In the Foundations of the Revelation presentations, we are about to begin discussing the Writings of Baha’u’llah by focusing on the major texts He revealed in Baghdad.  It’s a remarkable period to study. Consider that after Christ left the earth, his early followers were left wondering about His exact nature- Was He God? What do we make of His claims to be God?.  They then developed theories about Christ’s relationship to God that were then crystalized into formal church doctrines that extended over centuries.

With Baha’u’llah’s revelation, we have a very different situation. Not only did we have a Manifestation of God- the Bab- spend a considerable amount of time explaining the nature of the “Manifestations of God” in preparation for Baha’u’llah, we also have a 10 year period in in Baghdad in which Baha’u’llah Himself explains these same concepts to humanity. This He did through such works as the “Book of Certitude (The Kitab-i-qan)” and others, which we will begin to explore shortly.  This was all before His formal declaration, so we don’t have to then try and figure out who He was after he left the earth. He tells us all beforehand. 

But first, before getting to those ideas, it’s valuable to explore some elements of Baha’u’llah’s words more generally.

Baha’u’llah’s language in His Tablets is magnificent. Even though the ones from the “Baghdad period” are before His formal declaration, they are majestic, beautiful, and spoken with an authority that is not of this world.  Baha’u’llah revealed these and other texts in either Persian or Arabic.  They are completely different languages.  Though Baha’u’llah’s native language was Persian, He explained that He used Arabic because it was more expansive and able to express a broader range of ideas and imagery.  Arabic is well-known to be one of the most complex and expansive languages in the world, if not the most expansive.

Baha’u’llah’s language was so majestic that it is sometimes described as not fully translatable. Shoghi Effendi- who set the standard for translation into English- used the style of the King James Version of the Bible as the  form of expression of Baha’u’llah’s words into English. That is why you see so many words like “Thee”, “Thou”, or words that end in “th” in the Baha’i Writings- as in “He doeth what He willeth”. The King James Bible was for centuries considered the peak of scriptural eloquence in English, even if we aren’t quite accustomed to it in the modern day. To the modern reader, the style takes a little getting used to, but after a while, you wouldn’t have it any other way! You come to appreciate that the Word of God should not sound like plain speech. It has its own character. 

The song below is a short prayer Baha’u’llah revealed, sung in Arabic.  It gives you an opportunity to hear the words of the Manifestation of God in the original language. Many thanks to Baha’i Blog for sharing this video. Enjoy!