكَ لِذٰلِكَ خَلَقْتُكَ وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مِثَالِي وَأَظْهَرْتُ لَكَ جَمَالِي. | Yā Ibna'l-Insān! Kuntu fī qidami dhātī wa-azaliyyati kaynūnatī fa-ʿaraftu ḥubbī fīka li-dhālika khalaqtuka wa-alqaytu ʿalayka mithālī wa-aẓhartu laka jamālī. | [Arabic 3] O Son of Man! I was in the ancientness of My Essence and the eternity of My Being, and I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, cast upon thee Mine image, and manifested unto thee My beauty. | [Câu 3 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Loài người! Ẩn mình trong bản thể cổ xưa vô thủy và trong sự hiện hữu vĩnh cửu của Ta, Ta đã biết tới tình yêu của Ta dành cho con; bởi thế Ta đã tạo dựng nên con, khắc ghi lên con hình ảnh của Ta và biểu lộ cho con vẻ đẹp của Ta. |
| 7 | يَا ابْنَ الْإِنْسَانِ! أَحْبَبْتُ خَلْقَكَ فَلِذٰلِكَ خَلَقْتُكَ فَأَحْبِبْنِي كَيْ أَذْكُرَكَ وَفِي رُوحِ الْحَيَاةِ أُثَبِّتَكَ. | Yā Ibna'l-Insān! Aḥbabtu khalqaka fa-li-dhālika khalaqtuka fa-aḥbibnī kay adhkuraka wa-fī rūḥi'l-ḥayāti uthabbitaka. | [Arabic 4] O Son of Man! I loved thy creation, wherefore I created thee. Love Me, therefore, that I may remember thee and establish thee in the spirit of life. | [Câu 4 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Loài người! Ta đã yêu thích việc tạo dựng nên con, vì thế Ta mới tạo ra con. Vậy con hãy yêu kính Ta, để Ta gọi tên tưởng nhớ tới con và làm cho con được vững vàng trong tinh thần của sự sống. |
| 8 | يَا ابْنَ الْوُجُودِ! أَحْبِبْنِي لِأُحِبَّكَ. إِنْ لَمْ تُحِبَّنِي لَنْ أُحِبَّكَ أَبَدًا. فَاعْرِفْ يَا عَبْدُ. | Yā Ibna'l-Wujūd! Aḥbibnī li-uḥibbaka. In lam tuḥibbanī lan uḥibbaka abadan. Fa-ʿrif yā ʿabdu. | [Arabic 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! | [Câu 5 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Hiện hữu! Hãy yêu Ta, để Ta có thể yêu con. Nếu con không yêu Ta, tình yêu của Ta không sao chạm tới con được. Hãy nhận biết điều ấy, hỡi người tôi tớ! |
| 9 | يَا ابْنَ الْوُجُودِ! رِضْوَانُكَ حُبِّي وَجَنَّتُكَ وَصْلِي فَاْدْخُلْ فِيهَا وَلَا تَصْبِرْ. هٰذَا مَا قُدِّرَ لَكَ فِي مَلَكُوتِنَا الْأَعْلَى وَجَبَرُوتِنَا الْأَسْنَى. | Yā Ibna'l-Wujūd! Riḍwānuka ḥubbī wa-jannatuka waṣlī fa-dkhul fīhā wa-lā taṣbir. Hādhā mā quddira laka fī malakūtinā'l-aʿlā wa-jabarūtinā'l-asnā. | [Arabic 6] O Son of Being! Thy Paradise (Riḍwān) is My love, and thy heavenly garden is reunion with Me. Enter therein and tarry not. This is that which hath been destined for thee in Our exalted Kingdom and Our supreme Dominion. | [Câu 6 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Hiện hữu! Vườn địa đàng (Riḍwān) của con chính là tình yêu của Ta; cõi thiên đàng của con chính là sự sum họp với Ta. Vậy hãy bước vào đó ngay, chớ chần chừ! Đó là điều đã được định sẵn cho con nơi vương quốc tối cao và cõi uy linh rạng ngời của Ta. |
| 10 | يَا ابْنَ الْبَشَرِ! إِنْ تُحِبُّ نَفْسِي فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ وَإِنْ تُرِدْ رِضَائِي فَأَغْمِضْ عَنْ رِضَائِكَ لِتَكُونَ فِيَّ فَانِيًا وَأَكُونَ فِيكَ بَاقِيًا. | Yā Ibna'l-Bashar! In tuḥibbu nafsī fa-aʿriḍ ʿan nafsika wa-in turid riḍāʾī fa-aghmiḍ ʿan riḍāʾika li-takūna fiyya fāniyan wa-akūna fīka bāqiyan. | [Arabic 7] O Son of Mortal Humanity! If thou lovest My Self, turn away from thine own self; and if thou seekest My good pleasure, close thine eyes to thine own pleasure, that thou mayest die unto thyself in Me (fānī) and I may abide eternally in thee (bāqī). | [Câu 7 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Phàm nhân! Nếu con yêu bản thể Ta, hãy quay mặt rời bỏ cái tôi của chính con; và nếu con tìm kiếm niềm vui lòng của Ta, hãy nhắm mắt lại trước sự thỏa mãn riêng của con; để con được tiêu tan (fānī) trong Ta và Ta trở thành đấng hằng còn (bāqī) ở trong con. |
| 11 | يَا ابْنَ الرُّوحِ! لَا رَاحَةَ لَكَ إِلَّا بِإِعْرَاضِكَ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ وَإِقْبَالِكَ بِي وَإِنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ فَخْرُكَ بِاسْمِي لَا بِمَا عِنْدَكَ وَاتِّكَالُكَ عَلَى نَفْسِي لَا عَلَى ذَاتِكَ لِأَنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ أُحَبَّ وَحْدِي فَوْقَ كُلِّ مَا كَانَ. | Yā Ibna'r-Rūḥ! Lā rāḥata laka illā bi-iʿrāḍika ʿan nafsika wa-iqbālika bī wa-innahu yanbaghī an yakūna fakhruka bi-smī lā bi-mā ʿindaka wa-ttikāluka ʿalā nafsī lā ʿalā dhātika li-annī uḥibbu an uḥabba waḥdī fawqa kulli mā kāna. | [Arabic 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 and not in what thou possessest, and to put thy trust in My Self and not in thine own essence, since I desire to be loved alone and above all that is. | [Câu 8 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Tinh thần! Sẽ không có sự bình an nào cho con ngoại trừ khi con buông bỏ cái tôi của mình và quay trọn về phía Ta; bởi lẽ niềm tự hào của con phải đặt ở Danh Ta chứ không phải ở những gì con sở hữu, và chỗ cậy trông của con phải đặt nơi Ta chứ không phải nơi bản thân con, vì Ta muốn được yêu kính một mình Ta vượt lên trên tất cả mọi sự từng hiện hữu. |
| 12 | يَا ابْنَ الْوُجُودِ! حُبِّي حِصْنِي مَنْ دَخَلَ فِيهِ نَجَا وَآمَنَ وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ غَوَى وَهَلَكَ. | Yā Ibna'l-Wujūd! Ḥubbī ḥiṣnī man dakhala fīhi najā wa-āmana wa-man aʿraḍa ghawā wa-halaka. | [Arabic 9] O Son of Being! My love is My stronghold; he that entereth therein is saved and secure, and he that turneth away strayeth and perisheth. | [Câu 9 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Hiện hữu! Tình yêu của Ta là pháo đài kiên cố của Ta; ai bước vào trong đó sẽ được giải thoát và bình an, còn ai quay mặt bước đi sẽ lạc lối và hư mất. |
| 13 | يَا ابْنَ الْبَيَانِ! أَنْتَ حِصْنِي فَاْدْخُلْ فِيهِ لِتَكُونَ سَالِمًا. حُبِّي فِيكَ فَاعْرِفْهُ مِنْكَ لِتَجِدَنِي قَرِيبًا. | Yā Ibna'l-Bayān! Anta ḥiṣnī fa-dkhul fīhi li-takūna sāliman. Ḥubbī fīka fa-ʿrifhu minka li-tajidanī qarīban. | [Arabic 10] O Son of Utterance! Thou art My stronghold; enter therein that thou mayest abide in safety. My love is in thee; know it within thyself, that thou mayest find Me near unto thee. | [Câu 10 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Lời Mặc Khải! Chính con là pháo đài của Ta; hãy bước vào trong đó để con được an toàn vẹn nguyên. Tình yêu của Ta đang ở sẵn trong con; hãy nhận ra nó ngay từ nơi con để con thấy Ta ở thật gần. |
| 14 | يَا ابْنَ الْوُجُودِ! مِشْكَاتِي أَنْتَ وَمِصْبَاحِي فِيكَ فَاسْتَنِرْ بِهِ وَلَا تَبْغِ غَيْرِي لِأَنِّي خَلَقْتُكَ غَنِيًّا وَجَعَلْتُ الْفَضْلَ عَلَيْكَ مُنْهَمِرًا. | Yā Ibna'l-Wujūd! Mishkātī anta wa-miṣbāḥī fīka fa-stanir bihi wa-lā tabghi ghayrī li-annī khalaqtuka ghaniyyan wa-jaʿaltu'l-faḍla ʿalayka munhamiran. | [Arabic 11] O Son of Being! Thou art My lamp-niche (mishkāt) and My light (miṣbāḥ) is in thee. Get thou light therefrom and seek none other than Me, for I have created thee rich and have shed My favor abundantly upon thee. | [Câu 11 Ả Rập] Hỡi Con của Hiện hữu! Con là hốc đèn lồng (mishkāt) của Ta và ngọn đèn (miṣbāḥ) của Ta đang ở bên trong con. Hãy nhận lấy ánh sáng từ ngọn đèn ấy và đừng tìm kiếm ai khác ngoài Ta, bởi Ta đã tạo dựng nên con trong sự giàu có đủ đầy và làm cho hồng ân tuôn đổ dạt dào trên con. |
| 15 | إِنَّ العَرُوسَ البَدِيعَةَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ مَسْتُورَةً خَلْفَ حِجَابِ البَيَانِ قَدْ ظَهَرَتْ بِفَضْلِ اللّٰهِ وَأَلْطَافِهِ كَالشَّمْسِ المُشْرِقَةِ بِجَمَالِ الحَبِيبِ. نَشْهَدُ يَا أَحِبَّائِي بِأَنْ لَيْسَ بَعْدَهَا حَلَاوَةٌ وَلَا يَجِدُ أَحَدٌ دُونَهَا لَذَّةً... فَسَلِّمُوا عَلَيْهَا يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ. | Inna'l-ʿarūsa'l-badīʿata'llatī kānat mastūratan khalfa ḥijābi'l-bayāni qad ẓaharat bi-faḍli'llāhi wa-alṭāfihi ka'sh-shamsi'l-mushriqati bi-jamāli'l-ḥabībi. Nashhadu yā aḥibbāʾī bi-an laysa baʿdahā ḥalāwatun wa-lā yajidu aḥadun dūnahā ladhdhatan... Fa-sallimū ʿalayhā yā ūlī'l-albābi. | [Closing Postscript of the Arabic Part] Verily, the wondrous and mystic Bride, hidden ere this beneath the veil of utterance, hath now, by the grace of God and His manifold favors, been made manifest even as the resplendent sun shining with the beauty of the Beloved. We bear witness, O My friends, that there is no sweetness beyond her, nor shall anyone find delight save in her... Offer unto her, therefore, your salutation of peace, O ye people of understanding! | [Hậu ngôn khép Phần Tiếng Ả Rập] Quả thật, Nàng Tân Nương kỳ diệu và huyền nhiệm, vốn ẩn mình từ thuở trước sau bức màn của lời nói, nay nhờ ân điển và lòng từ ái của Thượng Đế đã xuất hiện rạng ngời như vầng thái dương chiếu tỏa vẻ đẹp của Đấng Yêu Dấu. Hỡi những người bạn yêu dấu của Ta, Ta làm chứng rằng không còn vị ngọt ngào nào vượt qua nàng, và chẳng ai tìm thấy niềm hân hoan nào ngoài nàng... Vậy hãy cất lời chào kính cẩn đón nàng, hỡi những bậc có tấm lòng minh triết! |
Comparative table of the original Arabic, Shoghi Effendi's translation, and the Vietnamese community rendering
Within the Bahá'í tradition, Shoghi Effendi's English translation of The Hidden Words (completed during his ministry as Guardian of the Faith from 1921 to 1957) is revered not as a mechanical word-for-word gloss, but as an inspired literary recreation in elevated King James English that captures both the theological intent and poetic cadence of the original. Because translations into most world languages, including the Vietnamese edition published by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam, were made from Shoghi Effendi's English text, comparing the original Arabic with the English and Vietnamese versions yields valuable insights.
| Passage | Original Arabic wording | Shoghi Effendi's English translation choice | Vietnamese community translation approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preamble (Passages 2 and 3) | Qamīṣ al-ikhtiṣār (قَمِيصَ الِاخْتِصَارِ, literally: the shirt of conciseness) and al-aḥbār (the learned, the pious doctors). | Renders the metaphor smoothly as the garment of brevity and translates al-aḥbār in its wider spiritual sense as the well-favored. | Follows the English closely, rendering the phrase as clothing the essence in a brief garment as a special grace for the virtuous. |
| Arabic 1 (Passage 4) | Imperative verb imlik (possess, rule over) paired with the cognate verb and noun li-tamlika mulkan (that thou mayest possess a kingdom). | Preserves the root play through the famous cadence: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. | Renders imlik as having a pure, benevolent, and radiant heart so as to attain an eternal, imperishable sovereignty. |
| Arabic 2 (Passage 5) | Central noun al-Inṣāf (الْإِنْصَافُ, equity, fairness of mind, impartial judgment, distinct from al-ʿadl, legal justice). | Translates al-Inṣāf as Justice and renders the epistemological clause as seeing by thine own eyes and not by the eyes of others. | Translates Justice as fairness and equity, keeping the direct contrast between one's own eyes and the eyes of others. |
| Arabic 3, 7, 10 (Passages 6, 10, 13) | Four distinct Arabic vocatives: Ibna'r-Rūḥ (Son of Spirit), Ibna'l-Insān (Son of Humanity), Ibna'l-Bashar (Son of Mortal Flesh), and Ibna'l-Bayān (Son of Utterance). | Renders both Ibna'l-Insān (Arabic 3, 4) and Ibna'l-Bashar (Arabic 7) with the unified biblical vocative O Son of Man!, and translates Ibna'l-Bayān as O Son of Utterance! | Follows Shoghi Effendi's unified vocative for Arabic 3, 4, and 7, and renders Arabic 10 as Son of the Spoken Word. |
| Arabic 5 (Passage 8) | Second clause in the first person: In lam tuḥibbanī lan uḥibbaka abadan (Literally: If thou lovest Me not, I shall never love thee). | To prevent the misreading that God ceases to love His creation, Shoghi Effendi translates according to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's mirror explanation: My love can in no wise reach thee. | Adopts Shoghi Effendi's explanatory rendering: if you do not love Me, My love cannot reach you. |
IIIIn-Depth Commentary on Each Aphorism and Philosophical Terms
The ten commentary entries below examine the classical Arabic roots, Near Eastern mystical motifs, and modern Bahá'í educational principles embedded in each passage.
The opening invocation Huwa'l-Bahiyyu'l-Abhā places the entire work under the triliteral Arabic root b-h-ā (Bahá, meaning Glory, Splendor, Radiant Light): al-Bahiyy is the Glorious One, and al-Abhā is the elative superlative (the Most Glorious). The preamble then states a foundational principle of Bahá'í theology regarding Progressive Revelation: the spiritual truth sent down unto all the Prophets of the past (Abraham, Moses, Krishna, the Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, Muhammad) shares one eternal core of inner jewels (jawāhir). In the new age, Bahá'u'lláh extracts those changeless ethical gems from transient historical forms and clothes them in the garment of brevity (qamīṣ al-ikhtiṣār), enabling the reader to focus directly on inner transformation.
The very first aphorism of the book establishes the prerequisite of all spiritual life. Its classical Arabic rhetoric is exquisitely balanced: the imperative verb imlik (possess, master) governs three adjectives describing the heart: jayyidan (pure, of finest unalloyed quality like pure gold), ḥasanan (kindly, beauteous in conduct toward others), and munīran (radiant, shedding light). Answering those three qualities of the heart is a sovereignty (mulkan) described by four adjectives of eternity: dāʾiman (perpetual), bāqiyan (imperishable), azalan (without beginning), and qadīman (ancient beyond time).
Why is possessing a pure heart the very first counsel? In Bahá'u'lláh's epistemology, the human heart is like a polished mirror: so long as the mirror is encrusted with the dust of selfishness, envy, and prejudice, even if the sun of truth shines directly upon it, the mirror cannot reflect its light.
Immediately after calling for a pure heart in Aphorism 1, Aphorism 2 names the quality most beloved in the sight of God: al-Inṣāf (الْإِنْصَافُ). Derived from the root n-ṣ-f (to divide fairly in the middle, to stand in equitable balance), inṣāf denotes inner fairness and intellectual honesty. Rather than referring merely to courtroom law, the text itself defines inṣāf as the capacity for the Independent Investigation of Truth: seeing reality with one's own eyes rather than through the borrowed spectacles of the crowd (bi-ʿaynika lā bi-ʿayni'l-ʿibādi), and knowing through one's own understanding rather than blindly following the prejudices of others. Because the Bahá'í Faith has no clergy to interpret truth on behalf of believers, Arabic 2 serves as the charter of individual conscience.
Aphorisms 3 and 4 answer humanity's deepest metaphysical question: Why was the universe created? Scholars of Islamic and Bahá'í mysticism (such as Moojan Momen and Julio Savi) note the direct resonance between Arabic 3 and the famous Sufi Ḥadīth Qudsī: I was a Hidden Treasure; I loved to be known, therefore I created creation that I might be known. Yet Bahá'u'lláh introduces a subtle shift: the motive of creation is not a need within the Divine to be known by others, but rather that within the ancient eternity of His Essence, God perceived His own love for humanity (fa-ʿaraftu ḥubbī fīka), and out of that sheer, unconditioned love He brought humanity into being, engraved His image (mithālī) upon the soul, and revealed His beauty (jamālī).
Aphorism 5 is a celebrated example of Shoghi Effendi's hermeneutical translation method. Taken strictly at the surface level of the Arabic words, lan uḥibbaka abadan means I shall never love thee. Yet Aphorisms 3 and 4 have just established that God's love preceded human existence and never ceases. In Paris Talks, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá explained this exact verse through the analogy of the sun and the mirror: the sun shines constantly upon all things without stint, but if a person turns the mirror face down toward the earth or hides in a dark cave, the sun's rays cannot enter the mirror. Guided by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's authoritative explanation, Shoghi Effendi rendered the clause as My love can in no wise reach thee, faithfully conveying the true doctrinal meaning.
Aphorism 6 redefines the concept of Paradise (Riḍwān and Jannah). Rather than depicting paradise as a purely post-mortem physical garden of reward, the verse declares that true paradise is God's love (ḥubbī) and spiritual reunion with Him (waṣlī). Because paradise is a state of consciousness attainable in the present moment, the verse concludes with an urgent imperative: Fa-dkhul fīhā wa-lā taṣbir (Enter therein and tarry not!).
Aphorisms 7 and 8 employ the classical mystical pair Fanāʾ (evanescence or dying to the ego, written here as the participle fāniyan) and Baqāʾ (abiding permanence in the Divine attributes, written bāqiyan). Notably, in Aphorism 7 alone among these opening verses, the Arabic vocative shifts to Yā Ibna'l-Bashar (O Son of Mortal Flesh; the word bashar denotes outer human skin and physical mortality prone to egoistic desire, in contrast to insān in Aphorisms 3 and 4, which highlights noble human potential). For the eternal life of God to abide within the heart, a person must turn away from the lower self-centered ego (nafsika) and vain attachment to worldly possessions.
Aphorisms 9 and 10 must be read together as two halves of a single seal. In Aphorism 9, God proclaims: My love is My stronghold (Ḥubbī ḥiṣnī); whoever enters therein is safe and secure. The reader naturally asks: where in the vast universe can I find that stronghold so as to enter it? Immediately, Aphorism 10 answers with a breathtaking reversal: Thou art My stronghold; enter therein! (Anta ḥiṣnī fa-dkhul fīhi). Entering the stronghold of God turns out not to be a journey to a distant heaven, but a return into the sanctuary of one's own heart, because My love is in thee; know it within thyself, that thou mayest find Me near unto thee.
Aphorism 11 draws upon two celebrated nouns from the Verse of Light (Āyat an-Nūr, Surah 24:35): Mishkāt (the recessed lamp-niche or lantern glass that shields a flame from the wind) and Miṣbāḥ (the burning lamp itself). The human being is the lamp-niche (Mishkātī anta), and the spirit bearing God's attributes within is the lamp (wa-miṣbāḥī fīka). Rejecting any notion that human beings are born in original depravity or spiritual destitution, the verse affirms: I have created thee rich (khalaqtuka ghaniyyan). That innate wealth consists of the latent spiritual virtues and capacities placed within every human soul at creation.
After completing the 71 aphorisms of the Arabic Part, Bahá'u'lláh seals the section with a brief postscript celebrating the mystic and wondrous Bride (al-ʿArūs al-Badīʿah). In Near Eastern mystical poetics, ultimate inner truth is likened to a peerless bride formerly concealed behind the veils of complex rhetoric and outward ceremony (khalfa ḥijāb al-bayān). Now, through the 71 direct counsels of The Hidden Words, that veil is parted so that people of understanding (ūlī al-albāb) may behold the beauty of holiness face to face.
IVThe Bilingual Arabic and Persian Architecture of The Hidden Words
A question frequently asked by readers picking up The Hidden Words is why, within a single work revealed during the same period beside the Tigris River, Bahá'u'lláh composed the first half in Arabic (71 aphorisms) and the second half in Persian (82 aphorisms).
Scholarship in Bahá'í textual studies points out that this bilingual structure is deeply intentional: it harnesses the distinct genius of the two major literary languages of the Middle East to mirror two complementary dimensions of the human spiritual journey.
The Arabic Part (71 aphorisms) draws upon the compact, root-inflected, and majestic precision of classical Arabic. Its verses are generally shorter and sound the note of an eternal ontological covenant between the Creator and the immortal human spirit (hence its characteristic vocatives: O Son of Spirit!, O Son of Being!, O Son of Man!).
By contrast, the Persian Part (82 aphorisms) employs the lyrical, garden-rich imagery of classical Persian mysticism, filled with metaphors of roses, nightingales, dust, travelers, and royal courts. Its passages are often longer and address the psychological struggles of human beings navigating a transient material world of wealth, pride, heedlessness, and mortality (opening with vocatives such as O Son of Dust!, O Bondslave of the World!, O Offspring of Dust!, O My Friend in Word!). Together, the Arabic Part establishes the vertical axis between God and the soul, while the Persian Part illuminates the horizontal axis of moral conduct in the world.
| Feature | Part One: From the Arabic | Part Two: From the Persian |
|---|---|---|
| Number and framing | 71 aphorisms, framed by an opening Arabic Preamble and a closing Arabic Postscript. | 82 aphorisms, opening with the invocation In the Name of the Lord of Utterance, the Mighty and closing with a note on spiritual receptivity. |
| Characteristic vocatives | O Son of Spirit! (23 times), O Son of Man! (26 times), O Son of Being! (19 times), O Son of Utterance! | O Son of Dust!, O Fleeting Shadow!, O Weed that Springeth out of Dust!, O Ye That Pride Yourselves on Mortal Riches! |
| Primary themes | The primordial covenant, purity of heart, independent justice, creative love, immortality of the soul, and inner self-sufficiency. | Transience of material wealth, warnings against clerical pride and hypocrisy, fidelity to the Beloved, and social ethics. |
| Literary style | Terse, aphoristic, syntactically symmetrical, direct metaphysical proclamation. | Rich in natural imagery (rose gardens, nightingales, streams, lamps, shadows), lyrical and meditative. |
VThe Role of The Hidden Words in Bahá'í Devotional Life and Community Education
Within Bahá'í Devotional and Community Life as well as the consultation ethos of the Bahá'í Administrative Order, The Hidden Words is not a closed liturgical volume reserved for formal ceremonies, but the first scripture memorized in childhood and a daily companion across all stages of life.
Following the counsel of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, many Bahá'ís read and reflect upon one or more passages of The Hidden Words every morning after obligatory prayer and every evening before sleep, using its counsels for daily self-examination.
In the global Ruhi Institute curriculum (Book 1, Reflections on the Life of the Spirit, and Book 3 for children's classes), Arabic Aphorisms 1 and 2 are among the very first passages memorized and set to music by children, youth, and study circle participants.
At the start of every Bahá'í month (every nineteen days in the Badí' calendar), local communities gather for the Nineteen Day Feast consisting of devotional, administrative, and social portions. Passages from The Hidden Words are frequently chanted or read in the devotional portion to cultivate a pure heart and impartial justice (Arabic 1 and 2) before community consultation begins.
Because of their jewel-like brevity, aphorisms from The Hidden Words are the most popular texts for classical Arabic and Persian calligraphy as well as choral works and folk songs across hundreds of cultures.
VICommon Misunderstandings
Because of the condensed and mystical style of The Hidden Words, first-time readers sometimes encounter the five misunderstandings clarified below.
The word Maknúnih (Hidden, Treasured) does not mean secret doctrines withheld from ordinary believers. It refers to eternal spiritual truths formerly veiled beneath lengthy historical traditions and now revealed openly in brief form for all humanity.
In classical Arabic and Persian, the construct Ibn al-... (Son of...) is an idiomatic expression denoting affiliation with a realm or quality (such as a child of the Spirit or a child of Being) and applies with complete equality to both women and men.
No. As ‘Abdu'l-Bahá explained and Shoghi Effendi translated (My love can in no wise reach thee), God's love pours forth constantly like the rays of the sun, but when the human heart turns away, it blocks itself from receiving that ever-present grace.
The Bahá'í Faith explicitly forbids monastic seclusion and bodily mortification. Turning away from one's self (iʿrāḍ ʿan nafsika) in Aphorisms 7 and 8 means overcoming egoism, greed, and self-importance while living an active, service-oriented life in society.
In Arabic 2, the original word is al-Inṣāf (fairness, equity), which the verse itself defines as seeing all things with one's own eyes rather than through the eyes of others. Its primary meaning here is intellectual honesty and independent investigation of truth.
?Quick Questions
When and where was The Hidden Words (Kalimát-i-Maknúnih) revealed
The Hidden Words was revealed by Bahá'u'lláh around 1857 to 1858 while He walked along the banks of the Tigris River in Baghdad (present-day Iraq) during His exile from Persia. Initially known as the Book of Fátimih (Mushaf-i-Fátimih), it was subsequently titled Kalimát-i-Maknúnih (The Hidden Words) by Bahá'u'lláh Himself.
How many aphorisms are in The Hidden Words and in what languages were they written
The complete book consists of 153 short spiritual aphorisms divided into two parts: Part One in Arabic contains 71 aphorisms (framed by an Arabic preamble and postscript), and Part Two in Persian contains 82 aphorisms.
What is the first counsel given in Arabic Aphorism 1 of The Hidden Words
Arabic Aphorism 1 opens with the call: 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. It establishes inner purity of heart as the foundation of all spiritual attainment.
Why does Arabic Aphorism 2 declare Justice to be the best beloved of all things
In Arabic 2, Justice (al-Inṣāf in the Arabic original) is defined as the spiritual faculty that enables a human being to see reality with one's own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and to know through one's own understanding rather than following collective prejudice. It is the scriptural basis for the Bahá'í principle of the independent investigation of truth.
What does the garment of brevity mean in the opening preamble of The Hidden Words
In the opening preamble, Bahá'u'lláh states that He has taken the inner essence of what was revealed unto the Prophets of old and clothed it in the garment of brevity (qamīṣ al-ikhtiṣār), distilling the eternal moral truths of all past religions into concise aphorisms that can be held in the heart and practiced daily.
What is the significance of Shoghi Effendi's English translation of The Hidden Words
Shoghi Effendi's translation, first published in 1923 and finalized in 1954, is regarded throughout the Bahá'í world as the authoritative English rendering, combining doctrinal precision with elevated classical cadence, and serving as the basis for translations into hundreds of other languages.