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Words of Truth (Asar ol-Haqq)

Asar ol-Haqq

Words of Truth According to Ostad Elahi, Asar ol-Haqq (Words of Truth)[1], volume 1, Teheran, Tahuri, 1977.

Words of Truth According to Ostad Elahi, Asar ol-Haqq (Words of Truth), volume 2, Teheran, Jeyhun, 1991.

Words of Truth According to Ostad Elahi, Bargozideh (The selection), Teheran, Nashr-e Panj, 2009 – selection of sayings from volumes 1 and 2.

Beside his writings, Ostad Elahi, towards the end of his life, conveyed the essence of his thought through oral teachings imparted in the course of informal sessions with his friends and family. Starting in 1964, until his death in 1974, some of those close to him began to take notes, trying to stay as close as possible to what was said in order to preserve a large body of his teachings and, at the same time, maintain the effect it produced on his audience. Out of this came the two original volumes in Persian, Asar ol-Haqq (Words of Truth), published posthumously in 1977 and 1991. A selection of over 470 sayings from these two volumes was published under the title Bargozideh in 2009. On this site, reference is made to the two volumes of Asar ol-Haqq under the abbreviations AH1 or AH2, followed by the number of the saying or the page.

Asar ol-Haqq appears in the form of a collection of “sayings” of varying length, categorized thematically (Volume 1) or chronologically (Volume 2, Part 1). In Part 2 of Volume 2, we find almost the full transcription of some sessions. In these volumes, the subjects dealt with are most varied, ranging from day to day anecdotes interpreted from a spiritual standpoint, to metaphysical issues concerning mankind and its relation with divinity, and a good deal of practical advice about the recurrent struggle against the imperious self. The language of the sayings is conversational, simple and direct, gradually revealing, from page to page, the depth and coherence of the system worked out by Ostad Elahi, as well as the patience, kind heartedness and subtlety that marked his method of teaching.

So far, the two volumes of Asar ol-Haqq have not been translated in their entirety. A few excerpts in French and English can nonetheless be found in some articles (see the “Resources” section on this site). In addition, a French translation of the selection of sayings compiled in Bargozideh was published in 2014 as Paroles de Vérité (Albin Michel, 2014), followed by the Italian Parole di Verità in 2016 (Mondadori Electa, 2016). No English translation of Bargozideh has yet been published.


[1] TN : The Persian title Asar ol-Haqq, is rendered as “Paroles de Vérité” in French references and as “Words of Truth” in English references.


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3 comments

  1. AS Dec 22, 2010 12:26 am 1

    Would love to see and have these two publications translated in English one day so that it can be accessible to more diverse cultures and people. I have heard and read some of the sayings in English and it really is, in my opinion, anecdotes of life, and spirituality in everday life.

  2. neuro Dec 27, 2010 6:11 pm 2

    Yes, I totally agree! In the meantime, I consult 100 Maxims of Guidance, available in English, which quotes several times from Ostad’s sayings in Asar ol-Haqq…

  3. Judith Mar 14, 2011 2:52 am 3

    There is also the following book:
    Words of Faith: Prayers of Ostad Elahi
    This book which was published in 1995 on the occasion of the centennial of Ostad Elahi’s birth has been a constant companion of mine. Fortunately, it is still in print.

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