"Have ye thought Me heedless or that I was unaware?"

 

photo by margarete P. 

O REBELLIOUS ONES!

My forbearance hath emboldened you and My long-suffering hath made you negligent, in such wise that ye have spurred on the fiery charger of passion into perilous ways that lead unto destruction. Have ye thought Me heedless or that I was unaware?

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #65 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/028529394

" ... every one of you knoweth his own self better than he knoweth others."

 

photo by Trina Ridvan

O EMIGRANTS!

The tongue I have designed for the mention of Me, defile it not with detraction. If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own faults and not the faults of My creatures, inasmuch as every one of you knoweth his own self better than he knoweth others.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #66 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/062883030

" ... the satanic secrets and deeds done in the gloom of night shall be laid bare and manifest before the peoples of the world."

 

El Jazzar Mosque, Akka © Chuck EGerton 2025

O CHILDREN OF FANCY!

Know, verily, that while the radiant dawn breaketh above the horizon of eternal holiness, the satanic secrets and deeds done in the gloom of night shall be laid bare and manifest before the peoples of the world.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #67 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/807401042

"Far, far are ye from that which ye desire."

© Chuck Egerton 2025

O WEED THAT SPRINGETH OUT OF DUST!

Wherefore have not these soiled hands of thine touched first thine own garment, and why with thine heart defiled with desire and passion dost thou seek to commune with Me and to enter My sacred realm? Far, far are ye from that which ye desire.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #68 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/737972628

"Strive that your deeds may be cleansed from the dust of self and hypocrisy and find favor at the court of glory ..."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2025

O CHILDREN OF ADAM!

Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascend unto the heaven of celestial glory. Strive that your deeds may be cleansed from the dust of self and hypocrisy and find favor at the court of glory; for ere long the assayers of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored One, accept naught but absolute virtue and deeds of stainless purity. This is the daystar of wisdom and of divine mystery that hath shone above the horizon of the divine will. Blessed are they that turn thereunto.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #69 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/810818726

"Shouldst thou attain this station, thou wouldst be freed from destruction and death, from toil and sin."

 

photo by TRina Ridvan

O SON OF WORLDLINESS!

Pleasant is the realm of being, wert thou to attain thereto; glorious is the domain of eternity, shouldst thou pass beyond the world of mortality; sweet is the holy ecstasy if thou drinkest of the mystic chalice from the hands of the celestial Youth. Shouldst thou attain this station, thou wouldst be freed from destruction and death, from toil and sin.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #70 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/400714616

"Call ye to mind that covenant ye have entered into with Me upon Mount Párán ..."

 

O MY FRIENDS!

Call ye to mind that covenant ye have entered into with Me upon Mount Párán, situate within the hallowed precincts of Zamán. I have taken to witness the concourse on high and the dwellers in the city of eternity, yet now none do I find faithful unto the covenant. Of a certainty pride and rebellion have effaced it from the hearts, in such wise that no trace thereof remaineth. Yet knowing this, I waited and disclosed it not.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #71 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/750932930

"Wherefore come forth from the sheath of self and desire ..."

 

O MY SERVANT! 

Thou art even as a finely tempered sword concealed in the darkness of its sheath and its value hidden from the artificer’s knowledge. Wherefore come forth from the sheath of self and desire that thy worth may be made resplendent and manifest unto all the world.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, # 72 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/261142065

" ... let not the defilement of the world eclipse thy splendor."

 

photo by Trina Ridvan

O MY FRIEND!

Thou art the daystar of the heavens of My holiness, let not the defilement of the world eclipse thy splendor. Rend asunder the veil of heedlessness, that from behind the clouds thou mayest emerge resplendent and array all things with the apparel of life.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #73 Persian)

www.bahai.org/r/369559272

"By My beauty! All will I gather beneath the one-colored covering of the dust ..."

 

photo by Trina Ridvan

O CHILDREN OF VAINGLORY!

For a fleeting sovereignty ye have abandoned My imperishable dominion, and have adorned yourselves with the gay livery of the world and made of it your boast. By My beauty! All will I gather beneath the one-colored covering of the dust and efface all these diverse colors save them that choose My own, and that is purging from every color.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #74 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/077330259

"Set not your affections on mortal sovereignty and rejoice not therein."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2025

O CHILDREN OF NEGLIGENCE!

 Ye are even as the unwary bird that with full confidence warbleth upon the bough; till of a sudden the fowler Death throweth it upon the dust, and the melody, the form and the color are gone, leaving not a trace. Wherefore take heed, O bondslaves of desire!

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #75 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/783843342

"Strive then with heart and soul to distinguish yourselves by your deeds."

 

© Chuck egerton 2025

O SON OF MY HANDMAID!

Guidance hath ever been given by words, and now it is given by deeds. Everyone must show forth deeds that are pure and holy, for words are the property of all alike, whereas such deeds as these belong only to Our loved ones. Strive then with heart and soul to distinguish yourselves by your deeds. In this wise We counsel you in this holy and resplendent tablet.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #76 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/358991785

"Thereupon the Maid of heaven hastened forth unveiled and resplendent from Her mystic mansion ..."

 

O SON OF JUSTICE! 

In the night-season the beauty of the immortal Being hath repaired from the emerald height of fidelity unto the Sadratu’l-Muntahá, and wept with such a weeping that the concourse on high and the dwellers of the realms above wailed at His lamenting. Whereupon there was asked, Why the wailing and weeping? He made reply: As bidden I waited expectant upon the hill of faithfulness, yet inhaled not from them that dwell on earth the fragrance of fidelity. Then summoned to return I beheld, and lo! certain doves of holiness were sore tried within the claws of the dogs of earth. Thereupon the Maid of heaven hastened forth unveiled and resplendent from Her mystic mansion, and asked of their names, and all were told but one. And when urged, the first letter thereof was uttered, whereupon the dwellers of the celestial chambers rushed forth out of their habitation of glory. And whilst the second letter was pronounced they fell down, one and all, upon the dust. At that moment a voice was heard from the inmost shrine: “Thus far and no farther.” Verily We bear witness to that which they have done and now are doing.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #77 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/815379093

"Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of the heart, and water them with the waters of certitude ..."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2025

O SON OF MY HANDMAID!

Quaff from the tongue of the merciful the stream of divine mystery, and behold from the dayspring of divine utterance the unveiled splendor of the daystar of wisdom. Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of the heart, and water them with the waters of certitude, that the hyacinths of knowledge and wisdom may spring up fresh and green from the holy city of the heart.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #79 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/733813371

"The comb, too, have I given thee that thou mayest dress My raven locks, and not lacerate My throat."

 

O SON OF DESIRE! 

How long wilt thou soar in the realms of desire? Wings have I bestowed upon thee, that thou mayest fly to the realms of mystic holiness and not the regions of satanic fancy. The comb, too, have I given thee that thou mayest dress My raven locks, and not lacerate My throat.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words #79 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/492899806

" ... ye must give forth goodly and wondrous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom."

 

photo by Trina Ridvan

O MY SERVANTS

Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give forth goodly and wondrous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom. Thus it is incumbent on every one to engage in crafts and professions, for therein lieth the secret of wealth, O men of understanding! For results depend upon means, and the grace of God shall be all-sufficient unto you. Trees that yield no fruit have been and will ever be for the fire.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #80 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/119659976

"The basest of men are they that yield no fruit on earth."

 

O MY SERVANT!

The basest of men are they that yield no fruit on earth. Such men are verily counted as among the dead, nay better are the dead in the sight of God than those idle and worthless souls.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #81 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/468470133

"The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling ..."

 

57 jazz musicians, Photo by Art Kane, harlem 1958

O MY SERVANT!

The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling and spend upon themselves and upon their kindred for the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #82 Persian)
www.bahai.org/r/002944255

"Let it now be seen what your endeavors in the path of detachment will reveal."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2025

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words)

www.bahai.org/r/576315659

" ...that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust ..."

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words)
www.bahai.org/r/642922139

"Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart"

 

Degas

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #1 Arabic)
www.bahai.org/r/986635113

"I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee"

 

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #3 Arabic)
www.bahai.org/r/246296008

"Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2025

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #4 Arabic)
www.bahai.org/r/486363123

"Love Me, that I may love thee."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2025

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #5 Arabic)
www.bahai.org/r/590841570

"Thy Paradise is My love; thy heavenly home, reunion with Me."

 

© Chuck egerton 2025

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #6 Arabic)
www.bahai.org/r/312164372

"If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself ..."

 

photo by Trina Ridvan

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #7 Arabic)
www.bahai.org/r/118657418

"Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes."

 

O SON OF SPIRIT!

The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest 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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #2 Arabic)
www.bahai.org/r/099947277

Happy Black History Month

" ... put thy trust in Me and not in thyself, since I desire to be loved alone and above all that is."

© Chuck Egerton 2025

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.

(Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words, #8 Arabic)
www.bahai.org/r/102524683