The Four Valleys
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The First Valley
If the travelers seek after the goal of the Intended One (maqsud), this station appertaineth to the self--but that self which is The Self of God standing within Him with laws.(90) On this plane, the self is not rejected but beloved; it is well-p... The Four Valleys
_He is the Strong, the Well-Beloved!_ O light of truth, Hisam-i-Din, the bounteous, No prince hath the world begot like unto Thee!(81) I am wondering why the tie of love was so abruptly severed, and the firm covenant of friendship broken.... The Fourth Valley
If the mystic knowers be of those who have reached to the beauty of the Beloved One (Mahbub), this station is the apex of consciousness and the secret of divine guidance. This is the center of the mystery: He doth what He willeth, ordaineth what H... The Second Valley
If the wayfarer's goal be the dwelling of the Praiseworthy One (Mahmud),(99) this is the station of primal reason which is known as the Prophet and the Most Great Pillar.(100) Here reason signifieth the divine, universal mind, whose sovereignty en... The Third Valley
If the loving seekers wish to live within the precincts of the Attracting One (Majdhub),(107) no soul may dwell on this Kingly Throne save the beauty of love. This realm is not to be pictured in words. Love shunneth this world and that world t... The Valley Of True Poverty And Absolute Nothingness
This station is the dying from self and the living in God, the being poor in self and rich in the Desired One. Poverty as here referred to signifieth being poor in the things of the created world, rich in the things of God's world. For when the tr...