Seven Valleys and Four Valleys should be regarded 
as independent Tablets, as they were revealed to different persons.<br />

<div align="right">–SHOGHI EFFENDI</div>

<br /><br /><hr /><a name="vii" /><br />

<div align="center">PREFACE</div>
<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 
The Bahá'í Faith came into being in Shíráz,
Persia, the night of May 22, 1844. 'Alí Muhammad, 
a descendant of Muhammad, stunned His
young guest, Mullá Husayn, by declaring Himself 
to be a Messenger of God. He assumed the
title of Báb or Gate. Like John the Baptist, He
claimed to be the Herald of One greater than
Himself. Beyond this, He claimed to be an independent 
Prophet with authority to change existing 
religious practices and to reveal prayers and
laws. His message would be supplanted by that
of "Him Whom God shall manifest."<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

The Báb was born in Shíráz, Persia, the city
of the poets Háfiz and Sa'dí, on October 20, 1819.
When He was a child, His goodness and innate
knowledge amazed His teacher. Later, His sense
of probity and justice as a merchant set a standard
for the business community.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

The years following the Báb's Declaration were
filled with turmoil. In a single year, the ferociously 
fanatical and ignorant Persian Muslims murdered 
4,000 adherents of His Cause. The first to

<br /><br /><hr /><a name="viii" /><br />


believe in Him was shot from ambush; His greatest
disciple, Quddús, was torn to pieces in the public
square of Bárfurúsh (Bábul). Táhirih, the most
outstanding Bábí woman, bravely and defiantly
cried out to her captors, "You can kill me as soon
as you like but you cannot stop the emancipation
of women."<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

Among the Báb's many books, some written
while a prisoner in the mountains of Ádhirbáyján,
the most widely known are the Persian <i>Bayán</i> and the
Arabic <i>Bayán</i>. These works were translated into
French by A. L. M. Nicolas, the Persian-born
French consul at Tabríz who was fascinated by
the life and teachings of the Prophet of Shíráz.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

It was for the love of Bahá'u'lláh, the Glory of
God, that the Báb sacrificed His life. His dramatic
martyrdom took place in the windswept barracks
square of Tabríz at noon on July 9, 1850.

<br /><br /><div align="center">2.</div><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

The central figure in the second period of Bahá'í
history was Bahá'u'lláh, the One foretold by the
Báb. He was born in Tihrán, Persia, on November 
12, 1817. His given name was Husayn 'Alí;
later He assumed the title Bahá'u'lláh, meaning
"Glory of God."<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

Husayn 'Alí was of a noble, respected, and
wealthy family. A career in government service

<br /><br /><hr /><a name="ix" /><br />

was open to Him, but He was not interested in
politics. His kingdom was not of this world.
Turning His back on a life of luxury, He early
championed the Cause of the Báb. He knew that
this action would lead to privation, suffering, and
persecution for Himself and His loved ones. The
blow fell in August 1852 when He was incarcerated 
in the Black Pit of the capital of Persia.
In this underground dungeon. He was surrounded
by thieves and murderers. Heavy chains and fetters 
cut into His flesh. Amidst the horror, agony,
and gloom of this place, the Revelation of
Bahá'u'lláh was bom. The "Most Great Spirit"
appeared to Him in a dream, and on every side
were heard these words: "<i>Verily, we shall render
Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy pen. Grieve
Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither
be Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Erelong
will God raise up the treasures of the earth–men
who will aid Thee through Thyself and through
Thy name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts
of such as have recognized Him.</i>"<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

In January 1853, Bahá'u'lláh and His family
were banished from Persia. He chose Baghdád as
the place of exile. The midwinter journey followed 
a tortuous route through the icy mountains
of Kirmánsháh westward to the city astride the
Tigris. As the years went by, the popularity of
Bahá'u'lláh grew, and leaders of thought would

<br /><br /><hr /><a name="x" /><br />

gather informally around Him along the riverside
and seek His views.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

He would walk along the Tigris, sometimes resting 
at a mosque that remains as a witness of those
days, and compose <i>The Hidden Words</i>, lovely
verses that sum up the essentials of religion. His
foremost work in Baghdád was <i>The Book of Certitude</i>. 
This dealt with the theme of progressive
revelation, the doctrine that Prophets reveal teachings 
according to the needs and capacity of the
people. His influence waxed too strong to suit the
rulers of Persia and Turkey, and they decided to
send Him farther from His homeland.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

On April 22, 1863, He left His home, crossed
the Tigris, and pitched His tent in a garden which
He named the Garden of Ridván or Paradise.
Here He declared to His trusted friends that He
was the Manifestation of God, sent to earth to
bring the long-promised reign of righteousness.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

Exile followed in Constantinople and in Adrianople, 
where Bahá'u'lláh publicly proclaimed His
mission. In Adrianople in 1863, He revealed the
Tablet of the Kings (Súriy-i-Mulúk), warning the
kings of East and West that disobedience to God
would lead to their downfall.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

Bahá'u'lláh was finally exiled in 1868 to the
ancient prison at 'Akká, Palestine, the St. Jean
d'Acre of the Crusaders. In the Holy Land, He
wrote the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, or Most Holy Book. In

<br /><br /><hr /><a name="xi" /><br />

it He prescribes obligatory prayers, sets the dates
for fasting and festivals, and condemns backbiting,
idleness, and cruelty to animals. The book forbids
the use of opium and alcohol for other than scientific purposes and prohibits slavery, begging, and
monasticism. It ordains monogamy and interdicts
gambling. The writing of a testament is held to
be a duty. Every Bahá'í is commanded to obey his
government. Among the Bahá'í virtures are spotless 
cleanliness, chastity, trustworthiness, hospitality, 
courtesy, and justice.

<br /><br /><div align="center">3.</div><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

<i>The Seven Valleys</i> of Bahá'u'lláh may be regarded 
as the summit of achievement in the realm
of mystical composition. This profound essay was
written in response to questions of Shaykh Muhyi'd-Dín, 
the judge of Khániqín, a town situated near
the Persian border northeast of Baghdád. The
judge was evidently a student of Súfí philosophy,
a variety of mysticism that developed as a movement 
within Islám. The goal of the Súfí was to attain 
the Presence of God through meditation and
prayer, contemplation and ecstacy. A special terminology 
was developed to explain the stages of
spiritual progress. Some Súfís embraced the doctrine 
that they could approach God directly without 
assistance from Muhammad or other Prophets.
This view logically led to the tenet that the Súfís were

<br /><br /><hr /><a name="xii" /><br />

exempt from the laws of religion and that for them,
even if not for the multitude, conscience was a safe
guide. The greatest of the Persian mystics, Jalálu'd-Dín 
Rúmí and al-Ghazzálí, contested this
theory, affirming that only through obedience to
the laws of God as revealed by His Messengers
could one attain unto the Divine Presence.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

Shaykh Muhyi'd-Dín was doubtless conversant
with the writings of the twelfth century Persian
Súfí, Faridu'd-Dín 'Attár. 'Attár's most esteemed
work was the <i>Mantiqu't-Tayr</i> or Language of the
Birds. In it the journey of the soul is traced
through Seven Valleys: Search, Love, Knowledge, 
Detachment, Unification, Bewilderment, and
Annihilation. Bahá'u'lláh employed a similar, although 
not identical, pattern in His Persian <i>Seven
Valleys</i> which delineates the seven stages of progress 
of the soul toward the object of its being.
Bahá'u'lláh wrote this work after His return to
Baghdád from the mountains near Sulaymáníyyih,
The subject is essentially timeless and placeless,
the inner verities of religion. The spiritual realities 
are the same in all the established religions,
and they constitute the foundation of faith. This
is the purport of the declaration of Bahá'u'lláh
concerning His Faith: "This is the changeless
Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the
future."<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 

<i>The Four Valleys</i>, an epistle written in Baghdád

<br /><br /><hr /><a name="xiii" /><br />

after the composition of <i>The Seven Valleys</i>, was
addressed to the learned Shaykh 'Abdu'r-Rahmán
of Karkúk, a city of 'Iráqí Kurdistán. It sets forth
four ways in which the Unseen is seen, the four
stages of the human heart, and the four kinds of
mystic wayfarers in quest of the Intended One, the
Praiseworthy One, the Attracting One, the Beloved.
The four divine states are given in this verse from the
Qur'án (57:3): "He is the first and the last; the Seen
and the Hidden; and He knoweth all things."

<br /><br />
<div align="right">–ROBERT L. GULICK, JR.<br />
<i>February 1, 1975</i></div>