M6:2824 — گفت یک خاصیتم در بینی است / کار من در خاکها بوبینی است

Translation: He said, "One of my abilities lies in my nose; / My work is scenting out things within the earth." Meaning: One of the night thieves, in the presence of a disguised king, reveals his special skill: an acute sense of smell that allows him to discern what lies hidden beneath the earth purely from its scent.

This beyt is from "The Story of the Night Thieves" in Book Six of the Masnavi, a tale where Sultan Mahmud, disguised as a commoner, encounters a group of thieves and asks each to declare their unique "farhang"—their skill or cunning. This narrative, in my interpretation, serves as a symbolic depiction of the world: the dark night of worldly life, shrouded in heedlessness, where the King of Truth (God) is present among us, unseen, witnessing our deeds, until the day of judgment arrives and all is revealed. The king is amidst thieves, each engrossed in their thievery, oblivious to the king's presence. One of these thieves describes his skill as a power of olfaction, stating: "My work is scenting out things within the earth."

This thief's claim is not merely a superficial skill; rather, Mowlana connects it to deeper mystical realms. He alludes here to the tradition, "Al-Nās Maʿādin ka-Maʿādin al-Dhahab wa al-Fiḍḍa" (People are like mines of gold and silver). This thief, by smelling the earth, claims he can discern the hidden essence beneath the soil; it is as if he is capable of perceiving the true nature of human beings beyond their outward appearance and "earthly bodies": "From the earth of the body I know the base, / How much pure worth it has, and what is its mine." He can distinguish between one who possesses "immeasurable gold" within their core and one whose "income is less than expenditure"—meaning, one who has nothing. This is a sharp, mystical insight into the depths of human existence, not just their superficial layer.

Mowlana further illustrates this unique olfactory power with examples from mystical and Quranic literature, elevating "scent-detection" to a level of intuitive and spiritual perception. First, he references the story of Majnun finding Layla's grave by smelling the earth: "Like Majnun, I smell the earth / I find Layla's earth without error." Majnun could not find Layla's grave by any conventional means until he smelled the earth, and the "scent of Layla's earth" guided him to his destination. He then turns to the story of Yusuf (Joseph) and Yaʿqūb (Jacob), where Yusuf's shirt, from a great distance, conveyed his scent to Yaʿqūb, restoring his sight: "By smell, I know from every shirt / Be it Yusuf's or an Ahreman's." Indeed, in the very opening of his Masnavi, Mowlana employs this same motif: "This breath of soul has clutched my skirt / It has found the scent of Yusuf's shirt"—signifying that he has once again been reminded of Shams-e Tabrizi. All these instances point to a form of perception that transcends outer senses and rational intellect, and by "smelling" hidden truth, it accesses the inner reality of things.

He also alludes to the Prophet Muhammad's saying that "I smell the scent of God from Yemen," which refers to Owais Qarani in Yemen. Some of our philosophers and mystics, such as Mirdamad, also named their philosophy "Hikmat-e Yamani" (Yemeni Wisdom), in contrast to "Hikmat-e Yunani" (Greek Wisdom), believing that true wisdom is attained not through rational argument and Greek intellect, but through intuition and the "scent of truth" that emanates from revelation and divine guardianship. This mystical "scent-detection" is, in essence, an allegory for the power of unveiling and intuition possessed by the Friends of God, who perceive hidden truths through outward appearances, just as the outward soil of mines reveals their inner essence.

Key takeaways

• Perceiving hidden truth is possible not through outer senses, but through inner discovery and profound intuition.
• Mystical olfaction symbolizes an intuitive perception that allows the seeker to discern the true essence of individuals and things beyond their appearances.
• Humans are like mines of gold and silver; this beyt emphasizes the ability to recognize the core essence and nature of people through subtle, hidden signs.
• Mowlana connects this type of perception to Quranic and mythical roots by referencing the stories of Yusuf and Yaʿqūb and Majnun and Layla.
• This "scent-detection" signifies that no truth remains entirely hidden; for those with discernment, there is always a sign of it.