M6:2354 — هرکه دوراندازتر او دورتر / وز چنین گنجست او مهجورتر

Translation: Whoever casts his gaze further away, becomes more distant himself; And from such a treasure, he becomes more estranged.

Meaning: Mowlana critiques those who seek truth in distant philosophical or theological realms, asserting that such a far-flung quest paradoxically distances them further from the very truth, which is intimately present and readily accessible.

This couplet, unequivocally, represents Mowlana's critique of theologians and philosophers, particularly those who seek truth in the distant valleys of pure reason and dialectic. Mowlana declares with striking immediacy: "God is right here beside us, at our feet, on our rooftop, in our rooms, in our beds, everywhere." This assertion is a direct challenge to the remote image of God often painted by philosophers—a God reachable only after traversing vast intellectual deserts and intricate webs of proofs and arguments. Mowlana dismisses such a path as a misguided detour, proclaiming that the arrow of truth has fallen precisely at our feet.

The one who is "far-casting" (دور‌اندازتر), who projects their gaze into the distance, believing truth lies in remote horizons, paradoxically becomes "more distant" (دورتر) himself. This is the tragic irony Mowlana highlights. It's a form of exertion and effort, yet an effort misdirected. The individual runs, sweats, and toils, but runs "with their back to the destination," and the harder they run, the more "estranged" (مهجورتر) they become from the treasure of truth that is already within reach.

This critique by Mowlana resonates with the Quranic verse, "And you did not throw when you threw, but Allah threw" (Quran 8:17), and the prophetic tradition, "He who knows himself, knows his Lord." It underscores that truth resides within us, in our immediate proximity, not in external remoteness. One who seeks God by gazing at the heavens, while God is "closer to him than his jugular vein" (Quran 50:16), is precisely the one who has "shot the prey close by, but aimed far away" (Masnavi, 5:1062). This kind of pursuit is what Mowlana elsewhere describes as the philosopher who "killed himself with thought" (فلسفی خود را از اندیشه بکشت); that is, by faulty thinking, he deprives himself of truth.

I have illuminated this with the Quranic distinction between "Jāhedū Fīnā" (strive in Our way) and a hypothetical "Jāhedū ‘Annā" (strive away from Us). "Jāhedū Fīnā" means to strive towards and within God's path. However, these philosophers and theologians, as Mowlana portrays them, are engaged in a form of "Jāhedū ‘Annā"; they make an effort, but this very effort distances them from God, rather than bringing them closer. It's akin to someone who, in seeking a goal, turns away from it rather than towards it. They appear to be engaged, yet through the wrong path, they turn away from truth and become more remote. The treasure is right here, but they have lost their way, and the faster they run, the further they depart from their heart's desire.

Key takeaways

• Truth and the Divine Presence are intimately near, not in distant realms.
• Seeking truth through intricate intellectual constructs and remote arguments can paradoxically lead to greater estrangement from it.
• Effort and struggle, however earnest, if misdirected, only result in increased distance and alienation.
• Mowlana critiques the approach of philosophers and theologians who prioritize discursive, external knowledge over immediate, experiential gnosis.
• Self-knowledge and inner exploration are the primary keys to finding truth, rather than external or far-flung quests.