Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Introduction
Immediately after being released from prison, He was exiled to
Baghdád by the Persian government, in an effort to remove from the country the last effective leader of the detested new faith. Bahá’u’lláh was an exile in
‘Iráq for about ten years. During this time He transformed the outlook and character of the followers of the Báb. His own fame spread to such an extent that scholars and men of renown visited Him in increasing numbers.
To this first exile period belong two of Bahá’u’lláh’s most famous books. One is a very small book of penetrating meditations entitled
Hidden Words. In epigrammatic sentences, each prefaced by a salutation, Bahá’u’lláh restated the essential spiritual truths which have been taught by the Founders of all the world religions. No complicated theology mars the directness of the passages. It is the voice of God speaking directly to the heart of man.
“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 behoveth thee to be. Verily justice is my gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.”
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