M1:307 — صحّت این حس بجویید از طبیب / صحّت آن حس بجویید از حبیب

Translation: Seek the health of this sense (worldly) from a physician; / Seek the health of that sense (divine) from a Beloved (spiritual guide). Meaning: This couplet distinguishes between two kinds of senses: our physical senses, whose health is maintained by worldly physicians, and our inner, spiritual sense, which requires the guidance of a divine Beloved or spiritual master for its well-being.

Mawlana here speaks of two distinct modes of perception or ḥiss (sense), each demanding a unique path to its 'health' or ṣiḥḥat. The first is the 'worldly sense' (ḥiss-e dunyā), our familiar outward senses that serve as a ladder to this phenomenal world. This sense distinguishes sweetness from bitterness and discerns a tiny thorn amidst a thousand morsels; it functions for the living, inaccessible to the dead. For the health of these outward senses, we naturally turn to the ṭabīb (physician), the healers of the body. The vitality and prosperity of the physical body directly correlate with the strength and efficacy of these senses.

Yet, Mawlana introduces another ḥiss: the 'religious sense' (ḥiss-e dīnī) or the inner sense, which is the ladder to the heavens. This sense is the inner criterion, the maḥak (touchstone) of the soul, through which one can truly distinguish certainty from doubt, and truth from falsehood. The health of this inner sense, however, is attained through a radically different path: the 'ruin of the body' (wīrānī-ye badan). This is the ancient teaching of Sufis and mystics: to awaken the inner eye, one must curb carnal desires and the body's excesses. This ascetic discipline — this 'less food, less sleep, and less talk' (which Jami attributes to Mawlana's deathbed advice) — is the key to unlocking this sublime sense. Sa'di echoes this wisdom: 'Empty your inside of food / So that you may see the light of gnosis therein.' Imam Ali (as) also stated, 'Gluttony destroys acumen.'

This 'ruin of the body' does not imply literal destruction or extreme, insane asceticism, to which some Sufis succumbed and which Ghazali cautioned against. Rather, it signifies the curbing of desires; a continuous state of fasting that frees the individual from blind habits. Mawlana beautifully illustrates this 'ruin': a house is demolished to uncover a hidden treasure, but with that very treasure, a more splendid house is built. The skin is cut open to extract an arrow, but new skin grows back. A fortress is ruined in battle, but after victory, it is rebuilt with hundreds of new towers and walls. This 'ruin' is a hopeful one, leading to superior construction; it is not a loss but an investment for the discovery of hidden inner treasures.

Here, Mawlana transcends the realm of sharīʿat (exoteric law) and steps into ṭarīqat (the mystic path). Sharīʿat provides ample space for permissible acts; even overeating or excessive sleep, as long as they are not forbidden, are not condemned by jurists and do not outwardly invalidate worship. However, in ṭarīqat, this is not the case; prayer with presence, fasting with presence, and even abstaining from some permissible acts are necessary for the purification of the self. In this path, the 'physician' of this inner sense is not a physical doctor, but the ḥabīb (Beloved); the friends of God, the intimate ones of the Beloved, who, as Hafez says, turn the credit promises of the shaykh into immediate cash, granting the seeker the reward of the path not in the next world, but right here and now, in spiritual ecstasies and transcendent flights. This path, unlike the purely amorous way of ḥaqīqat (ultimate reality), which is an absolute gamble with no expectation of outcome, is a path whose fruits are realized here, where loss is impossible.

Key takeaways

• The health of our physical senses is to be sought from worldly physicians.
• The health of our inner, spiritual senses must be sought from the friends of God and spiritual guides.
• Physical well-being is achieved through caring for the body, but spiritual health through the 'ruin of the body' (curtailing bodily desires).
• This 'ruin' is not destruction, but a form of reconstruction and preparation for a superior spiritual flourishing.
• Unlike sharīʿat, the path of ṭarīqat demands that one forsake even permissible acts for the sake of self-purification.
• On the path of ṭarīqat, spiritual rewards and fruits are received 'in cash' in this world, not merely deferred to the hereafter.