M1:2073 — استن این عالم ای جان غفلتست / هوشیاری این جهان را آفتست

Translation: O Soul, the pillar of this world's being is heedlessness; And full awareness is the bane of this world. Meaning: This verse presents a profound paradox: for the phenomenal world to sustain itself, humanity must remain in a state of partial unawareness; complete consciousness, in this context, acts as a destructive force.

This verse by Mowlana unveils one of the deepest layers of his mystical ontology. We typically assume that heedlessness (ghafalat) is always blameworthy and awareness (hooshyari) is always praiseworthy. However, Mowlana here reveals a great "secret" (rāz): this phenomenal world, with all its forms, is built upon the pillar of heedlessness. If this heedlessness were absent, this world would collapse and lose its very form. In other words, the life and persistence of this material and apparent realm are beholden to a veil of unawareness and a screen cast upon our eyes.

I accept that beyond science and philosophy, there exists a truth called rāz; it can be likened to the "water of water" or the "light of light" that lies hidden in the depths of this perceptible world. The inner eye, the eye of the rāzdān (knower of secrets), is what can uncover these hidden realities. But if these secrets were to be revealed to everyone, our world would no longer be this world. This is where the role of heedlessness becomes clear: ghafalat prevents the knowing of the rāz and is, therefore, the very backbone of this world. True awareness is the awareness of "that world" (ān jahān); and whenever that awareness prevails, this phenomenal world becomes inferior and subordinate.

It must be noted that rāz is neither a complex unknown to be solved by the intellect, nor something to be whispered from one person to another. A rāz, as Mowlana states, "is not a secret in the ear of one who denies secrets." Understanding it comes from the alignment of one's existential horizon with that level of being where the secrets reside. For someone who lacks the capacity (zarfiyat) for knowing secrets, hearing a secret is like hearing an ordinary statement, and they will never perceive its true nature. This highlights the immense importance of zarfiyat in the realm of rāzdāni. Mowlana's famous story of the man who learned the language of animals from Prophet Moses, only to hasten his own death through curiosity and lack of capacity, is a clear testament to this claim. The craving for rāzdāni does not come cheap and is dangerous except for those "knowers of secrets" who possess vast capacity; they must see and hear many things, yet close their eyes and feign deafness to them.

The heedlessness referred to in this verse differs from common ghafalat, which is considered a moral vice. This is an ontological heedlessness; a necessary veil related to the existential nature of this specific world. Mowlana here distinguishes between a "first-order perspective" that condemns ghafalat and a "second-order perspective" that views it as an existential pillar for this particular realm. This implies that this world, in all its beauty and grandeur, endures and accommodates us precisely because of a certain degree of heedlessness regarding absolute truths.

Key takeaways

• The persistence of our material world depends on an ontological heedlessness; complete awareness would shatter this realm.
• "Secrets" (rāz) are truths beyond science and philosophy, discernible only through an existential alignment, not intellectual comprehension.
• Inner capacity and readiness are crucial for understanding and preserving secrets; otherwise, seeking them can be destructive.
• Some pseudo-mystics exploit the concept of "secrets" while themselves lacking the genuine capacity for such knowledge.
• True awareness belongs to "that world" (ān jahān) and stands in contrast to this phenomenal, sensory realm.