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 [1] of “for Us” rejoice in the tidings: “In Our ways will We guide
them.” [2] 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.
(Baha’u’llah,
The Seven Valleys)
[1] The holy Sanctuary at Mecca. Here the word means “goal.”
[2] Qur’an 29:69: “And whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our
ways will We guide them.”
