Seven Valleys of Bahá'u'lláh and Farid ud-Din Attar

By Sheila Banani

Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #26 (English)
Bosch Bahá'í School: California, US
November 26-28, 1999.

published in Lights of Irfan, volume 1, pages 31-36
© 2000, ‘Irfán Colloquia

Abstract:

This mystical work, written by Bahá’u’lláh in the late 1850's before his proclamation, follows his period of withdrawal and seclusion in the mountains of Kurdistan. The seven stages (valleys) is a traditional Eastern mystical concept used to delineate aspects of the spiritual path to God. Bahá’u’lláh's The Seven Valleys is an original work conveyed in the form of a commentary on existing mystical poetry. The metaphor of seven valleys is found in the famous late twelfth-century work of Farídu'd-Dín-i-'Attár called The Conference of the Birds. Comparisons will be made between the two works.

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