M6:3879 — علم دریاییست بی‌حد و کنار / طالب علمست غواص بحار

Translation: Knowledge is a boundless, shoreless sea; / The seeker of knowledge is a diver in these oceans. Meaning: This verse states that true knowledge is an infinite ocean, and those who seek it must plunge into its depths like intrepid divers, never ceasing their exploration.

This verse is a continuation of Mowlana's central metaphor, bringing before our eyes the infinite ocean of existence and knowledge. I have emphasized from the outset of these lectures that Mowlana himself was like a sea, swimming in the ocean of divine wisdom. Here, he states: "Knowledge is a boundless, shoreless sea; / The seeker of knowledge is a diver in these oceans.

However, Mowlana's intent here is not to refer to just any kind of knowledge. He himself states elsewhere in the Masnavi that true knowledge, or 'ilm, must be mustanbih, meaning awakening. True knowledge is that which is ghaflat-zudā, dispelling heedlessness, not ghaflat-zā, generating it. Many forms of knowledge not only fail to remove heedlessness but also inflate human arrogance and delusions, distancing humanity from its true essence. Instead of lightening one's burden for the spiritual path, they make one sangīnbār (heavy-burdened) and cause one to fall behind the caravan. Humanity is not defined by an accumulation of information in memory, but by how knowledge makes one more authentically human.

Mowlana here draws upon the noble Hadith, "Man Hūmān Lā Yashba'ān: Ṭālib al-Dunyā wa Ṭālib al-'Ilm" — "Two are never satiated: the seeker of worldly things and the seeker of knowledge." Mowlana himself offers a subtle interpretation of this Hadith: he asks, if this 'ilm were of the same nature as dunyā (the world), why would the Prophet (peace be upon him) mention it as a separate category alongside the seeker of worldly things? If it were merely worldly knowledge, it would be subsumed under the seeker of dunyā, and the distinction would be redundant. It is clear, then, that this 'ilm, whose seeker is never satiated, is not of this world; rather, it is ghayr-i dunyā (other than worldly) and belongs to the realm of ākhirat (the spiritual/eschatological). This is the knowledge that frees one from īnjā (this world) and guides one towards Truth.

The seeker of such knowledge, in Mowlana's view, is a ghavvāṣ-i biḥār (a diver of oceans). A diver, unlike someone who merely stays on the surface or flails ignorantly and drowns, descends calmly, focused, and with dignity into the depths. Mowlana himself uses this very analogy elsewhere, stating: "That calm of a swimmer in familiar waters / Is better than the frantic effort of a novice (a'jamī) who flails with hands and feet." The ghavvāṣ-i biḥār, therefore, is someone who engages not merely with the surface of the water, but with its profound depths, moving forward calmly and confidently in those deep reaches, not with fruitless flailing. This quest, Mowlana asserts, is endless: "Even if his life be a thousand years, / He will not be sated with seeking. This unending quest itself is a sign of the true nature of the knowledge Mowlana speaks of.

Key takeaways

• True knowledge is a boundless sea from which its seeker is never sated.
• This 'ilm (knowledge) must be awakening and dispelling of heedlessness, not a source of arrogance or spiritual heaviness.
• Mowlana considers this knowledge to be 'other than worldly,' guiding humanity towards Truth.
• The genuine seeker of knowledge, like a patient and focused diver, calmly and continuously explores the depths, eschewing frantic, futile efforts.
• The quest and journey into this ocean of gnosis, even with a thousand years of life, remains endless.