M6:117 — لیک تمثیلی و تصویری کنند / تا که در یابد ضعیفی عشقمند

Translation: But (we) render them through metaphor and imagery, So that any weak one who is love-bound may grasp it. Meaning: Profound, transcendent truths, being inexpressible directly, are conveyed through metaphor and imagery, allowing even those with intellects too weak for direct apprehension to understand them through the lens of their love for truth.

This verse offers a crucial insight into Mowlana's mode of expression, and indeed, the mode of all prophets and mystics. I have often emphasized that truth resides in realms beyond language and thought; it cannot be contained in space or limits, and our minds are incapable of encompassing it. But does this imply absolute silence? Absolutely not. For if we say nothing, humanity remains deprived of it, and if we speak in direct, philosophical terms, one's foot slips and falls into error. Mowlana himself states elsewhere: "If I speak of it, your foot will slip; if I say nothing of it, woe unto you!"

So what is the solution? The solution is precisely what is stated in this verse: "they render them through metaphor and imagery." Our language, and the language of the prophets, is a symbolic and imagistic language. These images and metaphors act as a bridge between the formless world and the world of forms, between what is unsayable and what must be said in some manner. This is precisely where art and mysticism intertwine; where the divine word emerges not as mere logical argument, but as inspiration and parable. This is the "revelation of the heart" that Mowlana speaks of, not merely the "revelation of the senses."

The key point here is the "weak one who is love-bound" (ḍaʿīfī-yi ʿishqmand). All intellects, whether that of a philosopher or an ordinary person, are weak in the face of the unmediated apprehension of higher levels of truth. The function of thought (fikr) is to clarify the unknown, but in those higher realms, everything is pure light, and there is nothing unknown for thought to engage with. There, "Where is thought? There, all is pure light." So what is the path? The path is "love" (ʿishq). Although the intellect may be weak, if the heart is bound by the love of truth, this weakness is compensated. Truth knocks on the door of lovers. Love opens the inner language, and it is for this reason that Mowlana believes the Masnavi makes the "frozen" intellect "flow" (basīl); that is, it makes the frozen, stagnant intellect warm and flow with the heat of love and metaphor. These metaphors excite the intellect and pull it out of stagnation so that it can gradually apprehend those sublime meanings. This is not merely a method of expression, but an epistemological method in which the function of the loving heart takes precedence over the purely logical function of the intellect. Here, an example does not mean "like"; rather, it is an "example" that opens the way to apprehension, not that it brings a likeness or parallel for truth.

Key takeaways

• Truth resides in realms beyond direct language and intellect, thus inexpressible in ordinary terms.
• Conveying profound truths through metaphor and imagery is a divine and prophetic method.
• Intellects are "weak" in grasping ultimate truths directly, but love compensates for this weakness.
• The "frozen" intellect melts and flows (basīl) through the warmth of love and the language of metaphor.
• Mowlana's (and prophets') language is primarily symbolic and metaphorical, not purely philosophical or argumentative.
• An example or metaphor serves to open up apprehension, not to provide a literal likeness of truth.