M6:1832 — زیرکان و عاقلان از گمرهی / دیده بر خرطوم داغ ابلهی

Translation: The astute and the wise, from their straying, Have seen the brand of folly upon their snout. Meaning: This verse asserts that even the most intelligent and discerning individuals, when they deviate from the path of truth, bear a mark of ignorance that blinds them to reality.

Here, we arrive at a profound insight from Mawlana concerning the fate of 'philosophers' and 'the sharp-witted' in their encounter with Truth. Mawlana, immediately after stating, "Had there not been this rising in eclipse, / So many philosophers would not have lost their way," follows with, "The sharp-witted and the wise, from their straying, / Have seen the brand of folly upon their snout." These two verses are entirely interconnected, completing and enriching each other's meaning.

In Mawlana's worldview, Truth is never overt and unveiled. There is a sun, yes, but its "rising is in eclipse" (buzūgh andar kusūf), meaning the sun's brilliance is hidden beneath a cloud of darkness. This isn't merely exclusive to sacred Truth; it is the very condition of the world. The more we strive to lift a veil, it is as if we ourselves, with our own hands, cast more veils upon it, pushing Truth further away and making it more hidden from ourselves. As Khayyam says, "The secrets of eternity, neither you nor I know... When the curtain falls, neither you nor I remain." Even Hafez declares, "You are your own veil, Hafez, rise from the midst." It is we who are the veil, not Truth itself.

Now, in this particular verse, Mawlana directly attributes this straying to the philosophers and the sharp-witted. The 'sharp-witted and the wise,' in my interpretation, are precisely those philosophers who, relying solely on their partial intellect and failing to perceive the eclipse of Truth, imagine they can attain illumination. But what is the outcome? "They have seen the brand of folly upon their snout." This is a Quranic idiom; in Surah Al-Muddaththir, God says of a denier, "Sanasimuhu ʿalā al-khurṭūm" (We shall brand him on the snout), a mark of disgrace and ignorance. Mawlana places this mark upon the 'snout' of philosophers.

This implies that these 'sharp-witted' individuals, because of their misguidance and insistence on searching within ambiguities and veils, have themselves become marked by folly. They wander in "clouds" and "veils" and can never find a path to light. This statement by Mawlana is a sharp critique of philosophical approaches which, despite all their complexity and precision, fail to see the naked truth – which is this very "rising in eclipse" – and instead of illuminating the path, plunge themselves into deeper error and further conceal Truth. This critique is not merely of ignorance; it is a critique of 'misleading cleverness.'

Key takeaways

• Truth in this world is always veiled; it is a "rising in eclipse" (buzūgh andar kusūf).
• It is we who are the veil to Truth, not that Truth conceals itself.
• Mawlana identifies the 'sharp-witted and the wise' as philosophers who, relying on partial intellect, fail to see Truth.
• The phrase 'brand of folly upon the snout' is a Quranic idiom signifying disgrace and ignorance.
• This verse is Mawlana's critique of philosophies that, despite their cleverness, lead to error instead of enlightenment.