Now if the lover could have looked ahead, he would have blessed the watchman at the start, and prayed on his behalf, and he would have seen that tyranny as justice; but since the end was veiled to him, he moaned and made his plaint in the beginning.  Yet those who journey in the garden land of knowledge, because they see the end in the beginning, see peace in war and friendliness in anger.

Such is the state of the wayfarers in this Valley; but the people of the Valleys above this see the end and the beginning as one; nay, they see neither beginning nor end, and witness neither “first” nor “last."(24) Nay rather, the denizens of the undying city, who dwell in the green garden land, see not even “neither first nor last”; they fly from all that is first, and repulse all that is last.  For these have passed over the worlds of names, and fled beyond the worlds of attributes as swift as lightning.  Thus is it said:  “Absolute Unity excludeth all attributes."(25) And they have made their dwelling-place in the shadow of the Essence.

Wherefore, relevant to this, Khajih ’Abdu’llah(26)—­may God the Most High sanctify his beloved spirit—­hath made a subtle point and spoken an eloquent word as to the meaning of “Guide Thou us on the straight path,"(27) which is:  “Show us the right way, that is, honor us with the love of Thine Essence, that we may be freed from turning toward ourselves and toward all else save Thee, and may become wholly Thine, and know only Thee, and see only Thee, and think of none save Thee.”

Nay, these even mount above this station, wherefore it is said: 

    Love is a veil betwixt the lover and the loved one;
    More than this I am not permitted to tell.(28)

At this hour the morn of knowledge hath arisen and the lamps of wayfaring and wandering are quenched.(29)

    Veiled from this was Moses
    Though all strength and light;
    Then thou who hast no wings at all,
    Attempt not flight.(30)

If thou be a man of communion and prayer, soar up on the wings of assistance from Holy Souls, that thou mayest behold the mysteries of the Friend and attain to the lights of the Beloved, “Verily, we are from God and to Him shall we return."(31)

After passing through the Valley of knowledge, which is the last plane of limitation, the wayfarer cometh to

The Valley of Unity

and drinketh from the cup of the Absolute, and gazeth on the Manifestations of Oneness.  In this station he pierceth the veils of plurality, fleeth from the worlds of the flesh, and ascendeth into the heaven of singleness.  With the ear of God he heareth, with the eye of God he beholdeth the mysteries of divine creation.  He steppeth into the sanctuary of the Friend, and shareth as an intimate the pavilion of the Loved One.  He stretcheth out the hand of truth from the sleeve of the Absolute; he revealeth