M6:1931 — ور کنی خدمت نخوانی یک کتیب / علمهای نادره یابی ز جیب

Translation: If you render service, and read not a single book, You will find rare sciences from your own bosom (jayb). Meaning:* This verse suggests that sincere service and inner purification can unveil profound and extraordinary knowledge, surpassing what can be gained through mere book learning, as such wisdom emanates from within one's own being.

Following the preceding discussion on how reading a hundred books guarantees no retention without divine taqdir (pre-ordained measure), Mowlana now points to a higher stage. This particular verse is truly extraordinary, signifying a rank beyond the conventional acquisition of knowledge through study and academic pursuit. It states that one can render service, work, and strive, yet not necessarily within the realm of book-reading or formal lessons. This service is of a different kind: it is the purification and polishing of the heart and inner self.

As I have often stated, Sufis and Gnostics, in Mowlana's words, 'polish their bosoms.' What does this mean? It means they cleanse their hearts of desires and whims, of impurities, of vices, of greed, of lofty worldly ambitions, of envy and enmity. When the nafs (self) is thus polished, it attains such luminosity that 'rare sciences' (ʿelm-hā-ye nādera) spring forth from it; 'You will find rare sciences from your own bosom (jayb).' These are precisely the kinds of knowledge one has not read in any book, but which have emerged from the very core of one's being. This is a profound allusion to the hidden wellspring of wisdom.

The role models for these great souls have always been the Prophets. The Prophets were not formally educated; they had no teachers and did not read books. Yet, the springs of wisdom were opened to them. The noble Prophetic Tradition, narrated by both Shia and Sunni, points directly to this very fact: 'Whoever is sincere to God for forty mornings (man akhlasa li’llāh arbaʿīna sabāḥan), springs of wisdom will flow from their heart onto their tongue (jarat yanābīʿ al-ḥikmah min qalbihi ʿalā lisānihi).' This is a reward bestowed upon them in this very world.

Mowlana himself was a prime example of this truth. The wisdom he imparts to us in the Masnavi is not found in other books. If it were, the Masnavi would not possess such grandeur and esteem. Of course, he was a learned man and had studied, but when he met Shams-e Tabrizi, Shams told him, 'Put those aside. I wish to show you another path,' which was the path of ikhlas (sincerity). When a person places a magnifying glass on their actions to discern the true motive behind each deed, purifying it of impurities and superficialities, and offers that small yet pure service to their Beloved, they will find their heart transformed into a fountain of wisdom, and their tongue imbued with sagacity. This is the true meaning of 'You will find rare sciences from your own bosom.'

Key takeaways

• Sincere service and inner purification are reliable paths to innate, intuitive knowledge.
• Rare and profound wisdom is not solely a product of formal education or book-learning; it can well up from within one's being.
• This verse emphasizes the superiority of self-purification and polishing the heart over the mere outward acquisition of knowledge.
• Prophets and great mystics like Mowlana serve as prime examples of attaining 'rare sciences' through sincerity rather than conventional study.
• The primary source of the Masnavi's wisdom should be sought not in academic studies, but in Mowlana's ikhlas and inner striving.