Happy Naw Ruz to all! On this happy day, I thought I’d share my translations of Arabic hidden words 44-46. I have already shared no 45, but I wanted to share the hidden words immediately before and after no 45 in order to show the conceptual link between them. This link was pointed out to…
Category: Baha’i Scripture Deep Dive
Baha’i Scripture Deep Dive gathers blog posts that discuss indepth a particular passage or tablet of Baha’u’llah. Also includes translations and commentaries. Posts that are a part of my ongoing series on Lawh-i-Sarraj are listed at Lawh-i-Sarraj Commentary Series and can be downloaded.
Baha’u’llah is our heir
In a tender-hearted letter Baha’u’llah wrote to a woman whose children had died, he comforts her by telling her that God is her heir. “Better and more exalted than what thou desirest is that which thou possessest, yet thou dost fail to recognize it. Please God, shouldst thou become conscious of it, thou wilt know…
Spiritual martyrdom
In my previous blog post, I put up my translation of Arabic hidden word 45: “Awakened child, articulate your truth about me as you see it, satisfied with me and thankful for what I have done, that you may rely on me and rest easy in the retreats of greatness behind the canopy of might.”…
Arabic hidden word 45, new translation
“Awakened child, articulate your truth about me as you see it, satisfied with me and thankful for what I have done, that you may rely on me and rest easy in the retreats of greatness behind the canopy of might.” Arabic hidden word 45 This is my translation of Arabic hidden word 45. I love…
Focusing on the basic principle of the Cause
This is the latest installment in my ongoing slow-read of Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of the Son, paragraph 12. To read the full commentary so far, click here. In paragraph 10 of Tablet of the Son, I discussed the fact that Baha’u’llah is not impressed by fancy mystical talk. Baha’u’llah argued that the words of a new…
Divine judgement works like a cosmic magnet
An interesting question is: how does divine judgement actually occur on the Day of Judgement? For a long time, I thought the answer was that a person needed to believe in Baha’u’llah. But now I have revised that to a person needs to sincerely love Baha’u’llah. It doesn’t matter what ideas you hold in your…
The importance of a joyful heart
In the following hidden word, Baha’u’llah stresses the importance of having a heart that is characterised by serene happiness, so that a person can unite with him. “O human child, exult in the joyful serenity of your heart, so that you are ready to meet me and be a mirror for my beauty.” Arabic hidden…
Baha’u’llah challenges romance
I was born in 1959. When I grew up, I was socialised by romance narratives. Pretty much every popular song was a love song. Romance stories filled the movies. Romance stories filled television. I believed in romance. I believed I would fall in love with someone and marry him. I was aware that the romance…
Scripture tailored to the divine purpose and human condition
Paragraph 11 – Scripture tailored to the divine purpose and human condition In this blog post, I continue with my commentary on Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of the Son. In paragraph 11, Baha’u’llah cites an example of how God rearranges words and meaning at the time of a new revelation. He gives a challenging example. He asks…
Classic poetic symbolism from Abdu’l-Baha
I have argued that the physical world has two roles: one, to be the object of science; and two, to be the symbolic representation of the spiritual worlds. Baha’i scripture is chock full of gorgeous symbolic language. Why? In order to transport the reader to the spiritual worlds. The Baha’i World Centre has released a…