The Hadith of the Hidden Treasure (Arabic: کنزاً مخفیاً) is a hadith qudsi that has a very prominent role in Islamic mysticism and Islamic philosophy.
The most cited version of this Hadith in Arabic is: کنت کنزاً مخفیاً فأحببت أن أعرف فخلقت الخلق لکی أعرف
It has different translations in English:
This Hadith is also considered Da'if (weak) or fabricated by many Islamic scholars.[citation needed]
According to Sufi cosmology, God's reason for the creation of this universe and mankind is the "manifestation" and "recognition" of Himself as it is stated in this hadith.[1]
Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Baháʼí faith, requested his son `Abdu'l-Bahá, who later became his successor, to write a commentary on the hadith of the Hidden Treasure for a Súfí leader named `Alí Shawkat Páshá.[2][3] In this commentary 'Abdu'l-Bahá discusses the themes "Hidden Treasure", "Love", "Creation", and "Knowledge".[4]