Between The Lines!

Haft Vady Eshgh
The Seven Levels of "Unconditional Love"

Attar Nishabory, an Iranian Mystical Poet, and a Sufi, was a friend of Rumi's Father. At the
age of 12 when Rumi and his father were visiting him, he gave a copy of his book, "The
Secrets of Universe", to Rumi. He told his father, "this young boy some day will put fire
in the heart of all seekers of love".

In his six volumes of The Book, "Masnavi Mathnavi", Rumi, remembers and humbles himself
to Attar as one of the gifted Mystical Poet of all times. In one of his poems, Rumi,
refers to his old teacher again, saying:

Attar traveled all seven Cities of "Unconditional Love",
We are still stagnating around the street corner.

To elaborate more on the significance of Number Seven, as it is customary  in most ancient
cultures, different numbers have meaningful cultural significance. In the Ancient Iranian
Culture, Number Seven had a Mystical connotation. In order to arrive to a higher level of
realization, one had to go through Seven Stages of Self-Realization in order to free
oneself from the limited sphere of one's thoughts.

The Seven Levels or Cities for arriving at The "Unconditional Love", according to Rumi, Are:

   1. Talab: Yearning Desire
   2. Eshgh: Loving or benevolence
   3. Marafat: Internalizing all cultivation and make them part of one's character.
   4. Esteghna: Needlessness
   5. Tohid: Realizing the only inner God
   6. Hirat: The State of "awe"
   7. Fana: Unity

These stages, needless to say, need not to be in chronological orders. The above
simplification is for providing bits of food in the level of thoughts for the digestion
by our limited mind only! 

Other Iranian Mystical Poets, such as Khajeh Abdolah Ansary, have referred to hundred
ranks of attainments, each also has ten more advance levels, or a total of one thousand
levels of upward struggles, before one arrives at The City Of Unconditional Love.

   The Secrets are hidden between the lines
   If I reveal them steadfastly to you,
   The world's fabric will be unraveled.
		Rumi


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