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Chapter 74
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The true seeker.
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 Bahá'u'lláh, 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
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