M1:2906 — سر ندارد چون ز ازل بوده‌ست پیش / پا ندارد با ابد بوده‌ست خویش

Translation: It (Love, the Sea of Meanings) has no head, for it has been from eternity (azal), prior to all. It has no foot, for it has been kindred with infinity (abad), forever present. Meaning: This couplet conveys the immense, boundless nature of divine Love and the sea of spiritual knowledge, asserting that it has neither a beginning nor an end, existing eternally.

Mowlana, that grand master of spiritual insights, speaks in this couplet of the boundlessness of Love. He prefaces this by stating, "Love fits not into speech or hearing / Love is a sea with no visible bottom." This beyt continues that imagery of the sea of Love, clarifying its dimensions. He says Love "has no head" (sar nadārad) and "has no foot" (pā nadārad); and immediately, he interprets this metaphor himself: "for it has been from eternity (azal), prior to all" and "it has been kindred with infinity (abad), forever present." This implies that Love is a reality with neither a beginning nor an end. It existed before azal and will continue to exist beyond abad. This expression underscores the trans-historical and trans-temporal nature of divine Love, unconfined by any limitations.

I maintain that these couplets, in essence, highlight a fundamental distinction between mystical and philosophical knowledge. Love, as Mowlana perceives it, belongs to the realm of things that "are to be tasted, not heard." It cannot be approached or its essence discovered through concepts and definitions. It is precisely like fire; there is a vast difference between hearing someone speak of fire and placing one's hand into it to be burned. Mowlana himself states, "If smoke is a proof of fire for some / For us, without smoke, joy is in this fire." Some infer the existence of fire from smoke, but we are seated within the fire itself and require no logical proof.

Philosophers typically engage with truths through concepts and theories; there is always a veil of abstractions and definitions between them and reality. The mystic, however, attains direct, unmediated knowledge. In this domain, conceptual knowledge itself can at times become a "veil" (hijāb) to truth. Would that one were thrown into water or had their hand touch fire before anyone could define what water or fire is. If one remains content with definitions, believing they have grasped the truth, they are held back from direct experience. This couplet, in its metaphorical brevity, is an invitation to transcend the confines of definitions and hearsay, and to immerse oneself in the boundless, endless, headless, and footless sea of Love.

Key takeaways

• Love is an eternal reality, without beginning or end, existing beyond all temporal bounds.
• The essence of Love transcends conceptual understanding and verbal expression; it must be directly experienced and tasted, not merely heard or read.
• Direct, unmediated knowledge of the truth of Love takes precedence over theoretical understanding and concepts.
• At times, conceptual knowledge can become a veil, preventing individuals from a direct, unhindered experience of truth.