Here’s a single sentence that captures Bahá’u’lláh’s megalomania and narcissistic self-pity to an extent that perhaps no other statement of his does:
Verily, no God is there but Me, the Wronged One, the Exile.
—Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh …
The term “Wronged One” is a title that he appears to have adopted early in his career, and taken a great liking to later in life.
Here’s a tally of instances of “this Wronged One” or “the Wronged One” in selected volumes of Bahá’u’lláh’s writings:
- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf: 102
- Tablets … after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas: 55
- The Summons of the Lord of Hosts: 5
- Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh: 4
- The Book of Certitude: 2
- The Most Holy Book: 0
Bahá’u’lláh’s son`Abdu’l-Bahá also referred to himself as the Wronged One, it turns out. In his Will and Testament, he refers to himself as “this Wronged One” ten times.
This is one of the main things I don’t like about Baha’u’llah’s writing. He seemed to think he was the most persecuted person in human history and it was so clearly not true. This assertion caused cognitive dissonance for me every time I read it.