…the stages that mark the wayfarers’ journey from their
mortal abode to the heavenly homeland are said to be seven. Some have referred
to them as seven valleys, and others, as seven cities. And it is said that
until the wayfarer taketh leave of self and traverseth these stages, he shall
never attain the ocean of nearness and reunion nor taste of the matchless 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 become 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 Kaaba of “for Us” rejoice in the
tidings “In Our ways shall We assuredly guide them.” [Qur’án 29:69] In their
search, they have stoutly girded up the loins of service and at every moment
journey from the plane of heedlessness into the realm of search. No bond shall
hold them back and no counsel deter them.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Seven Valleys’,
2019 revised translation by the Baha’i World Centre; ‘The Call of the Divine
Beloved’)
