M6:2349 — از فضولی تو کمان افراشتی / صنعت قواسیی بر داشتی

Translation: From your meddling, you drew the bow; / You took up the craft of archery. Meaning: This verse admonishes those who, out of excessive curiosity or presumption, over-interpret sacred texts, adding their own conjectures rather than submitting to the text's plain meaning.

Mowlana, in this beyt, issues a stern warning against 'fozooli' – a Persian term that means meddling or excessive curiosity, but here carries the weight of intellectual presumption in understanding and interpreting sacred texts. It is a critique of the intellectual hubris that leads an interpreter or seeker of truth to overstep bounds, not merely explaining the text as it is, but adding their own conjectures and forcing the text to conform to preconceived notions. This act, Mowlana asserts, is like 'drawing the bow' (کمان افراشتی) and 'taking up the craft of archery' (صنعت قواسیی برداشتی) – an unnecessary display of skill and force where humility and submission are required.

To illustrate this 'fozooli,' Mowlana's commentary on a passage from Nahj al-Balagha is particularly pertinent. Imam Ali, on his deathbed, expresses a nostalgic reflection on his past and states, "How much I tried to discover the secret of death, but God concealed it." These are the exact words of the Imam. Yet, an interpreter of Nahj al-Balagha, in translating this passage, inserts parenthetically: "(And I obtained it, but God told me to keep it secret)." This, precisely, is the 'fozooli' Mowlana criticizes. Imam Ali explicitly states that God concealed the secret from him, but the interpreter, presuming an infallible Imam must know all secrets, adds to his words, distorting the truth.

Mowlana, echoing this sentiment, declares, "From your meddling, you drew the bow." You are pulling the bowstring of your understanding and interpretation further than permitted. Who gave you leave to engage in such archery, to shoot your arrows beyond their rightful mark? This is a display of 'craft of archery' – a show of skill and intellectual might in the realm of knowledge. Mowlana emphatically states: "Give up this hard archery." Abandon this display of force; do not introduce your own ideas; do not try to be a champion or flaunt your prowess as an equal to divine revelation or its bearers. Here is the place for submission, not for bullying or self-aggrandizement, or claiming parity with sacred words.

Subsequently, Mowlana delineates the correct path to finding the treasure of truth, contrasting it sharply with 'zoor' (force). He advises: "Leave force and seek gold through supplication." Nothing is gained through force and showing off. It is only through 'zari' – humility, submission, and earnest plea – that one can attain 'zahab' or the gold of truth. Just as a good merchant might become annoyed and raise prices if haggled too much, truth cannot be coerced through intellectual argumentation. Rather, it reveals itself through peace, submission, and acceptance. This beyt offers a profound lesson in the methodology of knowledge and the etiquette required when confronting the mysteries of existence and divine texts.

Key takeaways

• Intellectual meddling, or adding personal conjectures to sacred texts, is a distortion of truth.
• Humility and submission must prevail over intellectual conceit when approaching divine words.
• "Hard archery" and mental exertion hinder the attainment of the treasure of truth.
• The correct path to seeking truth is not through 'force' and contention, but through 'supplication' and humility.
• The verse serves as a warning against intellectual presumption and attempting to 'correct' or 'complete' the words of sacred figures with personal analogies.