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| The Valley of Search. AI Art by BWAA. CC BY-NC 4.0. |
by Glenn Franco Simmons
Within the Bahá’í Writings is a profound mystical masterpiece written by Bahá’u’lláh titled, “The Seven Valleys.”
“{It was} revealed during His exile in Baghdad between 1856 and 1858, following His return from Kurdistan," Grok noted. “These works, addressed to Sufi mystics, outline the soul’s journey toward God, blending Persian poetic traditions with innovative spiritual guidance.”
Shoghi Effendi said “The Seven Valleys” and “The Four Valleys” (to be explored in a subsequent post) are “two outstanding contributions to the world’s religious literature, occupying respectively, positions of unsurpassed preeminence among the doctrinal and ethical writings of the Author of the Bahá’í Dispensation, was added, during that same period, a treatise that may well be regarded as His greatest mystical composition, designated as the ‘Seven Valleys. …’”
Bahá’u’lláh “wrote in answer to the questions of Shaykh Muḥyi’d-Dín, the Qáḍí of Khániqayn, in which He describes the seven stages which the soul of the seeker must needs traverse ere it can attain the object of its existence,” Shoghi Effendi noted.
“Shaykh Muhyi’d-Dín was the Qáḍí (judge) of Khániqayn,” Grok clarified. “He was a learned Sufi of the Qádiríyyih Order. He was the son of Shaykh Hasan of Gilzarda. He was an admirer of Bahá’u’lláh. He posed questions on mystical topics. Later, he quit his position to wander Iraqi Kurdistan as a dervish.
“The Seven Valleys traces the seeker’s ascent through seven spiritual stages, each building upon the last to foster detachment and divine nearness. The Valley of Search initiates the journey, requiring patience and detachment from worldly veils. Bahá’u’lláh urges the traveler to ‘cleanse his heart … of the idle sayings of the mystic leaders,’ and seek truth independently. Shoghi Effendi highlighted this work’s mystical depth, noting how it elevates the soul toward its ultimate purpose.”
“The Valley of Love follows, where passion for the Divine consumes the seeker, transcending reason,” Grok noted. “Bahá'u'lláh quotes Faríd ud-Dín ‘Attár (d. 1220), a renowned 12th-13th century Persian Sufi poet and pharmacist from Nishapur, best known for his epic “The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq al-Tayr),” which similarly traces a soul’s journey through valleys in allegorical form: ‘The steed of this Valley is pain; and if there be no pain this journey will never end.’ This stage involves enduring trials, as exemplified by Biblical and Qur’anic stories of love’s transformative power, such as the Prophet Jacob’s (Ya’qub in Islam, a patriarch known for his patience and devotion) longing for his son Joseph (Yusuf, a prophet symbolizing beauty and forgiveness amid suffering).”
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| Valley of Knowledge. AI Art by BWAA. CC BY-NC 4.0. |
Insight begins to dawn on the seeker in the Valley of Knowledge.
“The seeker understands that ‘in every city he will behold a world, in every Valley reach a spring,’ perceiving God’s signs everywhere without attachment to grief or joy,” Grok stated. “The Valley of Unity dissolves illusions of separation, where ‘the wayfarer in this Valley seeth in the fashionings of the True One nothing save clear tokens of the Almighty.’ Here, all creation reflects the Divine essence.
“Contentment brings inner wealth independent of material circumstances. Shoghi Effendi’s portrayal of these stages as essential for attaining existence’s object aligns with Bahá’u’lláh’s emphasis on spiritual sufficiency.
“Wonderment fills the soul with awe at divine manifestations, leading to the final Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness,” Grok continued. “This pinnacle represents self-annihilation, where the seeker achieves ‘the dying from self and the living in God.’ Shoghi Effendi affirmed the treatise’s role in guiding the soul through these traversals to its divine goal.”
