Bahá’í World/Volume 3/The City of Certitude
THE CITY OF CERTITUDE:
WORDS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
O MY brother, when a true seeker determines to take the step of search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate turn him away from the truth. Even as thou dost witness in this day how most of the people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the Embodiments of the Divine mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of forgetfulness and error. That seeker must at all times put his trust in God, must renounce the peoples of the earth, detach himself from this world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vainglory, cling unto patience and resignation, keep silence, and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smouldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a while, whilst the effects of the latter endure a century.
That seeker should also regard backbiting
as grievous error, and keep himself away
from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting
quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul. He should
be content with little, and be free from all
inordinate desire. He should treasure the
companionship of those that have renounced
the world, and regard avoidance of boastful
and worldly people a precious blessing. At
the dawn of every day he should commune
with God, and with all his soul persevere
in the quest of his Beloved. He should consume every wayward thought with the
flame of His loving mention, and, with the
swiftness of lightning, pass by all else save
Him. He should succor the dispossessed,
and never withhold his favor from the
destitute. He should show kindness to animals, how much more to his fellow-man,
him who is endowed with utterances. He
should not hesitate to offer up his life for
his Beloved, nor allow the censure of the
people to turn him away from the Truth.
He should not wish for others that which
he doth not wish for himself, not promise
that which he will not fulfil. He should
with all his heart eschew fellowship with
evil doers, and pray for the remission of
their sins. He should forgive the sinful,
and never despise his low estate, for none
knoweth what his own end shall be. How
often hath a sinner, at the hour of death,
attained to the essence of faith, and, quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken his
flight unto the Celestial Concourse. And
how often hath a devout believer, at the
hour of his soul’s ascension, been so changed
as to fall into the nethermost fire. Our
purpose in revealing these convincing and
weighty utterances is to impress upon the
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seeker that he should regard all else beside
God as transient, and count all things save
Him, Who is the Object of all adoration,
as utter nothingness.
These are among the attributes of the exalted, and are the sign of the spiritually minded. They have already been mentioned in connection with the requirements of the wayfarers that tread the path of positive Knowledge. When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled these essential conditions, then and only then can he be called a true seeker. Whensoever he hath fulfilled the conditions implied in the verse: “Whoso maketh efforts for Us”, he shall enjoy the blessing conferred by the words: “in Our ways shall We assuredly guide him.”
Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker’s heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be chased away, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dispelled, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn, and will, through the trumpet-blast of Knowledge, awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the sleep of heedlessness. Then will the manifold favors and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute Certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of Divine Revelation and the evidences of an everlasting Manifestation.
By the righteousness of God! Were he that treadeth the path of guidance and seeketh to scale the heights of righteousness to attain unto this glorious and supreme station, he will inhale at a distance of a thousand leagues the fragrance of God, and will discern the resplendent morn of Divine Guidance rising above the dayspring of all things. Each and every thing, however small, will be to him a revelation, leading him to his Beloved, the Object of his quest. So great shall be the discernment of this Seeker that he will discriminate between truth and falsehood even as he doth distinguish the sun from shadow. If in the uttermost corners of the East the sweet savors of God be wafted, he will assuredly recognize and inhale their fragrance, even though he be dwelling in the uttermost ends of the West. He will likewise clearly distinguish all the signs of God—His wondrous utterances, His great works, and mighty deeds —from the doings, words, and ways of men, even as the jeweler knoweth the gem from the stone, and even as man distinguisheth spring from autumn and heat from cold. When the channel of the human soul is cleansed of all worldly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive the Breath of the Beloved across immeasurable distances, and will, led by its perfume, attain and enter the City of Certitude. Therein he will discern the wonders of the ancient Wisdom of God, and will perceive all the hidden teachings from the rustling leaves of the Tree which flourisheth in that City. With both his inner and his outer ear he will hear from its dust the hymns of glory and praise ascending unto the Lord of Lords, and, with his inner eye, will he discover the mysteries of “return and “revival.” How unspeakably glorious are the signs, the tokens, the revelations, and splendors which He Who is the King of Names and Attributes hath destined for that City! It quencheth thirst without water, and kindleth the love of God without fire. Within every blade of grass are enshrined the mysteries of an inscrutable Wisdom, and upon every rose-bush a myriad nightingales pour out in blissful rapture their melody. Its wondrous tulips unfold the mystery of the Burning Bush, and its sweet savors of holiness breathe the perfume of the Messianic Spirit. It bestoweth wealth without gold, and imparteth immortality without death. In every leaf ineffable delights are treasured, and within every chamber unnumbered mysteries lie hidden.
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They that valiantly labor in quest of
God will, when once they have renounced
all else but Him, be so attached and wedded
to that City that a moment's separation
from it would to them be unthinkable. They
will hearken unto infallible proofs from
the hyacinth of that assembly, and receive
the surest testimonies from the beauty of its
rose and the melody of its nightingale.
Once in about a thousand years shall this City be renewed and readorned. Wherefore, O my friend, it behoveth us to exert the highest endeavor to attain unto that City, and, by the grace of God and His loving-kindness, rend asunder the “veils of glory”; so that we may, with inflexible steadfastness, sacrifice our withered soul in the path of the New Beloved.
