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.”
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Bahá’u’lláh
The Hidden Words  ·  Arabic, No. 3

Section I · The Eternal Nature of God

Before the Beginning of Time, You Were Loved

Setting the Stage

The Hidden Words were revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdád around 1857 — described as the inner essence of divine wisdom, distilled for every seeking heart. This opening passage reaches before time itself to locate the origin of your existence not in chance, but in love. You were not made and then loved. You were loved, and therefore made.

A Note on Our Journey Together
Meditations on Eternity draws from eight of the world’s great spiritual traditions. The writings of Bahá’u’lláh, which anchor this opening section, are one of eight voices you will encounter throughout the year — each one a different window into the same eternal light.

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Entering the Stillness

Before reading further, sit quietly for a moment. Read the quotation once, slowly, then set it down. Let the word immemorial rest in you — a time before memory, before thought, before your name was known to any creature. In that vast, unhurried silence, something knew you.

Questions for Meditation

✦ What does it stir in you to consider that you were known and loved before you existed?
✦ The word engraved suggests something permanent, indelible. What do you sense has been engraved in you that belongs to the eternal?
✦ If the purpose of creation was to reveal divine beauty — how might you be a mirror of that beauty this week?

A Practice for the Week

Each morning before the day’s demands arise, spend two minutes in silence holding this single thought: “I existed in love before I existed in time.”

Notice what shifts — even subtly — in how you move through your day.

Week Two arrives in seven days. Until then, we wish you a week of deep and unhurried reflection.

With warmth,
The Meditations on Eternity Team