M6:1104 — می‌زند بر روش ریحان که طریست / او ز کوری گوید این آسیب چیست

Translation: He gently caresses (the face) with a fresh, fragrant basil leaf, / But the blind one asks, "What is this harm?" Meaning: This verse portrays a person so spiritually blind and heedless that they mistake a tender, delightful caress of divine grace for a harsh injury.

This verse vividly portrays the ultimate degree of spiritual blindness and heedlessness that can afflict a human being. Mowlana, in the preceding verses, spoke of the heart's deafness—of dozens of drummers beating around an individual whose ears fail to perceive their sound. Here, however, he takes the narrative a step further, unveiling how even the most subtle and delightful manifestations of divine grace can be misinterpreted as harm by an impure gaze. Reyhān (basil or sweet herb) symbolizes tenderness, freshness, fragrance, and soothing beauty. The phrase «بر روش ریحان می‌زند» signifies that the Eternal Beloved, with utmost gentleness and affection, delivers a pleasant caress upon the slumbering face of the human being. This caress is, in itself, awakening and joy-inducing, like a morning breeze brushing against one's cheek. This is a form of shekanjidan that denotes dalliance and solace, not breaking or harming. Yet, the person immersed in the veil of spiritual blindness and heedlessness perceives this loving and life-giving gesture as a blow and an injury. Such an individual cannot distinguish between the caress of love and the pain of hostility. This represents the acme of lostness—where sweetness is taken for bitterness, and beauty for ugliness. This spiritual blindness is not merely the inability to hear loud divine calls, but the incapacity to grasp the subtle and hidden signs of existence. In Mowlana's cosmos, everything is alive, everything carries a message, and even a breeze or a basil leaf can act as a harbinger of good news. But when the eye of the heart is closed, a person transforms into a prisoner within themselves, not only failing to attain truth but also misinterpreting God's constant mercies as torment. It is as if they are enveloped in a cocoon of illusion and self-centeredness, perceiving every external contact as a threat. This verse serves as a warning to humanity: beware lest you fall into such a snare of indifference and ignorance that you not only fail to hear the drums of awakening but even mistake the gentlest touches of divine grace for wounds instead of healing. This is the state where an individual wishes to remain in the slumber of heedlessness, shunning any form of awakening, even though their true desire lies precisely within this awakening. Mowlana clearly shows that even hardships and sufferings are sometimes sent as divine playfulness (lāgh bā khūbān) to awaken us; but here, even a gentle caress is misinterpreted. This is where a person descends from conscious jodāʾī (separation from a known Beloved) into sheer tanhāʾī (existential loneliness), for they deny the Beloved's presence even in the closest touches.

Key takeaways

• Ultimate Blindness: A person can reach a state where even the most delicate divine caress is perceived as harm.
• Misinterpretation of Grace: Heedlessness causes humans to mistake divine affection for divine wrath.
• Subtle Communication: Existence constantly speaks through gentle signs, but a closed heart cannot grasp these messages.
• Denial of Presence: This spiritual blindness signifies the negation of the Beloved's presence, even when He is intimately close.
• Escape from Awakening: Sometimes, a person becomes so accustomed to the slumber of heedlessness that they flee from any awakening agent, however gentle.