O My Brother! When A True Seeker Determineth

Sources: Gleanings From The Writings Of Baha'u'llah

O My brother! When a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in

the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must,

before all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of

the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired

knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must

purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the
br /> Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that

pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments.

He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may

linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate

repel him away from the truth. Even as thou dost witness in this Day how

most of the people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the

immortal Face, have strayed far from the Embodiments of the Divine

mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of

oblivion and error.



That seeker must, at all times, put his trust in God, must renounce the

peoples of the earth, must detach himself from the world of dust, and

cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt

himself above any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every

trace of pride and vain-glory, must cling unto patience and resignation,

observe silence and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smoldering

fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the

body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The

force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the

latter endureth a century.



That seeker should, also, regard backbiting as grievous error, and keep

himself aloof from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the

light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul. He should be

content with little, and be freed from all inordinate desire. He should

treasure the companionship of them that have renounced the world, and

regard avoidance of boastful and worldly people a precious benefit. At the

dawn of every day he should commune with God, and, with all his soul,

persevere in the quest of his Beloved. He should consume every wayward

thought with the flame of His loving mention, and, with the swiftness of

lightning, pass by all else save Him. He should succor the dispossessed,

and never withhold his favor from the destitute. He should show kindness

to animals, how much more unto his fellow-man, to him who is endowed with

the power of utterance. He should not hesitate to offer up his life for

his Beloved, nor allow the censure of the people to turn him away from the

Truth. He should not wish for others that which he doth not wish for

himself, nor promise that which he doth not fulfil. With all his heart he

should avoid fellowship with evil-doers, and pray for the remission of

their sins. He should forgive the sinful, and never despise his low

estate, for none knoweth what his own end shall be. How often hath a

sinner attained, at the hour of death, to the essence of faith, and,

quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken his flight unto the Concourse on

high! And how often hath a devout believer, at the hour of his soul's

ascension, been so changed as to fall into the nethermost fire!



Our purpose in revealing these convincing and weighty utterances is to

impress upon the seeker that he should regard all else beside God as

transient, and count all things save Him, Who is the Object of all

adoration, as utter nothingness.



These are among the attributes of the exalted, and constitute the

hall-mark of the spiritually-minded. They have already been mentioned in

connection with the requirements of the wayfarers that tread the path of

Positive Knowledge. When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath

fulfilled these essential conditions, then and only then can he be called

a true seeker. Whensoever he hath fulfilled the conditions implied in the

verse: "Whoso maketh efforts for Us," he shall enjoy the blessings

conferred by the words: "In Our Ways shall We assuredly guide him."



Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of

passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled

within the seeker's heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted

upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of

doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and

certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the Mystic Herald, bearing

the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God

resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will

awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of

heedlessness. Then will the manifold favors and outpouring grace of the

holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he

will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a

new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will

penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he

will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of

absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of Divine

Revelation, and the evidences of an everlasting Manifestation.



I swear by God! Were he that treadeth the path of guidance and seeketh to

scale the heights of righteousness to attain unto this glorious and

exalted station, he would inhale, at a distance of a thousand leagues, the

fragrance of God, and would perceive the resplendent morn of a Divine

guidance rising above the Day Spring of all things. Each and every thing,

however small, would be to him a revelation, leading him to his Beloved,

the Object of his quest. So great shall be the discernment of this seeker

that he will discriminate between truth and falsehood, even as he doth

distinguish the sun from shadow. If in the uttermost corners of the East

the sweet savors of God be wafted, he will assuredly recognize and inhale

their fragrance, even though he be dwelling in the uttermost ends of the

West. He will, likewise, clearly distinguish all the signs of God--His

wondrous utterances, His great works, and mighty deeds--from the doings,

the words and ways of men, even as the jeweler who knoweth the gem from

the stone, or the man who distinguisheth the spring from autumn, and heat

from cold. When the channel of the human soul is cleansed of all worldly

and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive the breath of the

Beloved across immeasurable distances, and will, led by its perfume,

attain and enter the City of Certitude.



Therein he will discern the wonders of His ancient Wisdom, and will

perceive all the hidden teachings from the rustling leaves of the Tree

that flourisheth in that City. With both his inner and outer ear, he will

hear from its dust the hymns of glory and praise ascending unto the Lord

of Lords, and with his inner eye will he discover the mysteries of

"return" and "revival."



How unspeakably glorious are the signs, the tokens, the revelations, and

splendors which He, Who is the King of Names and Attributes, hath destined

for that City! The attainment unto this City quencheth thirst without

water, and kindleth the love of God without fire. Within every blade of

grass are enshrined the mysteries of an inscrutable Wisdom, and upon every

rose-bush a myriad nightingales pour out, in blissful rapture, their

melody. Its wondrous tulips unfold the mystery of the undying Fire in the

Burning Bush, and its sweet savors of holiness breathe the perfume of the

Messianic Spirit. It bestoweth wealth without gold, and conferreth

immortality without death. In each one of its leaves ineffable delights

are treasured, and within every chamber unnumbered mysteries lie hidden.



They that valiantly labor in quest of God, will, when once they have

renounced all else but Him, be so attached and wedded unto that City, that

a moment's separation from it would to them be unthinkable. They will

hearken unto infallible proofs from the Hyacinth of that assembly, and

will receive the surest testimonies from the beauty of its Rose, and the

melody of its Nightingale. Once in about a thousand years shall this City

be renewed and readorned....



That City is none other than the Word of God revealed in every age and

dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of

Jesus, the Gospel; in the days of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, the

Qur'an; in this day, the Bayan; and in the Dispensation of Him Whom God

will make manifest, His own Book--the Book unto which all the Books of

former Dispensations must needs be referred, the Book that standeth

amongst them all transcendent and supreme.