M1:3288 — فلسفی کو منکر حنّانه است / از حواس اولیا بیگانه است

Translation: The philosopher who denies the Hannana (weeping pillar) Is estranged from the senses of the saints (awliyāʾ) and prophets. Meaning: This verse asserts that grasping profound religious truths and miracles goes beyond mere philosophical understanding, requiring a special, heightened perception unique to prophets and saints.

At the core of all genuine religiosity and knowledge of God lies something beyond dry logic and rational inferences. This kernel of faith is born of suffering (dardmandī), love (ʿishq), and wonder (ḥayrānī); anything else is but a garment covering that inner truth. Many people remain at these superficial levels, never finding the opportunity or courage to delve into the depths. But Mawlana consistently calls us to the profound, unveiling matters that, to conventional eyes, appear 'irrational' (nāmaʿqūl).

The most striking example is the story of the Hannana (weeping pillar). This tale recounts how the Prophet Muhammad, after a pulpit was built for him, ceased leaning on a palm trunk in the mosque. The trunk, feeling the separation from the Prophet, began to wail like a rational human being. Such a phenomenon is beyond the comprehension of everyday reason. Mawlana explicitly states: 'The philosopher who denies the Hannana / Is estranged from the senses of the saints and prophets.' In other words, a philosopher who considers such an event impossible is, in fact, deprived of the 'special sense of the prophets and saints.' This 'prophetic sense' is a supernormal perception, an insight beyond the five external senses and the ordinary human intellect, capable of hearing the lament of a pillar and discerning truth beyond mere appearances.

Mawlana insists that certain aspects of religion are 'nāmaʿqūl,' not in the sense of being irrational or anti-reason, but rather 'khirad-gorīz'—eluding the grasp of conventional reason. He states: 'If this taste (truth) were not nāmaʿqūl / Why would there be need for so many miracles?' If religious truths were entirely within the domain of reason, there would be no need for miracles. The purpose of miracles was to awe and subdue this rebellious intellect, to make it amenable to grasping the 'nāmaʿqūl.' Reason understands what is rational, but religion encompasses mysteries that can only be apprehended through the 'senses of the prophets' and a different mode of perception.

This principle extends beyond mere miracles. Prayer, for instance, is another such mystery that no philosopher, not even great sages like Avicenna or Mulla Sadra, has fully unravelled. It is a secret taught solely by the prophets, absent from any philosophical school, even the God-believing ones. According to Mawlana, prayer too is 'nāmaʿqūl'; it eludes the bounds of our rational comprehension, yet, because the prophets practiced and taught it, it becomes our path to salvation. All of this indicates that existence and its attendant knowledge have layers that transcend the reach of our usual senses and intellect. To comprehend them, one must heed the 'senses of the prophets' and perceive through their vision.

Key takeaways

• The senses of saints and prophets represent a supernormal perception, operating beyond ordinary sensation and intellect.
• Philosophy and pure reason have inherent limitations in grasping profound, non-material religious truths.
• In the Masnavi, 'irrational' (nāmaʿqūl) means 'eluding reason' (khirad-gorīz), not 'anti-reason' (khirad-satīz).
• Miracles and practices like prayer serve as pathways to open faculties of perception beyond conventional intellect.
• A full comprehension of religion demands an elevation of inner qualities and an openness to extraordinary experiences.