M6:3679 — از خری باشد تغافل خفته‌وار / که نجویی تا کیست آن خفیه‌کار

Translation: It is out of donkey-like heedlessness, as if in slumber, That you do not seek to know who that hidden agent is.

Meaning: To remain heedless, as if asleep, of the true, hidden agent behind all phenomena is a sign of ignorance and folly; one must strive to uncover this concealed actor.

This verse, without a doubt, extends Mawlana's critique of superficial worldview and his insistence on perceiving the hidden hand of divine providence. Here, Mawlana points to a profound and fundamental aspect of existence and epistemology. This beyt is an invitation to transcend apparent causes and to seek out the "hidden agent" (خفیه‌کار) who orchestrates events behind the scenes of the world.

I believe Mawlana here refers to the age-old debate on "causality" that previously appeared so clearly in Ghazali's works, particularly in Tahafut al-Falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers). Ghazali, with his famous example, asked what guarantee there was that if you tied a bull in a stable and returned, you would find the same bull and not a donkey? This example aimed to demonstrate that "natural causality," as asserted by Peripatetic philosophers, was not certain. From the Ash'arite perspective, the continuity and causality in nature are God's habit, not an inherent necessity; at any moment, God can break this habit, and miracles arise from this very possibility.

Indeed, later, Kant in his philosophy proposed a different view, stating that the continuity and causality in nature do not stem from nature itself but originate from the structure of our minds; it is our mind that imposes these categories upon the world. However, Mawlana opens another path. He says this apparent continuity serves to perpetuate human heedlessness, making us believe that everything proceeds automatically and purely according to natural causes. But if this continuity is suddenly broken—for instance, if a bull transforms into a donkey—then heedlessness of the "hidden agent" (خفیه‌کار) who brought about this change is sheer "donkey-ness" (خری) and ignorance.

Therefore, this verse is more than a moral admonition; it is an epistemological and ontological statement. Mawlana wants to say that to be heedless of the hidden rider on the horse of nature, to ignore divine providence behind apparent causes, is a sign of spiritual blindness. This is the same point he alluded to earlier in the analogy of the physicians and the riderless horse: the physicians saw only the bridle and the horse's wounds, remaining oblivious to the rider. We should not be like that; we must not become so enslaved by causes as to be veiled from "God's cunning" (مکر یزدان)—which is His power of providence. This "hidden agent" (خفیه‌کار) is the one who holds the reins of nature and directs destiny, even when our plans fail and our arrows go astray. To be heedless of Him is utter folly.

Key takeaways

• The verse invites us to look beyond superficial causes and seek the hidden agent of events.
• Mawlana critiques deterministic views of natural causality, aligning with Ash'arite thought to some extent.
• To remain oblivious to the true, hidden agent is a sign of ignorance and folly.
• The verse points to the role of the "hidden agent" (divine providence) in the world's affairs, especially where natural laws seem to break.
• It serves as a warning against absolute reliance on apparent causes and natural laws.