M6:639 — این ندانم وان ندانم بهر چیست / تا بگویی آنک می‌دانیم کیست

Translation: What is this "I know not this, I know not that" for? / So that you may state who it is that we do know. Meaning: The initial posture of doubt and unknowing (negation) is presented as a necessary stage, preparing the seeker to ultimately affirm and articulate the One who is truly known (affirmation).

This verse appears within a broader discussion on various forms of spiritual intoxication (masti) and the necessity of transcending them. Here, Mawlana points to a profound insight in the journey of gnosis: the state of professing "I know not" and admitting one's ignorance, though essential for the seeker in the initial stages, must not be reduced to mere agnosticism. These "I know nots," as Mawlana states, must serve as a bridge to reach that "I do know."

I have always emphasized that in mystical logic, pure negation is not the goal. As Mawlana says, "Negation is for affirmation in speech." This means that if we negate something, if we say "this is not" and "that is not," the ultimate purpose is to arrive at "this is" and "that is." Socratic philosophy begins with "I know not," but its aim is to arrive at knowledge. Mysticism is no different. The seeker may initially fall into a state of bewilderment, declaring "I know not this, I know not that." But this bewilderment must transform into a higher form of perplexity, which ultimately leads to the recognition of the Beloved and the affirmation of "who it is that we do know."

This initial "unknowing," as Mawlana further explains elsewhere in the Mathnawi, can be a result of a "joking intellect" (mazāḥ-andīshi) of an intoxicated heart; a state where the heart, due to its masti, takes matters lightly and consequently falls into ignorance. But this descent is not the end point. It is at this juncture that Mawlana exhorts: "Leave negation and begin with affirmation." Move past superficial negation and advance towards inner affirmation. One must abandon this "I know not" and turn towards "Being" and "Absolute Being." The ultimate goal is the worship of that singular Being. This is a lesson, as Mawlana suggests, to be learned from the "Intoxicated Turk" story—a narrative that illuminates a deeper understanding of this movement from negation to affirmation.

Key takeaways

• Initial unknowing serves as a bridge to true knowledge.
• Negation is a prelude to affirmation, not an end in itself.
• The journey moves from intellectual perplexity to transcendent gnostic wonder.
• Absolute 'Being' is the ultimate goal of this spiritual quest.
• One must abandon the posture of 'I know not' and embrace the worship of 'Being'.
• The path is from superficial ignorance to profound and certain knowing.