And should the
servant ascend to even loftier heights, quit this mortal world of dust, and
seek to ascend unto the celestial abode, he will then pass from this city [the
City of the Garden of Wonderment] into the City of Absolute Nothingness, that
is, of dying to self and living in God. In this station, this most exalted
habitation, this journey of utter self-effacement, the wayfarer forgetteth his
soul, spirit, body, and very being, immerseth himself in the sea of
nothingness, and liveth on earth as one unworthy of mention. Nor will one find
any sign of his existence, for he hath vanished from the realm of the visible
and attained unto the heights of self-abnegation.
Were We to recount
the mysteries of this city, the dominions of the hearts of men would be laid to
waste in the intensity of their longing for this mighty station. For this is
the station wherein the effulgent glories of the Beloved are revealed to the sincere
lover and the resplendent lights of the Friend are cast upon the severed heart
that is devoted to Him.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’)
