M1:315 — گَه چنین بنماید و گَه ضِدّ این / جز که حیرانی نباشد کار دین

Translation: Sometimes it manifests this way, and sometimes its opposite; Nothing but bewilderment is the task of religion.

Meaning: The essence of authentic religious engagement lies in encountering the divine through paradoxical and sometimes contradictory manifestations, leading to a profound state of spiritual bewilderment.

This particular couplet, in my view, unveils one of the most pivotal concepts in the Masnavi and lays bare Mawlana's profound understanding of what it means to be religious: the state of hayrat (bewilderment or amazement). Mawlana explicitly states here that the primary task of religion is to attain a state of bewilderment, not a frozen certainty or an unquestionable, absolute knowledge. For me, this statement by Mawlana is a profound lesson for our times, where many seek an easy, simple God—a God that can be entirely resolved within the framework of human intellect and knowledge, much like a mathematical problem with a definitive answer.

Mawlana, however, argues the opposite. He insists that a God who is easily solvable, who fits neatly into the palm of your hand or the confines of your skull, is not God at all. God must be a source of wonder and bewilderment (hayrat-afkan). In religious experience, truth sometimes manifests in one form, and at other times, in an entirely contradictory guise. It is not that Truth has only one face; rather, 'the Beloved's idol appears in a new guise every moment.' These contradictory and competing manifestations plunge the mystic and seeker into hayrat, prompting the question: 'Which is the true reality?' This is the desired bewilderment, not one born of ignorance or helplessness, but a wonder that stems from the grandeur and infinitude of Truth itself.

I have previously noted how Mawlana describes the Prophet's spiritual ascension (Mi'raj) as entirely imbued with hayrat. The fact that Gabriel initially precedes the Prophet and then falls behind is bewildering to the intellect: 'My wonder grew within this wonder of tales; / The unconscious state of the chosen, in their choicest plight.' These are supra-rational events, beyond the capacity of human understanding, which must be embraced with bewilderment.

Mawlana attributes the origin of this bewildering quality to God's 'unconditioned work' (kār-i bī-chūn). God's actions are not bound by laws or predictability; sometimes, immense effort yields no result, while at other times, without much striving, the gates of paradise swing open. It is this unconditioned and formless nature of God that brings forth hayrat. This is precisely an experience-centered religiosity: a religion that takes shape in humanity's lived encounter with God, not within pre-fabricated mental or intellectual frameworks. Therefore, true religious devotion lies not in reaching definitive answers, but in living within this continuous and profound bewilderment. This state of hayrat is neither mere ignorance nor heedlessness; rather, it is a state of immersion and intoxication in the presence of the Beloved, about which Mawlana declares: 'Not bewildered such that his back is to Him, / But bewildered in such a way that he is drowned and drunk with the Friend.' This hayrat is not merely a path to knowledge; it is, in itself, the destination.

Key takeaways

• Bewilderment (hayrat) is the essential nature of authentic religious practice, not a temporary stage.
• Divine truth manifests to the seeker in paradoxical and contradictory ways, challenging human reason.
• A God easily contained within human understanding is not the true God; God must be a source of bewilderment.
• This bewilderment stems from God's 'unconditioned work' (kār-i bī-chūn), which transcends all laws and predictability.
• Mawlana's hayrat is not born of ignorance, but of immersion and intoxication in the boundless presence of the Real.