M6:2033 — آن یکیی زان سوی وصف‌ست و حال / جز دوی ناید به میدان مقال

Translation: That One (Unity) is beyond description and states / Nothing but duality enters the domain of discourse. Meaning: This verse asserts that the singular essence of Truth is so boundless that it cannot be contained within any description or subjective state; whenever language is employed, it inevitably creates duality and multiplicity.

I have repeatedly emphasized in my lectures that Mowlana, this surging sea of gnosis, follows a particular complexity in articulating truths. This verse, in particular, reveals the deep roots of this complexity. The “That One” (آن یکی) that Mowlana speaks of is absolute Unity, that singular Truth which transcends all description, expression, state, or station. This Unity is Ineffable; it is unspeakable and beyond categorization.

Our minds are accustomed to analysis; to comprehend, we are compelled to break the whole into parts. This act of division and classification is inherent to the “domain of discourse” (میدان مقال), the realm of language and speech. Language, by its very nature, is a tool of “duality” (دوی). When we speak, we are inevitably forced to say “I and you,” “this and that,” and to create distinctions. The singular Truth, however, transcends these distinctions. Recall my example of water: water in reality is a unified entity; it is neither chemistry, nor physics, nor dynamics. Yet our minds and senses, and subsequently our language, are forced to analyze it, to divide it into chemical properties, physical properties, and so forth, in order to understand it. This analysis, which is the foundation of our sciences, fundamentally stems from our “double-sightedness” (دوبینی), from our being “aḥwal” (squint-eyed).

Mowlana himself states elsewhere, “Am I complaining of the Soul of the soul? I am not the complainant, I am the narrator.” This act of narration, at times, is compelled to employ the language of multiplicity, a “mushrikāne” (idolatrous or dualistic) language. He says, “Since I am yoked with the squint-eyed, O shaman / It is incumbent to speak mushrikāne.” This means I am forced to speak of duality and multiplicity with those who see one as two, because language is not designed to express pure Unity. If I were to speak of absolute Unity, language would fail me, and I would have no recourse but silence.

The great mystics have always pointed out that “the end of speech is silence.” This does not mean speech concludes, but rather that one reaches a point where truth becomes so profound and unified that language is incapable of expressing it. Knowledge of this Unity is attained through the “death of man” (مرگ مرد); that is, through an existential transformation, a profound shift that bestows a new eye upon a person, rather than through philosophical or scientific cognition. Mystical secrets cannot be “told” to someone; rather, a transformation must be wrought in their being for them to “see” it themselves.

Thus, this verse elucidates both the limitations of language and discourse, and points to an alternative path for perceiving the unitary Truth. Language can, at best, be an allusion for intimates who have themselves tasted this Unity, but that Unity itself always remains beyond the reach of language’s “duality” and its propensity to create multiplicity.

Key takeaways

• Language, by its very nature, is a tool of “duality” (dūʾī) and multiplicity, incapable of expressing absolute Unity.
• True Unity transcends all description, state, or verbal articulation; it is “unspeakable” and Ineffable.
• Understanding Unity is achieved not through intellect and analysis, but through existential transformation and the “death of man.”
• Mowlana is sometimes compelled to speak “idolatrously” to engage with his “double-sighted” audience.
• Before the singular Truth, “silence” is a stage beyond all discourse.
• Mystical secrets cannot be “told” but rather require fostering an environment for their “seeing” and direct perception.