Reflections on The Four Valleys of Bahá’u’lláh
Catch a falling star - artwork by Margaret Bremner
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How to Cite

Hemmat, A. “Reflections on The Four Valleys of Bahá’u’lláh”. The Journal of Bahá’í Studies, vol. 30, no. 4, Sept. 2021, pp. 11-51, doi:10.31581/jbs-30.4.300(2020).

Abstract

The Four Valleys was revealed in Bagdad in a mystical language and style, in response to a request made by a prominent Sufi. Yet, despite the traditional Sufi concepts, language, and symbolism employed by Bahá’u’lláh, studying the text in light of the totality of Bahá’í writings demonstrates that its main purpose is to guide the wayfarers to the recognition of the Manifestation of God, soon to be revealed to be Bahá’u’lláh Himself. Furthermore, understanding the text as portraying two complementary paradigms—four parallel paths towards God and the four stages of a single path—leads to integrative and holistic perspectives and practices prescribed in the Bahá’í writings.

https://doi.org/10.31581/jbs-30.4.300(2020)
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. If you wish to adapt, remix, transform, or build upon this work in any way, you may not distribute your work without first contacting the Editor for permission.

Copyright © 2021 Amrollah Hemmat