THE SEVEN VALLEYS AND THE FOUR VALLEYS
(U.S., 1991 pocket-size ed.)
Filename: SVFV.ZIP (FN)
Filedate: 11-19-93
+P1{~
THE SEVEN VALLEYS
of
&BAHA'U'LLAH
In the Name of God, the Clement, the
Merciful.
Praise be to God Who hath made being to
come forth from nothingness; graven upon the
tablet of man the secrets of preexistence; taught
him from the mysteries of divine utterance
that which he knew not; made him a Luminous
Book unto those who believed and surrendered
themselves; caused him to witness the creation
of all things (Kullu &Shay') in this black and
ruinous age, and to speak forth from the apex
of eternity with a wondrous voice in the Excellent
Temple+F1: to the end that every man
may testify, in himself, by himself, in the
station of the Manifestation of his Lord, that
verily there is no God save Him, and that
every man may thereby win his way to the
+F1 The Manifestation.
+P2{~
summit of realities, until none shall contemplate
anything whatsoever but that he shall see
God therein.
And I praise and glorify the first sea which
hath branched from the ocean of the Divine
Essence, and the first morn which hath glowed
from the Horizon of Oneness, and the first
sun which hath risen in the Heaven of Eternity,
and the first fire which was lit from the
Lamp of Preexistence in the lantern of singleness:
He who was &Ahmad in the kingdom of
the exalted ones, and &Muhammad amongst the
concourse of the near ones, and &Mahmud+F2 in
the realm of the sincere ones. "...by whichsoever
(name) ye will, invoke Him: He hath
most excellent names"+F3 in the hearts of those
who know. And upon His household and companions
be abundant and abiding and eternal
peace!
Further, we have harkened to what the nightingale
of knowledge sang on the boughs of the
tree of thy being, and learned what the dove
of certitude cried on the branches of the bower
of thy heart. Methinks I verily inhaled the pure
fragrances of the garment of thy love, and
+F2 &Muhammad, &Ahmad and &Mahmud are names and
+F2 titles of the Prophet, derived from the verb "to praise,"
+F2 "to exalt."
+F3 &Qur'an 17:110.
+P3{~
attained thy very meeting from perusing thy
letter. And since I noted thy mention of thy
death in God, and thy life through Him, and
thy love for the beloved of God and the Manifestations
of His Names and the Dawning-Points
of His Attributes--I therefore reveal
unto thee sacred and resplendent tokens from
the planes of glory, to attract thee into the
court of holiness and nearness and beauty, and
draw thee to a station wherein thou shalt see
nothing in creation save the Face of thy Beloved
One, the Honored, and behold all created
things only as in the day wherein none hath a
mention.
Of this hath the nightingale of oneness sung
in the garden of &Ghawthiyyih.+F4 He saith: "And
there shall appear upon the tablet of thine
heart a writing of the subtle mysteries of `Fear
God and God will give you knowledge';+F5 and
the bird of thy soul shall recall the holy sanctuaries
of preexistence and soar on the wings
of longing in the heaven of `walk the beaten
paths of thy Lord',+F6 and gather the fruits of
communion in the gardens of `Then feed on
every kind of fruit.'"+F6
By My life, O friend, wert thou to taste of
these fruits, from the green garden of these
+F4 Sermon by &Ali.
+F5 &Qur'an 2:282.
+F6 &Qur'an 16:71.
+P4{~
blossoms which grow in the lands of knowledge,
beside the orient lights of the Essence
in the mirrors of names and attributes--yearning
would seize the reins of patience and reserve
from out thy hand, and make thy soul to
shake with the flashing light, and draw thee
from the earthly homeland to the first, heavenly
abode in the Center of Realities, and lift thee
to a plane wherein thou wouldst soar in the air
even as thou walkest upon the earth, and move
over the water as thou runnest on the land.
Wherefore, may it rejoice Me, and thee, and
whosoever mounteth into the heaven of knowledge,
and whose heart is refreshed by this,
that the wind of certitude hath blown over the
garden of his being, from the Sheba of the
All-Merciful.
Peace be upon him who followeth the Right
Path!
And further: The stages that mark the wayfarer's
journey from the abode of dust to the
heavenly homeland are said to be seven. Some
have called these Seven Valleys, and others,
Seven Cities. And they say that until the wayfarer
taketh leave of self, and traverseth these
stages, he shall never reach to the ocean of
nearness and union, nor drink of the peerless
wine. The first is
+P5{~
THE VALLEY OF SEARCH
The steed of this Valley is patience; without
patience the wayfarer on this journey will
reach nowhere and attain no goal. Nor should
he ever be downhearted; if he strive for a
hundred thousand years and yet fail to behold
the beauty of the Friend, he should not falter.
For those who seek the &Ka'bih+F7 of "for Us"
rejoice in the tidings: "In Our ways will We
guide them."+F8 In their search, they have stoutly
girded up the loins of service, and seek at
every moment to journey from the plane of
heedlessness into the realm of being. No bond
shall hold them back, and no counsel shall
deter them.
It is incumbent on these servants that they
cleanse the heart--which is the wellspring of
divine treasures--from every marking, and
that they turn away from imitation, which is
following the traces of their forefathers and
sires, and shut the door of friendliness and
enmity upon all the people of the earth.
In this journey the seeker reacheth a stage
wherein he seeth all created things wandering
+F7 The holy Sanctuary at Mecca. Here the word means
+F7 "goal."
+F8 &Qur'an 29:69: "And whoso maketh efforts for Us, in
+F8 Our ways will We guide them."
+P6{~
distracted in search of the Friend. How many
a Jacob will he see, hunting after his Joseph;
he will behold many a lover, hasting to seek
the Beloved, he will witness a world of desiring
ones searching after the One Desired. At every
moment he findeth a weighty matter, in every
hour he becometh aware of a mystery; for he
hath taken his heart away from both worlds,
and set out for the &Ka'bih+F7 of the Beloved.
At every step, aid from the Invisible Realm
will attend him and the heat of his search will
grow.
One must judge of search by the standard
of the &Majnun of Love.+F9 It is related that one
day they came upon &Majnun sifting the dust,
and his tears flowing down. They said, "What
doest thou?" He said, "I seek for &Layli." They
cried, "Alas for thee! &Layli is of pure spirit,
and thou seekest her in the dust!" He said, "I
seek her everywhere; haply somewhere I shall
find her."
Yea, although to the wise it be shameful to
+F9 Literally, &Majnun means "insane." This is the title of
+F9 the celebrated lover of ancient Persian and Arabian lore,
+F9 whose beloved was &Layli, daughter of an Arabian prince.
+F9 Symbolizing true human love bordering on the divine, the
+F9 story has been made the theme of many a Persian romantic
+F9 poem, particularly that of &Nizami, written in 1188-1189
+F9 A.D.
+P7{~
seek the Lord of Lords in the dust, yet this
betokeneth intense ardor in searching. "Whoso
seeketh out a thing with zeal shall find it."+F10
The true seeker hunteth naught but the object
of his quest, and the lover hath no desire
save union with his beloved. Nor shall the
seeker reach his goal unless he sacrifice all
things. That is, whatever he hath seen, and
heard, and understood, all must he set at
naught, that he may enter the realm of the
spirit, which is the City of God. Labor is
needed, if we are to seek Him; ardor is needed,
if we are to drink of the honey of reunion with
Him; and if we taste of this cup, we shall
cast away the world.
On this journey the traveler abideth in every
land and dwelleth in every region. In every face,
he seeketh the beauty of the Friend; in every
country he looketh for the Beloved. He joineth
every company, and seeketh fellowship with
every soul, that haply in some mind he may
uncover the secret of the Friend, or in some
face he may behold the beauty of the Loved
One.
And if, by the help of God, he findeth on
this journey a trace of the traceless Friend, and
inhaleth the fragrance of the long-lost Joseph
+F10 Arabian proverb.
+P8{~
from the heavenly messenger,+F11 he shall
straightway step into
THE VALLEY OF LOVE
and be dissolved in the fire of love. In this
city the heaven of ecstasy is upraised and the
world-illuming sun of yearning shineth, and
the fire of love is ablaze; and when the fire of
love is ablaze, it burneth to ashes the harvest
of reason.
Now is the traveler unaware of himself, and
of aught besides himself. He seeth neither ignorance
nor knowledge, neither doubt nor certitude;
he knoweth not the morn of guidance
from the night of error. He fleeth both from
unbelief and faith, and deadly poison is a balm
to him. Wherefore &Attar+F12 saith:
For the infidel, error--for the faithful, faith;
For &Attar's heart, an atom of Thy pain.
The steed of this Valley is pain; and if there
be no pain this journey will never end. In this
station the lover hath no thought save the Beloved,
and seeketh no refuge save the Friend.
+F11 Refer to the story of Joesph in the &Qur'an and the Old
+F11 Testament.
+F12 &Faridu'd-Din &Attar (ca. 1150-1230 A.D.), the great
+F12 Persian &Sufi poet.
+P9{~
At every moment he offereth a hundred lives
in the path of the Loved One, at every step he
throweth a thousand heads at the feet of the
Beloved.
O My Brother! Until thou enter the Egypt
of love, thou shalt never come to the Joseph of
the Beauty of the Friend; and until, like Jacob,
thou forsake thine outward eyes, thou shalt
never open the eye of thine inward being; and
until thou burn with the fire of love, thou shalt
never commune with the Lover of Longing.
A lover feareth nothing and no harm can
come nigh him: Thou seest him chill in the fire
and dry in the sea.
A lover is he who is chill in hell fire;
A knower is he who is dry in the sea.+F13
Love accepteth no existence and wisheth no
life: He seeth life in death, and in shame
seeketh glory. To merit the madness of love,
man must abound in sanity; to merit the bonds
of the Friend, he must be full of spirit. Blessed
the neck that is caught in His noose, happy
the head that falleth on the dust in the pathway
of His love. Wherefore, O friend, give up
thy self that thou mayest find the Peerless One,
pass by this mortal earth that thou mayest seek
+F13 Persian mystic poem.
+P10{~
a home in the nest of heaven. Be as naught, if
thou wouldst kindle the fire of being and be
fit for the pathway of love.
Love seizeth not upon a living soul,
The falcon preyeth not on a dead mouse.+F14
Love setteth a world aflame at every turn,
and he wasteth every land where he carrieth
his banner. Being hath no existence in his{~
kingdom; the wise wield no command within
his realm. The leviathan of love swalloweth the
master of reason and destroyeth the lord of
knowledge. He drinketh the seven seas, but his
heart's thirst is still unquenched, and he saith,
"Is there yet any more?"+F15 He shunneth himself
and draweth away from all on earth.
{~
Love's a stranger to earth and heaven too;
In him are lunacies seventy-and-two.+F16
He hath bound a myriad victims in his fetters,
wounded a myriad wise men with his arrow.
Know that every redness in the world is from{~
+F14 Persian mystic poem. Cf. The Hidden Words, No. 7,
+F14 Arabic.
+F15 &Qur'an 50:29.
+F16 &Jalalu'd-Din &Rumi (1207-1273 A.D.); The
+F16 &Mathnavi. &Jalalu'd-Din, called &Mawlana ("our Master"),
+F16 is the greatest of all Persian &Sufi poets, and founder of the
+F16 &Mawlavi "whirling" dervish order.
{~
+P11{~
his anger, and every paleness in men's cheeks is
from his poison. He yieldeth no remedy but
death, he walketh not save in the valley of the
shadow; yet sweeter than honey is his venom
on the lover's lips, and fairer his destruction in
the seeker's eyes than a hundred thousand lives.
Wherefore must the veils of the satanic self
be burned away at the fire of love, that the
spirit may be purified and cleansed and thus
may know the station of the Lord of the
Worlds.{~
Kindle the fire of love and burn away all
things,
Then set thy foot into the land of the
lovers.+F17
And if, confirmed by the Creator, the lover
escapes from the claws of the eagle of love,
he will enter
{~
THE VALLEY OF KNOWLEDGE
and come out of doubt into certitude, and turn
from the darkness of illusion to the guiding
light of the fear of God. His inner eyes will
open and he will privily converse with his Beloved;
he will set ajar the gate of truth and
piety, and shut the doors of vain imaginings.
{~
+F17 From an ode by &Baha'u'llah.
+P12{~
He in this station is content with the decree of
God, and seeth war as peace, and findeth in
death the secrets of everlasting life. With inward
and outward eyes he witnesseth the mysteries
of resurrection in the realms of creation
and the souls of men, and with a pure heart
apprehendeth the divine wisdom in the endless
Manifestations of God. In the ocean he findeth
a drop, in a drop he beholdeth the secrets of
the sea.
{~
Split the atom's heart, and lo!
Within it thou wilt find a sun.+F18
The wayfarer in this Valley seeth in the
fashionings of the True One nothing save clear
providence, and at every moment saith: "No
defect canst thou see in the creation of the God
of Mercy: Repeat the gaze: Seest thou a single
flaw?"+F18 He beholdeth justice in injustice, and
in justice, grace. In ignorance he findeth many
a knowledge hidden, and in knowledge a myriad
wisdoms manifest. He breaketh the cage of{~
the body and the passions, and consorteth with
the people of the immortal realm. He mounteth
on the ladders of inner truth and hasteneth to
the heaven of inner significance. He rideth in
the ark of "we shall show them our signs in
+F18 &Qur'an 67:3.
+P13{~
the regions and in themselves,"+F19 and journeyeth
over the sea of "until it become plain to
them that (this Book) is the truth."+F19 And if
he meeteth with injustice he shall have patience,
and if he cometh upon wrath he shall manifest
love.
There was once a lover who had sighed for
long years in separation from his beloved, and
wasted in the fire of remoteness. From the rule
of love, his heart was empty of patience, and
his body weary of his spirit; he reckoned life
without her as a mockery, and time consumed
him away. How many a day he found no rest{~
in longing for her; how many a night the pain
of her kept him from sleep; his body was worn
to a sigh, his heart's wound had turned him to
a cry of sorrow. He had given a thousand
lives for one taste of the cup of her presence,
but it availed him not. The doctors knew no
cure for him, and companions avoided his company;
yea, physicians have no medicine for one
sick of love, unless the favor of the beloved
one deliver him.
At last, the tree of his longing yielded the
fruit of despair, and the fire of his hope fell
to ashes. Then one night he could live no more,{~
and he went out of his house and made for the
marketplace. On a sudden, a watchman followed
+F19 &Qur'an 41:53.
+P14{~
after him. He broke into a run, with the
watchman following; then other watchmen
came together, and barred every passage to the
weary one. And the wretched one cried from
his heart, and ran here and there, and moaned
to himself: "Surely this watchman is &Izra'il,
my angel of death, following so fast upon me;
or he is a tyrant of men, seeking to harm me."
His feet carried him on, the one bleeding with
the arrow of love, and his heart lamented. Then
he came to a garden wall, and with untold pain
he scaled it, for it proved very high; and forgetting
his life, he threw himself down to the
garden.{~
And there he beheld his beloved with a lamp
in her hand, searching for a ring she had lost.
When the heart-surrendered lover looked on
his ravishing love, he drew a great breath and
raised up his hands in prayer, crying: "O God!
Give Thou glory to the watchman, and riches
and long life. For the watchman was Gabriel,
guiding this poor one; or he was &Israfil, bringing
life to this wretched one!"
Indeed, his words were true, for he had
found many a secret justice in this seeming
tyranny of the watchman, and seen how many
a mercy lay hid behind the veil. Out of wrath,{~
the guard had led him who was athirst in
love's desert to the sea of his loved one, and
+P15{~
lit up the dark night of absence with the light
of reunion. He had driven one who was afar,
into the garden of nearness, had guided an
ailing soul to the heart's physician.
Now if the lover could have looked ahead, he
would have blessed the watchman at the start,
and prayed on his behalf, and he would have
seen that tyranny as justice; but since the end
was veiled to him, he moaned and made his
plaint in the beginning. Yet those who journey
in the garden land of knowledge, because they
see the end in the beginning, see peace in war
and friendliness in anger.
Such is the state of the wayfarers in this
Valley; but the people of the Valleys above this{~
see the end and the beginning as one; nay,
they see neither beginning nor end, and witness
neither "first" nor "last."+F20 Nay rather, the
denizens of the undying city, who dwell in the
green garden land, see not even "neither first
nor last"; they fly from all that is first, and
repulse all that is last. For these have passed
over the worlds of names, and fled beyond the
worlds of attributes as swift as lightning. Thus
is it said: "Absolute Unity excludeth all attributes."+F21
And they have made their dwelling-place
in the shadow of the Essence.
{~
+F20 &Qur'an 57:3.
+F21 Saying attributed to &Ali.
+P16{~
Wherefore, relevant to this, &Khajih &Abdu'llah+F22
--may God the Most High sanctify his
beloved spirit--hath made a subtle point and
spoken an eloquent word as to the meaning of
"Guide Thou us on the straight path,"+F23 which
is: "Show us the right way, that is, honor us
with the love of Thine Essence, that we may be
freed from turning toward ourselves and
toward all else save Thee, and may become
wholly Thine, and know only Thee, and see
only Thee, and think of none save Thee."
Nay, these even mount above this station,
wherefore it is said:
{~
Love is a veil betwixt the lover and the loved
one;
More than this I am not permitted to tell.+F16
At this hour the morn of knowledge hath
arisen and the lamps of wayfaring and wandering
are quenched.+F24
+F22 &Shaykh &Abu &Isma'il &Abdu'llah &Ansari of &Hirat
+F22 (1006-1088 A.D.) &Sufi leader, descended from the Prophet's
+F22 companion &Abu &Ayyub. Chiefly known for his
+F22 &Munajat (Supplications) and &Ruba'iyyat (Quatrains).
+F22 "&Ansar" means the "Helpers" or companions of &Muhammad
+F22 in Medina.{~
+F23 &Qur'an 1:5.
+F24 This refers to the mystic wandering and search for
+F24 truth guided by "Lights" or &Sufi leaders. &Baha'u'llah
+F24 here warns the mystics that the coming of the Divine
+F24 Manifestation in His Day makes further search unnecessary,
+F24 as it was said by &Ali: "Quench the lamp when the sun
+F24 hath risen"--the sun referring to the Manifestation of God
+F24 in the New Day.
+P17{~
Veiled from this was Moses
Though all strength and light;
Then thou who hast no wings at all,
Attempt not flight.+F16
If thou be a man of communion and prayer,
soar up on the wings of assistance from Holy
Souls, that thou mayest behold the mysteries
of the Friend and attain to the lights of the
Beloved, "Verily, we are from God and to Him
shall we return."+F25
After passing through the Valley of knowledge,
which is the last plane of limitation, the
wayfarer cometh to
{~
THE VALLEY OF UNITY
and drinketh from the cup of the Absolute,
and gazeth on the Manifestations of Oneness.
In this station he pierceth the veils of plurality,
fleeth from the worlds of the flesh, and ascendeth
into the heaven of singleness. With the ear
of God he heareth, with the eye of God he
beholdeth the mysteries of divine creation. He
steppeth into the sanctuary of the Friend, and
+F25 &Qur'an 2:151.
+P18{~
shareth as an intimate the pavilion of the
Loved One. He stretcheth out the hand of
truth from the sleeve of the Absolute; he revealeth
the secrets of power. He seeth in himself
neither name nor fame nor rank, but
findeth his own praise in praising God. He
beholdeth in his own name the name of God;
to him, "all songs are from the King,"+F16 and
every melody from Him. He sitteth on the
throne of "Say, all is from God,"+F26 and taketh
his rest on the carpet of "There is no power or
might but in God."+F27 He looketh on all things
with the eye of oneness, and seeth the brilliant
rays of the divine sun shining from the dawning-point
of Essence alike on all created things,
and the lights of singleness reflected over all
creation.
It is clear to thine Eminence that all the variations{~
which the wayfarer in the stages of his
journey beholdeth in the realms of being, proceed
from his own vision. We shall give an
example of this, that its meaning may become
fully clear: Consider the visible sun; although
it shineth with one radiance upon all things,
and at the behest of the King of Manifestation
bestoweth light on all creation, yet in each
place it becometh manifest and sheddeth its
+F26 &Qur'an 4:80.
+F27 &Qur'an 18:37.
+P19{~
bounty according to the potentialities of that
place. For instance, in a mirror it reflecteth
its own disk and shape, and this is due to the
sensitivity of the mirror; in a crystal it maketh
fire to appear, and in other things it showeth
only the effect of its shining, but not its full
disk. And yet, through that effect, by the command
of the Creator, it traineth each thing
according to the quality of that thing, as thou
observest.
In like manner, colors become visible in
every object according to the nature of that
object. For instance, in a yellow globe, the
rays shine yellow; in a white the rays are white;
and in a red, the red rays are manifest. Then
these variations are from the object, not from
the shining light. And if a place be shut away
from the light, as by walls or a roof, it will be
entirely bereft of the splendor of the light,{~
nor will the sun shine thereon.
Thus it is that certain invalid souls have
confined the lands of knowledge within the
wall of self and passion, and clouded them with
ignorance and blindness, and have been veiled
from the light of the mystic sun and the mysteries
of the Eternal Beloved; they have
strayed afar from the jewelled wisdom of
the lucid Faith of the Lord of Messengers,
have been shut out of the sanctuary of the
+P20{~
All-Beauteous One, and banished from the
&Ka'bih+F7 of splendor. Such is the worth of the
people of this age!
And if a nightingale+F28 soar upward from
the clay of self and dwell in the rose bower of
the heart, and in Arabian melodies and sweet
&Iranian songs recount the mysteries of God--
a single word of which quickeneth to fresh,
new life the bodies of the dead, and bestoweth
the Holy Spirit upon the moldering bones of
this existence--thou wilt behold a thousand
claws of envy, a myriad beaks of rancor hunting
after Him and with all their power intent
upon His death.
Yea, to the beetle a sweet fragrance seemeth
foul, and to the man sick of a rheum a pleasant
perfume is as naught. Wherefore, it hath been
said for the guidance of the ignorant:
{~
Cleanse thou the rheum from out thine head
And breathe the breath of God instead.+F16
In sum, the differences in objects have now
been made plain. Thus when the wayfarer
gazeth only upon the place of appearance--that
is, when he seeth only the many-colored globes
--he beholdeth yellow and red and white; hence
it is that conflict hath prevailed among the
+F28 This refers to &Baha'u'llah's own Manifestation.
+P21{~
creatures, and a darksome dust from limited
souls hath hid the world. And some do gaze
upon the effulgence of the light; and some have
drunk of the wine of oneness and these see
nothing but the sun itself.
Thus, for that they move on these three
differing planes, the understanding and the
words of the wayfarers have differed; and
hence the sign of conflict doth continually
appear on earth. For some there are who dwell
upon the plane of oneness and speak of that
world, and some inhabit the realms of limitation,
and some the grades of self, while others
are completely veiled. Thus do the ignorant
people of the day, who have no portion of the
radiance of Divine Beauty, make certain claims,
and in every age and cycle inflict on the people
of the sea of oneness what they themselves
deserve. "Should God punish men for their
perverse doings, He would not leave on earth
a moving thing! But to an appointed term doth{~
He respite them...."+F29
O My Brother! A pure heart is as a mirror;
cleanse it with the burnish of love and severance
from all save God, that the true sun may shine
within it and the eternal morning dawn. Then
wilt thou clearly see the meaning of "Neither
doth My earth nor My heaven contain Me,
+F29 &Qur'an 16:63.
+P22{~
but the heart of My faithful servant containeth
Me."+F30 And thou wilt take up thy life in thine
hand, and with infinite longing cast it before
the new Beloved One.
Whensoever the light of Manifestation of
the King of Oneness settleth upon the throne
of the heart and soul, His shining becometh
visible in every limb and member. At that time
the mystery of the famed tradition gleameth
out of the darkness: "A servant is drawn unto
Me in prayer until I answer him; and when
I have answered him, I become the ear wherewith
he heareth...." For thus the Master of
the house hath appeared within His home, and
all the pillars of the dwelling are ashine with
His light. And the action and effect of the
light are from the Light-Giver; so it is that
all move through Him and arise by His will.
And this is that spring whereof the near ones
drink, as it is said: "A fount whereof the near
unto God shall drink...."+F31
However, let none construe these utterances{~
to be anthropomorphism, nor see in them the
descent of the worlds of God into the grades
of the creatures; nor should they lead thine
Eminence to such assumptions. For God is, in
+F30 &Hadith, i.e. action or utterance traditionally attributed
+F30 to the Prophet &Muhammad or to one of the holy
+F30 &Imams.
+F31 &Qur'an 83:28.
+P23{~
His Essence, holy above ascent and descent,
entrance and exit; He hath through all eternity
been free of the attributes of human creatures,
and ever will remain so. No man hath ever
known Him; no soul hath ever found the pathway
to His Being. Every mystic knower hath
wandered far astray in the valley of the knowledge
of Him; every saint hath lost his way in
seeking to comprehend His Essence. Sanctified
is He above the understanding of the wise;
exalted is He above the knowledge of the
knowing! The way is barred and to seek it is
impiety; His proof is His signs; His being is
His evidence.+F4
Wherefore, the lovers of the face of the
Beloved have said: "O Thou, the One Whose
Essence alone showeth the way to His Essence,
and Who is sanctified above any likeness to
His creatures."+F30 How can utter nothingness
gallop its steed in the field of preexistence, or
a fleeting shadow reach to the everlasting sun?
The Friend+F32 hath said, "But for Thee, we
had not known Thee," and the Beloved+F32 hath{~
said, "nor attained Thy presence."
Yea, these mentionings that have been made
of the grades of knowledge relate to the knowledge
of the Manifestations of that Sun of
Reality, which casteth Its light upon the Mirrors.
+F32 The Prophet &Muhammad.
+P24{~
And the splendor of that light is in the
hearts, yet it is hidden under the veilings of
sense and the conditions of this earth, even as
a candle within a lantern of iron, and only
when the lantern is removed doth the light of
the candle shine out.
In like manner, when thou strippest the wrappings
of illusion from off thine heart, the lights
of oneness will be made manifest.
Then it is clear that even for the rays there
is neither entrance nor exit--how much less for
that Essence of Being and that longed-for
Mystery. O My Brother, journey upon these
planes in the spirit of search, not in blind imitation.
A true wayfarer will not be kept back by
the bludgeon of words nor debarred by the
warning of allusions.
How shall a curtain part the lover and the
loved one?
Not Alexander's wall can separate them!+F33
{~
Secrets are many, but strangers are myriad.
Volumes will not suffice to hold the mystery of
the Beloved One, nor can it be exhausted in
these pages, although it be no more than a
word, no more than a sign. "Knowledge is a
+F33 &Hafiz: &Shamsu'd-Din &Muhammad, of &Shiraz, died
+F33 ca. 1389 A.D. One of the greatest of Persian poets.
+P25{~
single point, but the ignorant have multiplied
it."+F30
On this same basis, ponder likewise the differences
among the worlds. Although the divine
worlds be never ending, yet some refer to them
as four: The world of time (&zaman), which
is the one that hath both a beginning and an
end; the world of duration (dahr), which hath
a beginning, but whose end is not revealed; the
world of perpetuity (sarmad), whose beginning
is not to be seen but which is known to
have an end; and the world of eternity (azal),
neither a beginning nor an end of which is
visible. Although there are many differing
statements as to these points, to recount
them in detail would result in weariness. Thus,
some have said that the world of perpetuity
hath neither beginning nor end, and have named
the world of eternity as the invisible, impregnable
Empyrean. Others have called these the
worlds of the Heavenly Court (&Lahut), of the
Empyrean Heaven (&Jabarut), of the Kingdom
of the Angels (&Malakut), and of the mortal
world (&Nasut).
The journeys in the pathway of love are{~
reckoned as four: From the creatures to the
True One; from the True One to the creatures;
from the creatures to the creatures; from the
True One to the True One.
+P26{~
There is many an utterance of the mystic
seers and doctors of former times which I
have not mentioned here, since I mislike the
copious citation from sayings of the past; for
quotation from the words of others proveth
acquired learning, not the divine bestowal.
Even so much as We have quoted here is out of
deference to the wont of men and after the
manner of the friends. Further, such matters
are beyond the scope of this epistle. Our unwillingness
to recount their sayings is not from
pride, rather is it a manifestation of wisdom
and a demonstration of grace.
If &Khidr did wreck the vessel on the sea,
Yet in this wrong there are a thousand
rights.+F16
Otherwise, this Servant regardeth Himself as
utterly lost and as nothing, even beside one of
the beloved of God, how much less in the
presence of His holy ones. Exalted be My Lord,
the Supreme! Moreover, our aim is to recount
the stages of the wayfarer's journey, not to
set forth the conflicting utterances of the
mystics.{~
Although a brief example hath been given
concerning the beginning and ending of the
relative world, the world of attributes, yet a
+P27{~
second illustration is now added, that the full
meaning may be manifest. For instance, let
thine Eminence consider his own self; thou art
first in relation to thy son, last in relation to
thy father. In thine outward appearance, thou
tellest of the appearance of power in the realms
of divine creation; in thine inward being thou
revealest the hidden mysteries which are the
divine trust deposited within thee. And thus
firstness and lastness, outwardness and inwardness
are, in the sense referred to, true of thyself,
that in these four states conferred upon
thee thou shouldst comprehend the four divine
states, and that the nightingale of thine heart on
all the branches of the rosetree of existence,
whether visible or concealed, should cry out:
"He is the first and the last, the Seen and the
Hidden...."+F34
These statements are made in the sphere of
that which is relative, because of the limitations
of men. Otherwise, those personages who in a
single step have passed over the world of the
relative and the limited, and dwelt on the fair
plane of the Absolute, and pitched their tent in
the worlds of authority and command--have
burned away these relativities with a single
spark, and blotted out these words with a drop{~
+F34 &Qur'an 57:3.
+P28{~
of dew. And they swim in the sea of the spirit,
and soar in the holy air of light. Then what
life have words, on such a plane, that "first"
and "last" or other than these be seen or mentioned!
In this realm, the first is the last itself,
and the last is but the first.
In thy soul of love build thou a fire
And burn all thoughts and words entire.+F16
O my friend, look upon thyself: Hadst thou
not become a father nor begotten a son, neither
wouldst thou have heard these sayings. Now
forget them all, that thou mayest learn from
the Master of Love in the schoolhouse of oneness,
and return unto God, and forsake the
inner land of unreality+F35 for thy true station,
and dwell within the shadow of the tree of
knowledge.
O thou dear one! Impoverish thyself, that
thou mayest enter the high court of riches; and
humble thy body, that thou mayest drink from
the river of glory, and attain to the full meaning
of the poems whereof thou hadst asked.
Thus it hath been made clear that these stages
depend on the vision of the wayfarer. In every
city he will behold a world, in every Valley
{~
+F35 This refers to the &Sufi idea of the inner plane, which
+F35 compared to Revealed Truth is but unreal.
+P29{~
reach a spring, in every meadow hear a song.
But the falcon of the mystic heaven hath many
a wondrous carol of the spirit in His breast,
and the Persian bird keepeth in His soul many
a sweet Arab melody; yet these are hidden, and
hidden shall remain.
If I speak forth, many a mind will shatter,
And if I write, many a pen will break.+F16,+F36
Peace be upon him who concludeth this
exalted journey and followeth the True One
by the lights of guidance.
And the wayfarer, after traversing the high
planes of this supernal journey, entereth
THE VALLEY OF CONTENTMENT
In this Valley he feeleth the winds of divine
contentment blowing from the plane of the
spirit. He burneth away the veils of want, and
with inward and outward eye, perceiveth within
and without all things the day of: "God will
compensate each one out of His abundance."+F37
From sorrow he turneth to bliss, from anguish
to joy. His grief and mourning yield to delight
and rapture.
{~
+F36 This refers to &Baha'u'llah Himself, Who had not yet
+F36 declared His mission.
+F37 &Qur'an 4:129.
+P30{~
Although to outward view, the wayfarers in
this Valley may dwell upon the dust, yet inwardly
they are throned in the heights of mystic
meaning; they eat of the endless bounties of
inner significances, and drink of the delicate
wines of the spirit.
The tongue faileth in describing these three
Valleys, and speech falleth short. The pen
steppeth not into this region, the ink leaveth
only a blot. In these planes, the nightingale of
the heart hath other songs and secrets, which
make the heart to stir and the soul to clamor,
but this mystery of inner meaning may be
whispered only from heart to heart, confided
only from breast to breast.
Only heart to heart can speak the bliss of
mystic knowers;
No messenger can tell it and no missive bear
it.+F33
I am silent from weakness on many a matter,
For my words could not reckon them and my
speech would fall short.+F38
O friend, till thou enter the garden of such
mysteries, thou shalt never set lip to the undying
wine of this Valley. And shouldst thou
{~
+F38 Arabian poem.
+P31{~
taste of it, thou wilt shield thine eyes from all
things else, and drink of the wine of contentment;
and thou wilt loose thyself from all
things else, and bind thyself to Him, and throw
thy life down in His path, and cast thy soul
away. However, there is no other in this region
that thou need forget: "There was God and
there was naught beside Him."+F30 For on this
plane the traveler witnesseth the beauty of the
Friend in everything. Even in fire, he seeth the
face of the Beloved. He beholdeth in illusion the
secret of reality, and readeth from the attributes
the riddle of the Essence. For he hath
burnt away the veils with his sighing, and unwrapped
the shroudings with a single glance;
with piercing sight he gazeth on the new creation;
with lucid heart he graspeth subtle verities.
This is sufficiently attested by: "And we
have made thy sight sharp in this day."+F39
After journeying through the planes of pure
contentment, the traveler cometh to
THE VALLEY OF WONDERMENT
and is tossed in the oceans of grandeur, and
at every moment his wonder groweth. Now he
seeth the shape of wealth as poverty itself, and
the essence of freedom as sheer impotence.
{~
+F39 From &Qur'an 50:21.
+P32{~
Now is he struck dumb with the beauty of the
All-Glorious; again is he wearied out with his
own life. How many a mystic tree hath this
whirlwind of wonderment snatched by the
roots, how many a soul hath it exhausted. For
in this Valley the traveler is flung into confusion,
albeit, in the eye of him who hath attained,
such marvels are esteemed and well
beloved. At every moment he beholdeth a
wondrous world, a new creation, and goeth
from astonishment to astonishment, and is lost
in awe at the works of the Lord of Oneness.
Indeed, O Brother, if we ponder each created
thing, we shall witness a myriad perfect wisdoms
and learn a myriad new and wondrous
truths. One of the created phenomena is the
dream. Behold how many secrets are deposited
therein, how many wisdoms treasured up, how
many worlds concealed. Observe, how thou art
asleep in a dwelling, and its doors are barred;
on a sudden thou findest thyself in a far-off
city, which thou enterest without moving thy
feet or wearying thy body; without using
thine eyes, thou seest; without taxing thine
ears, thou hearest; without a tongue, thou
speakest. And perchance when ten years are
gone, thou wilt witness in the outer world the
very things thou hast dreamed tonight.
Now there are many wisdoms to ponder in
{~
+P33{~
the dream, which none but the people of this
Valley can comprehend in their true elements.
First, what is this world, where without eye
and ear and hand and tongue a man puts all of
these to use? Second, how is it that in the outer
world thou seest today the effect of a dream,
when thou didst vision it in the world of sleep
some ten years past? Consider the difference
between these two worlds and the mysteries
which they conceal, that thou mayest attain to
divine confirmations and heavenly discoveries
and enter the regions of holiness.
God, the Exalted, hath placed these signs in
men, to the end that philosophers may not deny
the mysteries of the life beyond nor belittle
that which hath been promised them. For some
hold to reason and deny whatever the reason
comprehendeth not, and yet weak minds can
never grasp the matters which we have related,
but only the Supreme, Divine Intelligence can
comprehend them:
How can feeble reason encompass the
&Qur'an,
Or the spider snare a phoenix in his web?+F13
All these states are to be witnessed in the
Valley of Wonderment, and the traveler at
+P34{~
every moment seeketh for more, and is not
wearied. Thus the Lord of the First and the
Last in setting forth the grades of contemplation,
and expressing wonderment hath said:
"O Lord, increase my astonishment at Thee!"
Likewise, reflect upon the perfection of man's
creation, and that all these planes and states
are folded up and hidden away within him.
Dost thou reckon thyself only a puny form
When within thee the universe is folded?+F40
Then we must labor to destroy the animal
condition, till the meaning of humanity shall
come to light.
Thus, too, &Luqman, who had drunk from the
wellspring of wisdom and tasted of the waters
of mercy, in proving to his son Nathan the
planes of resurrection and death, advanced the
dream as an evidence and an example. We relate
it here, that through this evanescent Servant
a memory may endure of that youth of
the school of Divine Unity, that elder of the
art of instruction and the Absolute. He said:
"O Son, if thou art able not to sleep, then thou
art able not to die. And if thou art able not
+F40 &Ali.
+P35{~
to waken after sleep, then thou shalt be able
not to rise after death."
O friend, the heart is the dwelling of eternal
mysteries, make it not the home of fleeting
fancies; waste not the treasure of thy precious
life in employment with this swiftly passing
world. Thou comest from the world of holiness--
bind not thine heart to the earth; thou
art a dweller in the court of nearness--choose
not the homeland of the dust.
In sum, there is no end to the description of
these stages, but because of the wrongs inflicted
by the peoples of the earth, this Servant is in
no mood to continue:
The tale is still unfinished and I have no
heart for it--
Then pray forgive me.+F16
The pen groaneth and the ink sheddeth tears,
and the river+F41 of the heart moveth in waves
of blood. "Nothing can befall us but what God
hath destined for us."+F42 Peace be upon him
who followeth the Right Path!
After scaling the high summits of wonderment
the wayfarer cometh to
+F41 Literally "&Jayhun," a river in &Turkistan.
+F42 &Qur'an 9:51.
+P36{~
THE VALLEY OF TRUE POVERTY
AND ABSOLUTE NOTHINGNESS
This station is the dying from self and the
living in God, the being poor in self and rich in
the Desired One. Poverty as here referred to
signifieth being poor in the things of the
created world, rich in the things of God's
world. For when the true lover and devoted
friend reacheth to the presence of the Beloved,
the sparkling beauty of the Loved One and the
fire of the lover's heart will kindle a blaze and
burn away all veils and wrappings. Yea, all he
hath, from heart to skin, will be set aflame, so
that nothing will remain save the Friend.
When the qualities of the Ancient of Days
stood revealed,
Then the qualities of earthly things did
Moses burn away.+F16
He who hath attained this station is sanctified
from all that pertaineth to the world. Wherefore,
if those who have come to the sea of His
presence are found to possess none of the
limited things of this perishable world, whether
it be outer wealth or personal opinions, it mattereth
not. For whatever the creatures have is
limited by their own limits, and whatever the
+P37{~
True One hath is sanctified therefrom; this
utterance must be deeply pondered that its purport
may be clear. "Verily the righteous shall
drink of a winecup tempered at the camphor
fountain."+F43 If the interpretation of "camphor"
become known, the true intention will be
evident. This state is that poverty of which it
is said, "Poverty is My glory."+F44 And of inward
and outward poverty there is many a
stage and many a meaning which I have not
thought pertinent to mention here; hence I
have reserved these for another time, dependent
on what God may desire and fate may seal.
This is the plane whereon the vestiges of
all things (Kullu &Shay') are destroyed in the
traveler, and on the horizon of eternity the
Divine Face riseth out of the darkness, and
the meaning of "All on the earth shall pass
away, but the face of thy Lord...."+F45 is
made manifest.
O My friend, listen with heart and soul to
the songs of the spirit, and treasure them as
thine own eyes. For the heavenly wisdoms, like
the clouds of spring, will not rain down on the
earth of men's hearts forever; and though the
grace of the All-Bounteous One is never stilled
and never ceasing, yet to each time and era a
+F43 &Qur'an 76:5.
+F44 &Muhammad.
+F45 &Qur'an 55:26, 27.
+P38{~
portion is allotted and a bounty set apart, this
in a given measure. "And no one thing is there,
but with Us are its storehouses; and We send
it not down but in settled measure."+F46 The
cloud of the Loved One's mercy raineth only
on the garden of the spirit, and bestoweth this
bounty only in the season of spring. The other
seasons have no share in this greatest grace,
and barren lands no portion of this favor.
O Brother! Not every sea hath pearls; not
every branch will flower, nor will the nightingale
sing thereon. Then, ere the nightingale
of the mystic paradise repair to the garden of
God, and the rays of the heavenly morning
return to the Sun of Truth--make thou an
effort, that haply in this dustheap of the mortal
world thou mayest catch a fragrance from
the everlasting garden, and live forever in the
shadow of the peoples of this city. And when
thou hast attained this highest station and
come to this mightiest plane, then shalt thou
gaze on the Beloved, and forget all else.
The Beloved shineth on gate and wall
Without a veil, O men of vision.+F12
Now hast thou abandoned the drop of life
and come to the sea of the Life-Bestower.
+F46 &Qur'an 15:21.
+P39{~
This is the goal thou didst ask for; if it be
God's will, thou wilt gain it.
In this city, even the veils of light are split
asunder and vanish away. "His beauty hath
no veiling save light, His face no covering save
revelation."+F30 How strange that while the Beloved
is visible as the sun, yet the heedless still
hunt after tinsel and base metal. Yea, the intensity
of His revelation hath covered Him,
and the fullness of His shining forth hath
hidden Him.
Even as the sun, bright hath He shined,
But alas, He hath come to the town of the
blind!+F16
In this Valley, the wayfarer leaveth behind
him the stages of the "oneness of Being and
Manifestation"+F47 and reacheth a oneness that
is sanctified above these two stations. Ecstasy
alone can encompass this theme, not utterance
nor argument; and whosoever hath dwelt at
this stage of the journey, or caught a breath
from this garden land, knoweth whereof We
speak.
In all these journeys the traveler must stray
+F47 Pantheism, a &Sufi doctrine derived from the formula:
+F47 "Only God exists; He is in all things, and all things are in
+F47 Him."
+P40{~
not the breadth of a hair from the "Law," for
this is indeed the secret of the "Path" and the
fruit of the Tree of "Truth"; and in all these
stages he must cling to the robe of obedience
to the commandments, and hold fast to the
cord of shunning all forbidden things, that he
may be nourished from the cup of the Law
and informed of the mysteries of Truth.+F48
If any of the utterances of this Servant may
not be comprehended, or may lead to perturbation,
the same must be inquired of again, that
no doubt may linger, and the meaning be clear
as the Face of the Beloved One shining from
the "Glorious Station."+F49
These journeys have no visible ending in the
world of time, but the severed wayfarer--if
invisible confirmation descend upon him and
the Guardian of the Cause assist him--may
cross these seven stages in seven steps, nay
rather in seven breaths, nay rather in a single
+F48 This refers to the three stages of &Sufi life: 1. &Shari'at,
+F48 or Religious Laws; 2. &Tariqat, or the Path on which the
+F48 mystic wayfarer journeys in search of the True One; this
+F48 stage also includes anchoretism. 3. &Haqiqat, or the Truth
+F48 which, to the &Sufi, is the goal of the journey through all
+F48 three stages. Here &Baha'u'llah teaches that, contrary to the
+F48 belief of certain &Sufis who in their search for the Truth
+F48 consider themselves above all law, obedience to the Laws
+F48 of Religion is essential.
+F49 &Maqam-i-Mahmud. &Qur'an 17:81.
+P41{~
breath, if God will and desire it. And this is
of "His grace on such of His servants as He
pleaseth."+F50
They who soar in the heaven of singleness
and reach to the sea of the Absolute, reckon
this city--which is the station of life in
God--as the furthermost state of mystic
knowers, and the farthest homeland of the
lovers. But to this evanescent One of the
mystic ocean, this station is the first gate of the
heart's citadel, that is, man's first entrance to
the city of the heart; and the heart is endowed
with four stages, which would be recounted
should a kindred soul be found.
When the pen set to picturing this station,
It broke in pieces and the page was torn.+F13
&Salam!+F51
O My friend! Many a hound pursueth this
gazelle of the desert of oneness; many a talon
claweth at this thrush of the eternal garden.
Pitiless ravens do lie in wait for this bird of
the heavens of God, and the huntsman of envy
stalketh this deer of the meadow of love.
O &Shaykh! Make of thine effort a glass,
perchance it may shelter this flame from the
+F50 &Qur'an 2:84.
+F51 "Peace." This word is used in concluding a thesis.
+P42{~
contrary winds; albeit this light doth long to
be kindled in the lamp of the Lord, and to shine
in the globe of the spirit. For the head raised
up in the love of God will certainly fall by the
sword, and the life that is kindled with longing
will surely be sacrificed, and the heart which
remembereth the Loved One will surely brim
with blood. How well is it said:
Live free of love, for its very peace is
anguish;
Its beginning is pain, its end is death.+F38
Peace be upon him who followeth the Right
Path!
* * * * * *
The thoughts thou hast expressed as to the
interpretation of the common species of bird
that is called in Persian &Gunjishk (sparrow)
were considered.+F52 Thou appearest to be well-grounded
in mystic truth. However, on every
plane, to every letter a meaning is allotted
which relateth to that plane. Indeed, the wayfarer
findeth a secret in every name, a mystery
in every letter. In one sense, these letters refer
to holiness.
&Kaf or &Gaf (K or G) referreth to Kuffi
+F52 The five letters comprising this word in Persian are:
+F52 G, N, J, &SH, K, that is, &Gaf, &Nun, &Jim, &Shin, &Kaf.
+P43{~
("free"), that is, "Free thyself from that
which thy passion desireth; then advance unto
thy Lord."
&Nun referreth to Nazzih ("purify"), that is,
"Purify thyself from all else save Him, that
thou mayest surrender thy life in His love."
&Jim is &Janib ("draw back"), that is, "Draw
back from the threshold of the True One if
thou still possessest earthly attributes."
&Shin is &Ushkur ("thank")--"Thank thy Lord
on His earth that He may bless thee in His
heaven; albeit in the world of oneness, this heaven
is the same as His earth."
&Kaf referreth to Kuffi, that is: "Take off
from thyself the wrappings of limitations, that
thou mayest come to know what thou hast not
known of the states of Sanctity."+F53
Wert thou to harken to the melodies of this
mortal Bird,+F54 then wouldst thou seek out the
undying chalice and pass by every perishable
cup.
Peace be upon those who walk in the Right
Path!
+F53 This and the foregoing quotations are from the teachings
+F53 of &Islam.
+F54 This is a reference in the traditional Persian style to
+F54 &Baha'u'llah Himself.
+P44{~
+P45{~
THE FOUR VALLEYS
+P46{~
+P47{~
THE FOUR VALLEYS
He is the Strong, the Well-Beloved!
O light of truth, &Hisam-i-Din, the bounteous,
No prince hath the world begot like unto
Thee!+F1
I am wondering why the tie of love was so
abruptly severed, and the firm covenant of
friendship broken. Did ever, God forbid, My
devotion lessen, or My deep affection fail, that
thou hast thus forgot Me and blotted Me from
thy thoughts?
What fault of Mine hath made thee cease thy
favors?
Is it that We are lowly and thou of high
degree?+F2
+F1 &Mathnavi of &Rumi.
+F2 &Sa'di, &Muslihu'd-Din of &Shiraz (ca. 1184-1291),
+F2 famed author of the &Gulistan and other poetical works.
+P48{~
Or is that a single arrow hath driven thee
from the battle?+F3 Have they not told thee that
faithfulness is a duty on those who follow the
mystic way, that it is the true guide to His
Holy Presence? "But as for those who say,
`Our Lord is God,' and who go straight to
Him, the angels shall descend to them...."+F4
Likewise He saith, "Go straight on then as
thou hast been commanded."+F5 Wherefore, this
course is incumbent on those who dwell in the
presence of God.
I do as bidden, and I bring the message,
Whether it give thee counsel or offense.+F6
Albeit I have received no answer to My letters
and it is contrary to the usage of the wise
to express My regard anew, yet this new love
hath broken all the old rules and ways.
Tell us not the tale of &Layli or of &Majnun's
woe--
Thy love hath made the world forget the
loves of long ago.
+F3 Persian proverb describing a man who gives up easily.
+F3 As used here one connotation is that the &Shaykh might have
+F3 considered his station as a mystic leader compromised by
+F3 the fact of his being taught the new truth by &Baha'u'llah.
+F4 &Qur'an 41:30.
+F5 &Qur'an 11:114; 42:14.
+F6 &Sa'di.
+P49{~
When once thy name was on the tongue, the
lovers caught it
And it set the speakers and the hearers dancing
to and fro.+F7
And of divine wisdom and heavenly counsel,
[&Rumi says]:
Each moon, O my beloved, for three days I
go mad;
Today's the first of these--'Tis why thou
seest me glad.
We hear that thou hast journeyed to &Tabriz
and Tiflis to disseminate knowledge, or
that some other high purpose hath taken thee to
Sanandaj.+F8,+F9
O My eminent friend! Those who progress
in mystic wayfaring are of four kinds. I shall
describe them in brief, that the grades and
qualities of each kind may become plain to
thee.
+F7 Ibid.
+F8 Senna, capital of Persian &Kurdistan.
+F9 This preamble to The Four Valleys is written in the
+F9 finest Persian epistolary style. The rules of classical letter
+F9 writing in Persian require quotations from literary works,
+F9 and assertions of abiding love for the one addressed, who is
+F9 chided for having neglected the writer.
+P50{~
THE FIRST VALLEY
If the travelers seek after the goal of the
Intended One (&maqsud), this station appertaineth
to the self--but that self which is "The
Self of God standing within Him with laws."+F10
On this plane, the self is not rejected but
beloved; it is well-pleasing and not to be
shunned. Although at the beginning, this plane
is the realm of conflict, yet it endeth in attainment
to the throne of splendor. As they have
said: "O Abraham of this day, O Friend
Abraham of the Spirit! Kill these four birds of
prey,"+F11 that after death the riddle of life may
be unraveled.
This is the plane of the soul who is pleasing
unto God. Refer to the verse:
O thou soul who art well assured,
Return to thy Lord, well-pleased, and pleasing
unto Him.+F12
which endeth:
Enter thou among My servants,
And enter thou My paradise.+F12
+F10 &Hadith.
+F11 The &Mathnavi. Here &Rumi tells a story of four evil
+F11 birds which, when put to death, changed into four birds of
+F11 goodness. The allegory refers to subduing evil qualities and
+F11 replacing them with good.
+F12 &Qur'an 89:27-30.
+P51{~
This station hath many signs, unnumbered
proofs. Hence it is said: "Hereafter We will
show them Our signs in the regions of the
earth, and in themselves, until it become manifest
unto them that it is the truth,"+F13 and that
there is no God save Him.
One must, then, read the book of his own
self, rather than some treatise on rhetoric.
Wherefore He hath said, "Read thy Book:
There needeth none but thyself to make out
an account against thee this day."+F14
The story is told of a mystic knower, who
went on a journey with a learned grammarian
as his companion. They came to the shore of
the Sea of Grandeur. The knower straightway
flung himself into the waves, but the grammarian
stood lost in his reasonings, which
were as words that are written on water. The
knower called out to him, "Why dost thou not
follow?" The grammarian answered, "O
Brother, I dare not advance. I must needs go
back again." Then the knower cried, "Forget
what thou didst read in the books of &Sibavayh
and Qawlavayh, of &Ibn-i-Hajib and &Ibn-i-Malik,+F15
and cross the water."
+F13 &Qur'an 41:53.
+F14 &Qur'an 17:15.
+F15 Famed writers on grammar and rhetoric.
+P52{~
The death of self is needed here, not rhetoric:
Be nothing, then, and walk upon the waves.+F16
Likewise is it written, "And be ye not like
those who forget God, and whom He hath
therefore caused to forget their own selves.
These are the wicked doers."+F17
THE SECOND VALLEY
If the wayfarer's goal be the dwelling of the
Praiseworthy One (&Mahmud),+F18 this is the
station of primal reason which is known as
the Prophet and the Most Great Pillar.+F19 Here
reason signifieth the divine, universal mind,
whose sovereignty enlighteneth all created
things--nor doth it refer to every feeble brain;
for it is as the wise &Sana'i hath written:
How can feeble reason encompass the
&Qur'an,
Or the spider snare a phoenix in his web?
Wouldst thou that the mind should not entrap
thee?
Teach it the science of the love of God!
+F16 The &Mathnavi.
+F17 &Qur'an 59:19.
+F18 An attribute of God and one of the titles of
+F18 &Muhammad.
+F19 &Maqam-i-Mahmud--Praiseworthy Station--is the
+F19 rank of Prophets endowed with constancy.
+P53{~
On this plane, the traveler meeteth with many
a trial and reverse. Now is he lifted up to
heaven, now is he cast into the depths. As it
hath been said: "Now Thou drawest me to
the summit of glory, again Thou castest me
into the lowest abyss." The mystery treasured
in this plane is divulged in the following holy
verse from the &Surih of THE CAVE:+F20
"And thou mightest have seen the sun when
it arose, pass on the right of their cave, and
when it set, leave them on the left, while they
were in its spacious chamber. This is one of
the signs of God. Guided indeed is he whom
God guideth; but for him whom He misleadeth,
thou shalt by no means find a patron."
If a man could know what lieth hid in this
one verse, it would suffice him. Wherefore, in
praise of such as these, He hath said: "Men
whom neither merchandise nor traffic beguile
from the remembrance of God...."+F21
This station conferreth the true standard of
knowledge, and freeth man from tests. In this
realm, to search after knowledge is irrelevant,
for He hath said concerning the guidance of
travelers on this plane, "Fear God, and God
+F20 &Qur'an 18:16. This is a reference to the station of
+F20 complete faith. The companions of the Cave are identified
+F20 with early Christian martyrs.
+F21 &Qur'an 24:37.
+P54{~
will instruct thee."+F22 And again: "Knowledge
is a light which God casteth into the heart of
whomsoever He willeth."+F23
Wherefore, a man should make ready his
heart that it be worthy of the descent of
heavenly grace, and that the bounteous Cup-Bearer
may give him to drink of the wine of
bestowal from the merciful vessel. "For the
like of this let the travailers travail!"+F24
And now do I say, "Verily we are from
God, and to Him shall we return."+F25
THE THIRD VALLEY
If the loving seekers wish to live within the
precincts of the Attracting One (&Majdhub),+F26
no soul may dwell on this Kingly Throne save
the beauty of love. This realm is not to be
pictured in words.
Love shunneth this world and that world
too,
In him are lunacies seventy-and-two.
The minstrel of love harpeth this lay:
Servitude enslaveth, kingship doth betray.+F27
+F22 &Qur'an 2:282.
+F23 &Hadith.
+F24 &Qur'an 37:59.
+F25 &Qur'an 2:151.
+F26 That attribute of God which draws all creatures to
+F26 Him.
+F27 The &Mathnavi.
+P55{~
This plane requireth pure affection and the
bright stream of fellowship. In telling of these
companions of the Cave He saith: "They speak
not till He hath spoken; and they do His bidding."+F28
On this plane, neither the reign of reason
is sufficient nor the authority of self. Hence,
one of the Prophets of God hath asked: "O my
Lord, how shall we reach unto Thee?" And
the answer came, "Leave thyself behind, and
then approach Me."
These are a people who deem the lowest
place to be one with the throne of glory, and
to them beauty's bower differeth not from the
field of a battle fought in the cause of the
Beloved.
The denizens of this plane speak no words--
but they gallop their chargers. They see but the
inner reality of the Beloved. To them all words
of sense are meaningless, and senseless words
are full of meaning. They cannot tell one limb
from another, one part from another. To them
the mirage is the real river; to them going away
is returning. Wherefore hath it been said:
The story of Thy beauty reached the hermit's
dell;
+F28 &Qur'an 21:27.
+P56{~
Crazed, he sought the Tavern where the
wine they buy and sell.
The love of Thee hath leveled down the fort
of patience,
The pain of Thee hath firmly barred the gate
of hope as well.+F29
In this realm, instruction is assuredly of no
avail.
The lover's teacher is the Loved One's
beauty,
His face their lesson and their only book.
Learning of wonderment, of longing love
their duty,
Not on learned chapters and dull themes they
look.
The chain that binds them is His musky hair,
The Cyclic Scheme,+F30 to them, is but to Him
a stair.+F31
Here followeth a supplication to God, the
Exalted, the Glorified:
+F29 &Sa'di.
+F30 The Cyclic Theory of &Abu-'Ali &Sina (Avicenna--980-1037)
+F30 as expressed by him in the quatrain:
+F30 Every semblance, every shape that perisheth today
+F30 In the treasure-house of Time is safely stored away.
+F30 When the world revolveth to its former place,
+F30 Out of the Invisible He draweth forth its face.
+F30 See also Some Answered Questions, p. 326.
+F31 The &Mathnavi.
+P57{~
O Lord! O Thou Whose bounty granteth
wishes!
I stand before Thee, all save Thee forgetting.
Grant that the mote of knowledge in my
spirit
Escape desire and the lowly clay;
Grant that Thine ancient gift, this drop of
wisdom,
Merge with Thy mighty sea.+F32
Thus do I say: There is no power or might
save in God, the Protector, the Self-Subsistent.+F33
THE FOURTH VALLEY
If the mystic knowers be of those who have
reached to the beauty of the Beloved One
(&Mahbub), this station is the apex of consciousness
and the secret of divine guidance.
This is the center of the mystery: "He doth
what He willeth, ordaineth what He pleaseth."+F34
Were all the denizens of earth and heaven
to unravel this shining allusion, this darksome
riddle, until the Day when the Trumpet soundeth,
+F32 Ibid.
+F33 From &Qur'an 18:37.
+F34 &Qur'an 2:254; 5:1, etc.
+P58{~
yet would they fail to comprehend even
a letter thereof, for this is the station of God's
immutable decree, His foreordained mystery.
Hence, when searchers inquired of this, He
made reply, "This is a bottomless sea which
none shall ever fathom."+F35 And they asked
again, and He answered, "It is the blackest of
nights through which none can find his way."
Whoso knoweth this secret will assuredly
hide it, and were he to reveal but its faintest
trace they would nail him to the cross. Yet, by
the Living God, were there any true seeker, I
would divulge it to him; for they have said:
"Love is a light that never dwelleth in a heart
possessed by fear."
Verily, the wayfarer who journeyeth unto
God, unto the Crimson Pillar in the snow-white
path, will never reach unto his heavenly
goal unless he abandoneth all that men possess:
"And if he feareth not God, God will make
him to fear all things; whereas all things fear
him who feareth God."+F36
Speak in the Persian tongue, though the
Arab please thee more;
A lover hath many a tongue at his command.+F37
+F35 Statement attributed to &Ali.
+F36 This quotation is in Arabic.
+F37 The &Mathnavi.
+P59{~
How sweet is this couplet which revealeth
such a truth:
See, our hearts come open like shells, when
He raineth grace like pearls,
And our lives are ready targets, when
agony's arrows He hurls.
And were it not contrary to the Law of the
Book, I would verily bequeath a part of My
possessions to the one who would put Me to
death, and I would name him My heir; yea, I
would bestow upon him a portion, would render
him thanks, would seek to refresh Mine eyes
with the touch of his hand. But what can I
do? I have no possessions, no power, and this
is what God hath ordained.+F38
Methinks at this moment, I catch the fragrance
of His garment+F39 blowing from the
Egypt of &Baha;+F40 verily He seemeth near at
hand, though men may think Him far away.+F41
My soul doth smell the perfume shed by the
+F38 This was revealed before the Declaration of
+F38 &Baha'u'llah. The lines following refer to the imminence of
+F38 His Manifestation.
+F39 Literally, the garment of &Ha, which is the letter "H"
+F39 and here represents &Baha.
+F40 This reference is to the story of Joseph in the &Qur'an
+F40 and the Bible.
+F41 This refers to those who did not expect the imminent
+F41 advent of Him Whom God Shall Manifest.
+P60{~
Beloved One; My sense is filled with the fragrance
of My dear Companion.
The duty of long years of love obey
And tell the tale of happy days gone by,
That land and sky may laugh aloud today,
And it may gladden mind and heart and
eye.+F42
This is the realm of full awareness, of utter
self-effacement. Even love is no pathway to
this region, and longing hath no dwelling here;
wherefore is it said, "Love is a veil betwixt
the lover and the beloved." Here love becometh
an obstruction and a barrier, and all else save
Him is but a curtain. The wise &Sana'i hath
written:
Never the covetous heart shall come to the
stealer of hearts,
Never the shrouded soul unite with beauty's
rose.
For this is the realm of Absolute Command
and is free of all the attributes of earth.
The exalted dwellers in this mansion do wield
divine authority in the court of rapture, with
utter gladness, and they do bear a kingly
+F42 The &Mathnavi.
+P61{~
sceptre. On the high seats of justice, they issue
their commands, and they send down gifts according
to each man's deserving. Those who
drink of this cup abide in the high bowers of
splendor above the Throne of the Ancient of
Days, and they sit in the Empyrean of Might
within the Lofty Pavilion: "Naught shall they
know of sun or piercing cold."+F43
Herein the high heavens are in no conflict
with the lowly earth, nor do they seek to excel
it, for this is the land of mercy, not the realm
of distinction. Albeit at every moment these
souls appear in a new office, yet their condition
is ever the same. Wherefore of this realm it is
written, "No work withholdeth Him from another."+F44
And of another state it is said:
"Every day doth some new work employ
Him."+F45 This is the food whose savor changeth
not, whose color altereth not. If thou eatest
thereof, thou shalt verily chant this verse: "I
turn my face to Him Who hath created the
Heavens and the earth ... I am not one of
those who add gods to God."+F46 "And thus did
we show Abraham the Kingdom of the Heavens
and of the Earth, that He might be established
+F43 &Qur'an 76:13.
+F44 This quotation is from one of the commentators on
+F44 &Qur'an 55:29. Cf. the dictionary &Lisanu'l-'Arab.
+F45 &Qur'an 55:29.
+F46 &Qur'an 6:79.
+P62{~
in knowledge."+F47 Wherefore, put thy
hand into thy bosom, then stretch it forth with
power, and behold, thou shalt find it a light unto
all the world. +F48
How crystal this cool water that the Cup-Bearer
bringeth! How bright this pure wine in
the hands of the Beloved! How delicate this
draught from the Heavenly Cup! May it do
them good, whoso drink thereof, and taste of
its sweetness and attain to its knowledge.
It is not fitting that I tell thee more,
For the stream's bed cannot hold the sea.+F49
For the mystery of this utterance is hid
within the storehouse of the Great Infallibility+F50
and laid up in the treasuries of power. It
is sanctified above the jewels of explanation;
it is beyond what the most subtle of tongues
can tell.
Astonishment here is highly prized, and utter
poverty essential. Wherefore hath it been
said, "Poverty is My pride."+F51 And again: "God
hath a people beneath the dome of glory, whom
+F47 &Qur'an 6:75.
+F48 Cf. &Qur'an 7:105 etc., and &Hadith.
+F49 The &Mathnavi.
+F50 &Ismat-i-Kubra, the invariable attribute of the Divine
+F50 Manifestation.
+F51 &Muhammad.
+P63{~
He hideth in the clothing of radiant poverty."+F52
These are they who see with His eyes,
hear with His ears, as it is written in the well-known
tradition.
Concerning this realm, there is many a tradition
and many a verse, of broad or special
relevancy, but two of these will suffice to serve
as a light for men of mind and heart.
The first is His statement: "O My Servant!
Obey Me and I shall make thee like unto Myself.
I say `Be,' and it is, and thou shalt say `Be,' and
it shall be."
And the second: "O Son of Adam! Seek
fellowship with none until thou hast found Me,
and whenever thou shalt long for Me, thou shalt
find Me close to thee."
Whatever high proofs and wondrous allusions
are recounted herein, concern but a single
Letter, a single Point. "Such hath been the way
of God ... and no change canst thou find in
the way of God."+F53
I began this epistle some time ago, in thy
remembrance, and since thy letter had not
reached me then, I began with some words of
reproach. Now, thy new missive hath dispelled
that feeling and causeth Me to write thee. To
+F52 &Hadith.
+F53 &Qur'an 33:62; 48:23.
+P64{~
speak of My love for thine Eminence is needless.
"God is a sufficient witness!"+F54 For his
Eminence &Shaykh &Muhammad--May God the
Exalted bless him!--I shall confine Myself to
the two following verses which I request be
delivered to him:
I seek thy nearness, dearer than sweet
Heaven;
I see thy visage, fairer than Paradise
bowers.+F55
When I entrusted this message of love to
My pen, it refused the burden, and it swooned
away. Then coming to itself, it spoke and said,
"Glory be to Thee! To Thee do I turn in penitence,
and I am the first of them that believe."+F56
Praise be to God, the Lord of the
worlds!
Let us tell, some other day
This parting hurt and woe;
Let us write, some other way,
Love's secrets--better so.
+F54 &Qur'an 4:164.
+F55 &Sa'di.
+F56 &Qur'an 7:140.
+P65{~
Leave blood and noise and all of these,
And say no more of &Shams-i-Tabriz.+F57
Peace be upon thee, and upon those who
circle around thee and attain thy meeting.
What I had written ere this hath been eaten
by the flies, so sweet was the ink. As &Sa'di
saith: "I shall forbear from writing any longer,
for my sweet words have drawn the flies about
me."
And now the hand can write no more, and
pleadeth that this is enough. Wherefore do I
say, "Far be the glory of thy Lord, the Lord
of all greatness, from what they affirm of
Him."+F58
+F57 &Shams-i-Tabriz, the &Sufi who exerted a powerful
+F57 influence on &Jalalu'd-Din &Rumi, diverting his attention
+F57 from science to Mysticism. A great part of &Rumi's works
+F57 are dedicated to him. These lines are from the &Mathnavi.
+F58 &Qur'an 37:180.