Original content

English translation

Whatever good and bad exists under the wheel of heaven, Are gleaners of the harvest of intellect. When it arrived from the court of eternity, The work of knowledge and action was set right by it. Both the key to affairs is in its hand, And the path of the command is bound in its existence. It is the essence of good and the shadow of bad, It is the cause of what was, is, and will be. In the letters that are the veil of tradition, The end of religious law is the beginning of intellect. For the betterment of state and religion, The eye of intellect is foremost in seeing the end. Intellect will reveal everything to you: What has passed, what is, and what will come. The speech of intellect is not of sound and letter, Because darkness is not from greatness. Wherever the speech of intellect breathes forth, Letter and sound creep away into non-existence. Intellect is both the jewel and the mine, It is both the messenger and the guardian. A better dry block was never seen, No silent one is more eloquent than it. It gives life and patience to the body, It gives knowledge and assistance to the soul. Not by way of magic and fable, I tell you a wise word: The East and West that your intellect has, Are neither above, nor below, nor left, nor right. The East of the sun of intellect is pre-eternity, Its West is God, the Glorious and Exalted. A far-sighted person recognizes this meaning, That one should not be at the door of intellect as of ignorance. For in this station of deceit and desire, It exists to break the bonds and the cage. Intellect in the station of pre-eternity from the beginning, Its end is its beginning, just like pre-eternity. That on this face the back of religion came, That was such, and this became such. Thus in this court of sorrow and grief, For the sake of the joy of the children of Adam. It became the cause of understanding, imagination, and intelligence, That the naked one became the coverer of the naked. The unseen, for the fortune of both realms, Sometimes it conceals, sometimes it reveals clearly. Becoming without any flaw, doubt, and uncertainty, The intellect, the intelligible, and the intelligent—these three are one. Intellect in the path of truth is sufficient as your guide, Intellect in every place is sufficient as your intimate friend. Grasp onto intellect so that you may be saved, Otherwise, you will wander in every path like a slave. It accepts the 'do' and 'do not' from the command, Then it tells the soul: 'Do this, do not do that.' The Sabeans of the Arabs, out of respect, have called Its essence 'the Closest Manager'. They named it the Active Intellect, Making the five senses its slaves. Sense and nature have called it the prince, The Universal Soul is like a minister to it. Its grace washes away harsh forms, Its action seeks pure souls. Its grace in purity is the tranquility of the spirit, Its bounty in faithfulness is the Ark of Noah. For the sake of expedience, not out of desire, Its inclination is mostly toward two people: Either to the support of the just king, Or to the monotheism of the practicing scholar. Although it is a substance and these two are accidents, Yet they are followers of its purpose. Its observance of the immaterial is greater, Its favor towards the caliph is greater. Because without these two, state and religion would not exist, Wherever that is not, this will not be. It always has intimacy with the ascetics, Because the ascetics are higher than the worshippers. A substance like intellect is needed and that is all, That goes after the ego less, like breath. It is the heir of the custom of religious law and faith, From pre-eternity to post-eternity it is so. For the clever ones in this ancient house, Know no sympathizer like speech. If intellect has a dwelling towards you, Do not forsake the wisdom-increasing soul. Intellect saves you from ignorance, Intellect brings you to the truth. Intellect is sufficient as your helper, Intellect is sufficient as the guard of your path. Intellect gives a message to the soul: 'O you, from me greetings and peace be upon you.' Whoever seeks the fragrance of intellect, From his speech, all subtle points grow. The intelligent man is always healthy, The ignorant man is abject and sorrowful. The heart of the ignorant is full of greed, Cut off all greed from the wealth of people. Bring your greed under your feet, Seek intellect and abandon ignorance. Greed is like a man-eating dragon, As long as you do not hold your greed in contempt. Recognize greed as like a pig and a bear, Abandon greed and do not fear anyone. Your chest, in this desire constantly, Is like a mirage, and imagination is wandering from it.