M6:3881 — کان رسول حق بگفت اندر بیان / اینک منهومان هما لا یشبعان

Translation: As the Messenger of Truth declared in his discourse: This pair of the ravenous is never sated. Meaning: This verse refers to a prophetic saying, highlighting two types of people – seekers of knowledge and seekers of worldly possessions – who can never be fully satisfied with what they pursue.

Mowlana introduces this verse within a broader discourse on ilm-i bīdār kunanda – awakening knowledge – distinguishing it from knowledge that induces heedlessness or serves as mere intellectual playthings. He illustrates this with the metaphor of the skilled swimmer (sābiḥ andar āshnā) resting effortlessly on water, contrasting it with the floundering struggle of the uninitiated (jahd-i aʿjamī bā dast-o-pā) who ultimately drowns. "Knowledge is a boundless, shoreless sea," Mowlana declares, "and the seeker of knowledge is a diver in these oceans (ghawwāṣ-i biḥār)."

It is in this context that Mowlana quotes the Hadith: "The Messenger of Truth declared, 'This pair of the ravenous is never sated.'" The term manhūm denotes an insatiably hungry person. The Nahj al-Balagha identifies these two as the "seeker of knowledge and seeker of wealth," while other Prophetic traditions name them "seeker of worldly things and seeker of knowledge." This insatiability, particularly regarding knowledge, is not portrayed as a flaw but as the pinnacle of spiritual and intellectual engagement. To seek knowledge is to dive into an ocean without bounds; the deeper one ventures, the more its profundity and expanse are revealed. This embodies the very essence of limitless gnosis, freeing individuals from the confines of naḥw (outward rules) and leading them towards maḥw (annihilation in the sea of truth).

This unending thirst for knowledge signifies the soul's connection to an infinite reality. Mowlana emphasizes that even if one's life spans thousands of years, this quest will never reach satiety. This is not despair at an unattainable end, but rather the profound realization of the magnitude of the goal and the inherent beauty of the journey itself. It doesn't contradict Mowlana's promise of waṣūl (union) and yaqīn (certainty) throughout the Masnavi. Instead, certainty lies in understanding that the path is infinite, and each stage opens new vistas to even more unexplored horizons. Such an insatiability brings jalāʾ al-aḥzān – it doesn't suppress grief but transforms it into a vibrant, 'green' sorrow that culminates in dance and ecstasy, for the seeker knows they are perpetually moving closer to their origin, even if that ultimate destination remains boundless.

Key takeaways

• True knowledge-seeking is an endless journey into the sea of gnosis; 'awakening knowledge' perpetually draws one into its depths.
• The boundless nature of knowledge means that the seeker is never sated, a mark of spiritual perfection, not deficiency.
• The analogy of the skilled swimmer on water illustrates that the sea of knowledge demands skillful, calm navigation, not frantic, ignorant flailing.
• The Hadith, "This pair of the ravenous is never sated," expresses an intrinsic, profound yearning within the human soul for truth.
• Unlike the insatiability for worldly possessions, this ceaseless pursuit of knowledge leads to spiritual elevation and the 'polishing of griefs.'