In Section 15 of the Hadiqat al-Haqiqah, Sanai critiques the pursuit of paradise's physical pleasures—such as food, milk, and honey—categorizing this desire as 'metaphorical love' (عشق مجازی) rather than true divine love. He contrasts those who seek heavenly 'bounties' with the true friends of God (دوستان) who desire only the 'countenance' (لقا) and satisfaction (رضا) of the Beloved. This section reinforces the fundamental Sufi ideal that worshipping God for the sake of heavenly reward is a transactional, lower form of devotion, whereas true spiritual love seeks the Beloved unconditionally and entirely for His own sake.

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## Original content
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در بهشت از نه اکل و شربستی 
کی ترا زی نماز قربستی
منبلی گفت بر درش قائم 
زان شدستم که اکلها دائم
دوستداران درگهش سمرند 
لقمه خواران خلد او دگرند
برهٔ شیر مست و مرغ سمین 
چشم داری ز وی بیوم الدین
دوستان زو همه لقا خواهند 
در دعا زو همه رضا خواهند
تو ز وی روز عرض نان خواهی 
می و شیر و عسل روان خواهی
میل تو هست جمله سوی طعام 
نه به دارالخلود و دارلسلام
حظ دنیای جفت رنج و تعب 
هست ملبوس و مطعم و مشرب
منکح و مسکن و سماع و لقا 
وعده داده ست مر ترا فردا
تو چو در بند و قید هر هفتی 
به درش زان سبب همی رفتی
گر ندادیت وعده این هر هفت 
زود پیدا شدی ترا آکفت
نه ورا بنده ای نه در بندی 
از در گریه ای چرا خندی
خویشتن بین بوی چو دیو مدام 
تا بوی زیر چرخ آینه فام
تا به زیر زمانهٔ کهنست 
نفس در آرزو مراغه زنست
مرغ دولت چو خانگی نبود 
زاغ هرجای بودنی برود
نفس در پیش عشق سگداریست 
نفس در راه عشق بیکاریست
هم بدین پای بند و لطف غریب 
تاج سر گشت و گوشمال ادیب
هست گفتارت از چه بیم آری 
درد پهلو و رنج بیماری
نه چه پهلوی عایشه بشکست 
گفت پیغمبرش که بردی دست
خارکی را که می خلد در پای 
دستگاهی بساختست خدای
زانکه داند کرم که محض کرم 
بکند ضایع آن عنا و الم
تو دعا گویی و اجابت نه 
زانکه داری دل و انابت نه
زانکه داند خدای انابت را 
حکمتش مانع است اجابت را

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## English translation
If not for the food and drink in Paradise,
When would you ever approach prayer?
A sluggard said, "I stand steadfast at His door,
Because the meals there are everlasting."
The lovers of His court are celebrated in story,
While the morsel-eaters of His heaven are of another sort.
A milk-fed lamb and a plump bird—
This is what you expect from Him on the Day of Judgment.
His friends desire only the vision of His face,
In their prayers, they seek only His satisfaction.
But you demand bread from Him on the Day of Reckoning,
You want flowing wine, milk, and honey.
Your inclination is entirely toward food,
Not toward the Abode of Eternity or the Abode of Peace.
The worldly share, paired with pain and toil,
Consists of clothing, food, and drink;
Marriage, dwelling, music, and meeting—
These He has promised you for tomorrow.
Since you are bound and fettered by all seven,
It is only for that reason you go to His door.
If He had not promised you these seven things,
Your reluctance would have quickly appeared.
You are neither His servant nor truly devoted;
You belong to the house of weeping, so why do you laugh?
You will constantly be self-conceited like a demon,
As long as you reside beneath this mirror-like sphere.
As long as one is subject to ancient time,
The ego wallows in its own desires.
Since the bird of fortune was not a tame, domestic one,
The ubiquitous crow goes wherever it will.
The ego, in the presence of love, is mere dog-keeping;
The ego, on the path of love, is idleness.
With this same fetter and strange grace,
The crown of the head became the reprimand of the teacher.
Your speech is: "What do you fear?
The pain in the side and the suffering of illness."
Was it not when Aisha's side was hurt,
Her Prophet told her that she prevailed?
For a small thorn that pricks the foot,
God has ordained a remedy.
For Grace knows that pure Grace
Will wipe away that hardship and pain.
You offer prayers, yet there is no answer,
Because you have a heart, but no true repentance.
Because God knows the reality of repentance,
His wisdom prevents the answering of your prayer.

بخش ۱۵ - در عشق مجازی / Section 15 - On Metaphorical Love

In Section 13 of the Hadiqat al-Haqiqah, Sanai distinguishes between the 'paradise of bodies' (behesht-e abdan), consisting of physical pleasures like houris and birds, and the 'paradise of God' (behesht-e yazdan), which is composed of wisdom and religion. Sanai critiques those who perform hypocritical worship (salusi) to attain physical rewards, arguing that those obsessed with houris and servants are themselves servants rather than masters. True spiritual love seeks only the divine beauty (jamal-e izad) and satisfaction in the spiritual realm (malakut). This critique of physical heavenly desires as a lesser, hypocritical pursuit serves as a conceptual prerequisite for understanding his broader arguments on metaphorical love and hypocritical asceticism.

Sanai's Distinction Between Physical and Spiritual Paradise in the Hadiqat

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Sanai's Critique of Heavenly Rewards as Metaphorical Love in the Hadiqat

In Section 6 of Fariduddin Attar's Asrar Nameh, Paradise is depicted not as a material reward but as the spiritual manifestation of a believer's virtues. The poem metaphorically describes the architecture of heaven, stating that its doors and walls are made of life, and its trees are composed of truthfulness (sidq), sincerity (ikhlas), and piety (taqwa). Attar emphasizes that the ability to perceive and enter this divine realm depends entirely on the soul's inner maturity and spiritual readiness developed during earthly life.

The Spiritual Symbolism of Paradise in Asrar Nameh Section 6

In the *Elahi Nameh*, Attar's tale of the youth possessing knowledge serves as a profound allegory of the Sufi pursuit of *liqa Allah* (the encounter with God) over the material rewards of Paradise. While the youth is situated in a grand heavenly palace surrounded by houris and thousands of windows, he remains entirely indifferent to these physical pleasures. Instead, through every window he opens, he sees only the Divine. This narrative illustrates that for the true gnostic (*arif*), Paradise is not a place of carnal gratification or physical luxury, but rather a locus for the continuous, unmediated contemplation of the Creator, making the vision of God the ultimate and only true reward.

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