# Seven Cities in the Spiritual Journey to God

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

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> Bahá'u'lláh wrote two books each of which he called The Seven Valleys.
> They were revealed at the request of an Islamic philosopher, one of the
> Sufis.  This man was attracted to the Cause when Bahá'u'lláh was living at
> Somereh.  He asked Baha'Ullah many questions and many epistles were
> revealed in reply to these questions.  The Persian Seven Valleys has been
> translated into English.  It is the untranslated Arabic one which I will
> explain to you.
> 
> The title of this book is The Seven Cities.  It describes the spiritual
> journey of those who wish to approach God.  It begins in this way:
> 
> "O thou traveler in the path of justice!  O ye who are gazing toward the
> beauty of God!  Your letter has been received.  I carefully read your
> questions and heard the melodies which emanated from the tabernacle of your
> heart.  The clouds of the will of God are rising that the rain of wisdom
> may shower upon you and wash away that which you have received from
> others."  That is to say, you will be purified from previous ideas and
> inclinations and prejudices; your attitude will be changed and you will be
> led to the oneness of the mind of God and guided to the holy law of God in
> order that you may drink from this eternal river and your soul may become
> tranquil, your thirst may be quenched, your heart be made ready and you may
> become one of those who are lighted by the illumination of God.
> 
> 
> I. INVESTIGATION
> 
> If the traveler wishes to accomplish this journey and attain to the
> mysteries of God and pass through all these stages of God he must first of
> all enter into the City of Investigation.  When he enters this city of
> Search or Investigation he must sever himself from everything but God.  He
> must become selfless and lose his will in the will of God, must pass over
> everything which is in earth and heaven. There must be in his heart no
> hatred of anyone neither especially attachment to anyone.  That is to say,
> he must love all humanity impartially, not having special love for special
> people since this love or hatred might prevent him from attaining to
> reality.
> 
> Another thing which is incumbent upon the traveler is that he should purify
> himself from pride, selfishness and ambition.  He must never show any sign
> of selfishness; he must not be proud of his education, his property or
> position.  When he has characterized himself with these attributes he will
> then arrive at the City of the Investigation of God.  All that he asks[,]
> God will there make manifest and will show to him His many paths.  God will
> make His illumined path clear to him for He says: "Those who are
> endeavoring to find us and are searching after Us according to the
> aforementioned conditions, it will be Our intention to make Ourself known
> to them."
> 
> The traveler who starts out upon this journey will see many changes along
> the way.  The wonders of God and the mysteries of creation will become
> manifest to him and he will be informed concerning the path of God and the
> path of guidance.  This is the first city, the City of Search and
> Investigation, and the requirement for this city is perfect
> severance--severance from all save God.
> 
> 
> II. LOVE
> 
> If we become purified from love and hatred then we enter into the City of Love.
> 
> In this place the divine zephyrs of God will waft upon the traveler; his
> heart will become filled with the love of God to such an extent that he
> will completely forget his personal self and will know nothing save God.
> He will entirely forget himself and his own personality.  Sometimes he is
> grieving because of separation and is burning and blazing with the fire of
> supplication.  Sometimes he is joyous and happy.  Sometimes he is grieving;
> sometimes discouraged and restless; sometimes perplexed and agitated.  He
> is anxiously awaiting his especial command from God--waiting with all his
> heart and soul--that he may sacrifice his soul and body in the path of God.
> If we greatly persecute him he will take it with utmost joy and happiness.
> He will live in such a state that he will kiss the hands of his
> executioners, and is ever ready to sacrifice his life and property in the
> path of God.  If he be thrown headlong into the fire he will be cold; if
> drowned in the ocean he will be dry.  This is the station of the love of
> God.  These are the attributes of the one who has attained to the City of
> Search and has entered into the City of Love.
> 
> Question: "Will not the traveler have a definite object, in the
> Manifestation of God as the object of his love?"
> 
> Answer:  Some persons pass rapidly through these seven valleys.  He who
> searches for Truth, who longs to know right from wrong, seeks to find God's
> Manifestation for he realizes his inability to understand God's Essence.
> He knows there can be no salvation without the Manifestation of God.  He
> wishes to find the mystery of Manifestation, to grasp the Center of Lights.
> Then he becomes a lover of Truth.
> 
> 
> III. UNITY
> 
> The third city is the City of Divine Oneness.  When man's heart becomes
> filled with love then he sees oneness; he does not see differences.  He
> sees that all things and all objects are looking toward one center.  He
> sees unity among mankind.  He sees unity among the Manifestations of God.
> He sees unity and amity among the friends of God and he sees one underlying
> principle of unity in the teachings of God.  He sees nothing but union in
> union; he does not see differences.  He gazes upon everything in existence
> with respect and homage because he considers all as existing in God, as
> signs of Divinity.  He sees the rays of the Manifestation of God enveloping
> all the world of existence.  He is never haughty toward anyone.  He never
> magnifies himself.  At every instant he feels himself living by the power
> of the Almighty God.  He does not wish for himself what he does not wish
> for others.  He does not say to others what he does not wish said to
> himself.  This is the station of oneness.  Such persons are sailing in the
> ark of guidance.  The rays of the beauty of God are manifest in their faces
> and we can inhale the fragrances of God from their words.  These are the
> characteristics of those who have attained to this city.
> 
> 
> IV. AMAZEMENT
> 
> After the third valley, the valley of Oneness, there comes the valley of
> Amazement and Surprize.  When man reaches this stage he is filled with
> wonder at the world of God.  He is submerged in the world of God, is
> unconscious of himself.  This is the state of amazement.
> 
> There were in Acca a large number of people who were amazed because of the
> beauty of the Beloved (which Baha'Ullah revealed to them.)  They would get
> up three hours before dawn and would walk around the house of Baha'Ullah
> many times.  Then, when the time for the meeting arrived, Baha'Ullah would
> call them in and talk with them.  They were like lovers who were lost in
> the beauty of God the Beloved.  They were amazed.  There are people now who
> have attained to this station.
> 
> 
> V. SELFLESSNESS
> 
> After this stage there comes the City of Selflessness.  In this city man
> dies in the will of God.  That is, his selfish personality dies away.  He
> forgets himself, forgets his body and soul and swims in the ocean of
> selflessness.  He becomes unconscious of himself, of his personal
> existence.  His Holiness Baha'Ullah states that the mysteries of this city
> of selflessness are myriad for this is the city of the evanescence of the
> lover in the Beloved.  When we reach the city of selflessness then the
> beauty of the Beloved becomes manifest to us.  Unless we are selfless we
> cannot see that reality.  If self is forgotten then reality will take the
> place of self.
> 
> 
> VI. IMMORTALITY
> 
> After this city or valley comes the City of Immortality, where the traveler
> forgets his will.  He wishes only what God wishes.  The attributes of God
> will clearly appear within him.  His life will become a divine life.
> 
> 
> VII. THE UNSEEN
> 
> After the station of Immortality comes the station of the Unseen, or of
> Invisibility.  His Holiness Baha'Ullah says that this invisible city is an
> unfathomable and limitless ocean.  This is the world of the Divine
> Attributes.  The Sun of the Unseen dawns from this Dawning-Place of
> Invisibility.  Baha'Ullah says that this is a vast city and very few have
> entered this city; and no one knows anything about this city of the Unseen
> save the Manifestations of God and God Himself.
> 
> 
> SUMMARY
> 
> Everyone enters into the valley of Search and Investigation, because if we
> do not arise for the investigation of God we will never reach God, will
> know nothing of His attributes.  If we do not arise for the search of
> Divinity we will know nothing about Divinity; unless we are thirsty we will
> not appreciate water.  The more we desire to know Truth the sooner we will
> arrive at reality.  Those who are thirstiest will most appreciate water.
> 
> One can easily tell the denizens of each city.  One can easily tell that
> such a man is in the first city; another man has entered the city of love;
> another is passing into the city of oneness, and one can easily see that
> some people are confounded and amazed.
> 
> Some even travel through the city of Amazement and enter the city of
> Selflessness.  Those people have annihilated their will in the will of the
> Glory of God.  They are martyrs; they are living, and walking about, but
> they are really martyrs.  This is what is called the City of Selflessness,
> and this can easily be recognized and discerned.  Some have traversed this
> station and have reached the station of immortality.
> 
> Baha'Ullah says that the traveler will have a test in each city.  If he
> does not pass that test he must go back to the first stage.  It is
> difficult to overcome these tests which are in our way, yet, in order to
> progress we must conquer our selfishness and pride.  All these cities are
> very difficult; but the first is the most difficult--to become
> characterized with the first conditions.  The condition for the first city
> is severance, that is, severance from everything except the love of God.
>
> — *Seven Cities in the Spiritual Journey to God (Used by permission of the curator)*