M6:3859 — عقل باشد آمنی و عدل‌جو / بر زن و بر مرد اما عقل کو

Translation: Reason should be a source of safety and a seeker of justice, / For both women and men, but where is reason? Meaning: This verse rhetorically questions the actual presence and efficacy of reason, despite its inherent role as a universal guarantor of security and justice for all.

Mowlana, in this verse, points with a poignant and questioning tone to a bitter social reality that was prevalent in his time and, indeed, can be observed in any era. This couplet emerges within the story of the amrad (beardless youth) and the loṭī (effeminate man involved in illicit acts); a narrative Mowlana employs to extract profound moral conclusions, even if the story itself might be considered 'vulgar' or 'unpleasant' by modern sensibilities. Mowlana never shies away from using such seemingly crude or even offensive tales when he perceives them to be effective conduits for a fundamental message, believing they enhance the penetration of his words.

I have previously noted that Mowlana rarely delves into specific social and political issues; he doesn't discuss the Mongols or sectarian legal disputes. However, in rare and critically important instances, he offers direct critiques of the moral deviations of his contemporary society. This verse is precisely one such instance. The distressed youth in the story laments the injustice inflicted upon him; he speaks first of the khanqahs (Sufi lodges) and azab-khānehs (bachelor houses) that were supposed to be havens of security and worship but had become places of peril for him. Mowlana interprets this as a serious critique of 'khanqah life,' where, contrary to the Prophet's Sunnah, Sufis often abstained from marriage, transforming these lodges into 'bachelor houses' and, consequently, sites for the exploitation of vulnerable youths. The youth then asks: if the khanqah is like this, what then of the public marketplaces and streets? It is in the wake of this lament that Mowlana utters this couplet.

"Reason should be a source of safety and a seeker of justice, / For both women and men" – this is a definition of the ideal function of ʿaql (reason or intellect). Reason, by its very nature, ought to bring tranquility and security. At its core, intellect is nothing but the pursuit of justice and the provision of safety; a refuge for all, without distinction between women and men. But Mowlana immediately poses the devastating question: "but where is reason?" This 'where?' is not merely a simple inquiry; it is a cry, an outcry over the conspicuous absence of reason where it should be most present.

Mowlana himself immediately clarifies after this verse when ʿaql becomes absent: "Where is reason in times of anger and lust?" (M6:3860). In truth, the primary cause for the absence of reason is the overwhelming dominance of lust and anger within the human being. These destructive forces so completely govern a person's existence that they sideline reason, depriving individuals and those connected to them of justice and security. This is the 'animality' within humanity that buries the intellect. Mowlana, even within the heart of the religious and Sufi institutions of his time, articulates such a fatal absence with profound frankness. This itself demonstrates that his concerns, though often metaphysical, never neglect the moral and social well-being of society. He calls upon humanity to reclaim lost security and justice by restoring reason to its rightful place of governance.

Key takeaways

• Reason, by its inherent nature, should be a source of security and justice for all.
• The rhetorical question "but where is reason?" is an outcry against the absence of intellect in the face of social and moral ills.
• This verse serves as a direct and unvarnished critique of the moral deviations of Mowlana's society, especially within ostensibly spiritual circles.
• Mowlana immediately attributes the absence of reason to the overwhelming dominance of anger and lust within individuals.
• The primary function of reason is not merely the discovery of metaphysical truths, but the establishment of order and ethics in individual and collective life.
• This couplet demonstrates that Mowlana, though often focused on transcendental matters, was keenly aware of bitter social realities and moral corruption.