Divine love: the hidden treasure and the life of creation

God's love for His own Essence

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Editorial introduction

Before anything existed, Bahá’u’lláh says, God knew His love for the human being and therefore created. Love, on this account, is older than the lovers. The tradition of the hidden treasure that longed to be known, the four kinds of love ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes, and the daring language of God loving His own beauty all belong to a single vision in which creation is an overflow of self-sufficient generosity, not a need. Such language is easily misheard as vanity; here it describes the source from which every lesser love is borrowed, as the sun’s light is lent to the moon. At the same time the Essence praised only by itself exceeds every description we can offer, so that each image remains a pointer. First John moves from the unseen God who is love to the plain duty of loving one another ^[1], a practical turn that keeps the metaphysics honest. The journey continues toward the love of God as a human response, toward the creation of the world as the fruit of that love, and toward the unknowability of the One who loves.

Selected passages

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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, Hidden Words - Arabic, 1274 ca. [1857-1858] -- BH00386)

It is the cause of creation and its manifestation, as expressed in His exalted Word: "I was a hidden treasure and loved to be known, therefore I created creation that I might be known."

(Bahá’u’lláh, 1304-10-27 [1887-Jul-19], to Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardikani (Haji Amin) -- BH00594)

Say: God hath made My hidden love the key to the Treasure; would that ye might perceive it! But for the key, the Treasure would to all eternity have remained concealed; would that ye might believe it! Say: This is the Source of Revelation, the Dawning-place of Splendour, Whose brightness hath illumined the horizons of the world. Would that ye might understand! This is, verily, that fixed Decree through which every irrevocable decree hath been established.

(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book), 1290-05-15 [1873-Jul-11] -- BH00001)

Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God's holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven's kindly light, the Holy Spirit's eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God's revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. … Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lawh-i-Mahabbat (Tablet of Love), 1902-Oct-16, to George Emerson Witte -- AB01214)

Love is, in reality, the first effulgence of Divinity and the greatest splendor of God.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Universalist Church on 1912-Nov-06 -- ABU0009)

For example, consider and observe how the bestowals of God successively descend upon mankind, how the divine effulgences ever shine upon the human world. There can be no doubt that these bestowals, these bounties, these effulgences emanate from love. … Unless love exists, the divine blessing could not descend upon any object or thing. Unless there be love, the recipient of divine effulgence could not radiate and reflect that effulgence upon other objects. … In the same way the realm of hearts and spirits is illumined and resuscitated through the shining rays of the Sun of Reality and the bounties of the love of God.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given on 1912-Aug-16 -- ABU0004)

The Love of God is like the Sun - it shines upon everything and this is His relationship to man: But the love of man to God is borrowed Light because it is impossible for Man to love unless God had first loved.
Love is the greatest Bounty of God.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken ca. 1900 -- ABU0709)

There are four kinds of love. The first is the love that flows from God to man; it consists of the inexhaustible graces, the Divine effulgence and heavenly illumination. Through this love the world of being receives life. Through this love man is endowed with physical existence, until, through the breath of the Holy Spirit -- this same love -- he receives eternal life and becomes the image of the Living God. This love is the origin of all the love in the world of creation.
… The third is the love of God towards the Self or Identity of God. This is the transfiguration of His Beauty, the reflection of Himself in the mirror of His Creation. This is the reality of love, the Ancient Love, the Eternal Love. Through one ray of this Love all other love exists.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Four Kinds of Love: Words spoken at 97 Cadogan Gardens in London, 1913-Jan-04 -- ABU0651)

None hath known God save His holy Essence, and none hath unified God save His holy Essence.
Whosoever claimeth to know Him is an infidel, by the testimony of his own self which is contingent and temporal. And whosoever claimeth to unify Him is a polytheist, by the testimony of his own self, for association with Him is impossible, and it is impossible to attribute names and descriptions to His Essence.

(The Báb, Sahifiy-i-'Adliyya = Risaliy-i-'Adliyyih (Epistle of Justice: Root Principles), 1262-01 [1845-Dec], to Sulayman Khan ? -- BB00017)

Glory be to Thee! Glory be to Thee! Forever hath the description of Thy Essence been Thine Essence, and the attribute of Thy Self been Thy Self, for naught besides Thee existed at Thy level nor was mentioned with Thee.

(The Báb, Sahifiy-i-Mukhtasar, 1262-09 ca. [1846-Aug], to Sulayman Khan -- BB00050)

From eternity Thou didst Thyself describe Thine own Self unto Thy Self, and extol, in Thine own Essence, Thine Essence unto Thine Essence.

(Bahá’u’lláh, to Firaydun et al -- BH00296)

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thine Essence hath ever praised Thine Essence, Thy Being hath ever sanctified Thy Being, Thy Self hath ever unified Thy Self, and Thine Entity hath ever magnified Thine Entity.

(The Báb, 1265 [1848-1849] -- BB00082)

That invisible Essence is established upon the throne in the unseen divine realm and plays the game of love with Its own love.
"The Friend played love with Himself in pre-existence;
Without us and without I and we."

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1909-Jun-03, to Jinab Darvish -- AB00791)

The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.

Thereupon a Voice replied: "I love, I dearly cherish this emblem. How can I consent that Mine eyes, alone, gaze upon this emblem, and that no heart except Mine heart recognize it? By My Beauty, which is the same as Thy Beauty!

(Bahá’u’lláh -- BH09299)

And as for "the Divine Soul" (an-nafs al-ilahiyyah), it consists of the Universal Reality which brings together all of the Divine realities of the realm of Primal Manifestation (lahutiyyah) and the eternal secrets, the outer aspect of which is the ancient light and the inner aspect is the most mighty and sublime mystery, the Primal Point from which appear all things and to which they revert, from which they originate and to which they return.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tafsir Ghulibatu'r-Rum (Commentary on the Hadith ``Rome was Overthrown"), to Abd Al-Ghani -- AB00007)

The love which is from God is the fundamental. This love is the object of all human attainment, the radiance of heaven, the light of man.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given in Church of the Ascension on 1912-Jun-02 -- ABU0006)

The more love is expressed among mankind and the stronger the power of unity, the greater will be this reflection and revelation, for the greatest bestowal of God is love. Love is the source of all the bestowals of God. Until love takes possession of the heart, no other divine bounty can be revealed in it.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address to Advanced Thought Center, Carnegie Lyceum, spoken on 1912-Apr-14 -- ABU0399)

All will admit, therefore, that the divine religions are intended to be the means of true human cooperation, that they are united in the purpose of making humanity one family, for they rest upon the universal foundation of love, and love is the first effulgence of Divinity.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Second Divine Science Church on 1912-Sep-25 -- ABU0057)

And when that Hidden Essence revealed Its Essence to Its Essence and showed forth Its Self to Its Self, the Maiden of Love, which was veiled within the canopy of the Essence of Unity, arose and came forth.
… For love and affection raised their banner within the Essence of the Absolute prior to the manifestation of the Essential Dispositions from the stage of Primal Unity to the stage of archetypal existence. (And the Hidden Essence became enraptured with Its own Beauty within Itself and this became the origin of all love and yearning and the source of all affection and ardour).

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tafsir-i-Kuntu Kanzan Makhfiyyan (Commentary on the Hadith of the Hidden Treasure), 1868 or <, to Ali Shawkat Pasha -- AB00006)

Who gave power to the hand and Who taught the ink? His grace and mercy have encompassed all and are evident as the sun. He is the Describer of Himself and the Praiser of Himself. He hath no need for mention by anyone. His is the creation and the command, and He is the Mighty, the Unconstrained.

(Bahá’u’lláh, 1303-05 [1886-Feb], to Ali Akbar -- BH01579)

The Purpose of the world is to be worthy of mention, but what manner of mention should it be and from whom should it come? There has never been any doubt that mention other than His own is not befitting Him as it should be. Thereby it is established that His mention is acceptable only unto Himself and His utterance is befitting only unto His Essence.

(Bahá’u’lláh, 1305 ? [1887-1888], to Ali Afnan -- BH01414)

Ever dost Thou suffice unto Thyself by Thy glorification of Thine own Self, needing not the glorification of Thy servants; and ever dost Thou suffice unto Thyself by the praise of the reality of Thy being, needing not the praise of Thy servants. In every state Thou affirmest Thine essential reality by Thine essential reality, and at every moment Thou magnifiest Thine eternity by Thine eternity; for what appeareth from all possible beings in Thy presence is as nothing, and what is essentialized of all created things is unworthy of the majesty of Thy holiness.

(The Báb, Du'a' li-Hurufi Bismillahi'l-Amna'i'il-Aqdas, 1265 mid-late [1848-1849] -- BB00028)

For God is love, and all phenomena find source and emanation in that divine current of creation. The love of God haloes all created things. Were it not for the love of God, no animate being would exist.
… Third, religion must be the mainspring and source of love in the world, for religion is the revelation of the will of God, the divine fundamental of which is love.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at St. James Methodist Church on 1912-Sep-05 -- ABU0012)

But, while God does not create, the first principle of God, Love, is the creative principle. Love is an outpour from God, and is pure spirit. It is one aspect of the Logos, the Holy Spirit. It is the immediate cause of the laws which govern nature, the endless verities of nature which science has uncovered.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Myron Phelps and Madame Canavarro in Dec. 1902 -- ABU0343)

The Fire of the Love of God is like unto the lightening which strikes upon the head of nature, emasculating it of its virility and leaving it fallen on the ground - a lifeless corpse. Consequently the greatest Power in the World of existence is the "Love of God"...

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1914-Aug-17 -- AB04595)

The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.

Further quotations · supplied wording and references

I was a Hidden Treasure. I wished [loved] to be made known, and thus I called creation into being in order that I might be known.

KA#176 note 23 (from a Hadith)