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

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.