CXXV. O My brother!When
a true seeker determineth to take the step of
search in the
path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he
must, before
all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of the
revelation
of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all
acquired knowledge,
and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy.
He must purge
his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of
the Beloved,
of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that
pertaineth
to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments.
He must so
cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may
linger therein,
lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate
repel him away
from the truth. Even as thou dost witness in this Day how
most of the
people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the
immortal Face,
have strayed far from the Embodiments of the Divine
mysteries,
and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of oblivion
and error.
That seeker
must, at all times, put his trust in God, must renounce the
peoples of
the earth, must detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave
unto Him Who
is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself above
any one, must
wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride
and vain-glory,
must cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence
and refrain
from idle talk. For the tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess
of speech a
deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the
fire of the
tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former
lasteth but
for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century.
That seeker
should, also, regard backbiting as grievous error, and keep
himself aloof
from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light
of the heart,
and extinguisheth the life of the soul. He should be content
with little,
and be freed from all inordinate desire. He should treasure
the companionship
of them that have renounced the world, and regard
avoidance of
boastful and worldly people a precious benefit. At the dawn
of every day
he should commune with God, and, with all his soul, persevere
in the quest
of his Beloved. He should consume every wayward thought with
the flame of
His loving mention, and, with the swiftness of lightning, pass
by all else
save Him. He should succor the dispossessed, and never withhold
his favor from
the destitute. He should show kindness to animals, how much
more unto his
fellow-man, to him who is endowed with the power of utterance.
He should not
hesitate to offer up his life for his Beloved, nor allow the
censure of
the people to turn him away from the Truth. He should not wish
for others
that which he doth not wish for himself, nor promise that which
he doth not
fulfil. With all his heart he should avoid fellowship with
evil-doers,
and pray for the remission of their sins. He should forgive the
sinful, and
never despise his low estate, for none knoweth what his own
end shall be.
How often hath a sinner attained, at the hour of death, to
the essence
of faith, and, quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken his
flight unto
the Concourse on high! And how often hath a devout believer,
at the hour
of his soul's ascension, been so changed as to fall into the
nethermost
fire!
Our purpose
in revealing these convincing and weighty utterances is to
impress upon
the seeker that he should regard all else beside God as
transient,
and count all things save Him, Who is the Object of all
adoration,
as utter nothingness.
These are among
the attributes of the exalted, and constitute the hall-mark
of the spiritually-minded.
They have already been mentioned in connection
with the requirements
of the wayfarers that tread the path of Positive
Knowledge.
When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled
these essential
conditions, then and only then can he be called a true
seeker.
Whensoever he hath fulfilled the conditions implied in the verse:
"Whoso maketh
efforts for Us," he shall enjoy the blessings conferred by
the words:
"In Our Ways shall We assuredly guide him."
Only when the
lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of
passionate
devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled
within the
seeker's heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted
upon his soul,
will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts
and misgivings
be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude
envelop his
being. At that hour will the Mystic Herald, bearing the joyful
tidings of
the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the
morn, and,
through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart,
the soul, and
the spirit from the slumber of heedlessness.
Then will the
manifold favors
and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit
confer such
new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed
with a new
eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will
contemplate
the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the
hidden mysteries
of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive
within every
atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute
certitude.
He will discover in all things the mysteries of Divine
Revelation,
and the evidences of an everlasting Manifestation.
I swear by God!
Were he that treadeth the path of guidance and seeketh to
scale the heights
of righteousness to attain unto this glorious and exalted
station, he
would inhale, at a distance of a thousand leagues, the fragrance
of God, and
would perceive the resplendent morn of a Divine guidance rising
above the Day
Spring of all things. Each and every thing, however small,
would be to
him a revelation, leading him to his Beloved, the Object of his
quest. So
great shall be the discernment of this seeker that he will
discriminate
between truth and falsehood, even as he doth distinguish the
sun from shadow.
If in the uttermost corners of the East the sweet savors of
God be wafted,
he will assuredly recognize and inhale their fragrance, even
though he be
dwelling in the uttermost ends of the West. He will, likewise,
clearly distinguish
all the signs of God--His wondrous utterances, His great
works, and
mighty deeds--from the doings, the words and ways of men, even as
the jeweler
who knoweth the gem from the stone, or the man who
distinguisheth
the spring from autumn, and heat from cold. When the channel
of the human
soul is cleansed of all worldly and impeding attachments, it
will unfailingly
perceive the breath of the Beloved across immeasurable
distances,
and will, led by its perfume, attain and enter the City of
Certitude.
Therein he will
discern the wonders of His ancient Wisdom, and will perceive
all the hidden
teachings from the rustling leaves of the Tree that
flourisheth
in that City. With both his inner and outer
ear, he will hear
from its dust
the hymns of glory and praise ascending unto the Lord of
Lords, and
with his inner eye will he discover the mysteries of "return"
and "revival."
How unspeakably
glorious are the signs, the tokens, the revelations, and
splendors which
He, Who is the King of Names and Attributes, hath destined
for that City!
The attainment unto this City quencheth thirst without water,
and kindleth
the love of God without fire. Within every blade of grass are
enshrined the
mysteries of an inscrutable Wisdom, and upon every rose-bush
a myriad nightingales
pour out, in blissful rapture, their melody. Its
wondrous tulips
unfold the mystery of the undying Fire in the Burning Bush,
and its sweet
savors of holiness breathe the perfume of the Messianic Spirit.
It bestoweth
wealth without gold, and conferreth immortality without death.
In each one
of its leaves ineffable delights are treasured, and within every
chamber unnumbered
mysteries lie hidden.
They that valiantly
labor in quest of God, will, when once they have
renounced all
else but Him, be so attached and wedded unto that City, that
a moment's
separation from it would to them be unthinkable. They will
hearken unto
infallible proofs from the Hyacinth of that assembly, and will
receive the
surest testimonies from the beauty of its Rose, and the melody
of its Nightingale.
Once in about a thousand years shall this City be
renewed and
readorned....
That City is
none other than the Word of God revealed in every age and
dispensation.
In the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of
Jesus, the
Gospel; in the days of Muhammad, the Messenger of God,
the Qur'án;
in this day, the Bayán; and in the Dispensation of Him Whom
God will make
manifest, His own Book--the Book unto which all the Books of
former Dispensations
must needs be referred, the Book that standeth amongst
them all transcendent
and supreme.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 264
The Valley
of Search - first stage
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
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
of "for Us" rejoice in the tidings: "In Our ways will We guide
them."
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.
-- Bahá'u'lláh,
The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 4