M6:366 — گرد معقولات می‌گردی ببین / این چنین بی‌عقلی خود ای مهین

Translation: You revolve around rational concepts, yet behold / Such irrationality in yourself, O noble one. Meaning: This verse addresses those who, despite intellectual pursuits and philosophical engagement, remain blind to fundamental existential truths and fail to recognize their own profound lack of true wisdom.

This verse, located amidst Mowlana's profound discourse, addresses those who consider themselves people of intellect and maʿqūlāt (rational concepts), yet are, in reality, afflicted by a deep form of bī-ʿaqlī (irrationality or lack of true insight)—a folly that renders them oblivious even to the most self-evident truths. Allow me to elaborate.

I view this verse within the context of Mowlana's allegorical tale of a 'hidden thief' in the house of the soul. This thief, in the darkness of night, consistently extinguishes the spark of fire kindled for light, and the master of the house is unaware of the thief's actions, believing the fire simply dies out on its own. This 'thief' is the 'stranger' (bīgāna) that Mowlana asserts resides within each of us. We are at times so intertwined with these strangers that we mistake them for our 'self,' or, in Mowlana's words, we have 'mistaken ourselves for someone else' (khud rā ʿavazī girifta-īm). This is precisely why he states: 'O father, you have lost your battle / You have not known others from yourself / In whatever form you appear, you assert / 'I am this,' yet, by God, you are not this.'

So, how can one who 'revolves around rational concepts' and pursues intellectual and philosophical notions attain 'sincerity' (ṣidq) and true insight if these 'strangers' are not banished from the house of the soul and these inner thieves remain unrecognized? Indeed, such a person will continually find sparks of truth within, but these 'strangers' will extinguish them, leading the individual to believe that their intellect is deficient or that truths themselves are fleeting. It is at this juncture that their intellectual pursuit itself transmutes into bī-ʿaqlī.

Mowlana then links this bī-ʿaqlī to the inability to grasp simple proofs, such as the 'argument from design': that an ordered and lawful universe, like a house with a builder or a script with a scribe, necessarily requires an 'Orderer' (gardānandeh). Those who fail to grasp this truth, despite their ostensible pursuit of wisdom, are in fact oblivious to the most basic principles of sound reason. Of course, I myself have often stressed that the argument from design faces significant critiques in contemporary philosophy, particularly from thinkers like David Hume and writers such as Richard Dawkins. Yet, from his own perspective, Mowlana sees this as a clear example of bī-ʿaqlī: how can one conceive of 'the jīm of the ear, the ʿayn of the eye, and the mīm of the mouth' without a knowing Scribe?

This critique by Mowlana is not a critique of reason itself, but rather a critique of insufficient and ineffective reason; a reason ensnared by 'strangers' and oblivious to the depths of the self and the truth of existence. This is precisely what Mowlana states elsewhere: 'Here, know, it is maḥv (effacement) that is needed, not naḥv (grammar).' This implies that to achieve true gnosis, what is required is a dissolving into reality, not merely an engagement with dry, rational rules and arguments.

Key takeaways

• Mere engagement with 'rational concepts' (maʿqūlāt) without true self-knowledge is a form of 'irrationality' (bī-ʿaqlī).
• Within each person lies a 'hidden thief' or 'stranger' that extinguishes sparks of insight.
• Mowlana attributes this folly to the inability to distinguish one's true 'self' from these 'strangers.'
• Grasping self-evident truths (like the universe's need for a Creator) is a sign of true wisdom, not just philosophical knowledge.
• Only love and effacement into truth can liberate us from the clutches of these inner thieves.