In Section 3 of *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai employs the metaphor of a container (*zarf*) and water (*ab*) to explain the relationship between the external letters of the Quran and its internal spiritual essence. He instructs the seeker to treat the letters and the outer form as the container, and the spiritual truth as the water, advising them to focus on consuming the water rather than looking at the vessel. This metaphor represents a key development in Persian Sufi hermeneutics, emphasizing inner spiritual comprehension over outward textual literalism.

The Metaphor of the Container and Water for the Quran in the Hadiqat

In Section 4 of *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai employs the imagery of the sea, shell, and pearl to describe the Quran's nature. He characterizes the external letters and sounds as a dark shell (*sadaf-e tireh*) and the internal spiritual reality as a pure pearl (*dor-e safi*) or gem (*gohar*) located within the heart. This metaphor suggests that the Quran's inimitability (*i'jaz*) is not merely in its linguistic surface but in the divine depths that remain hidden from those who only traverse the shore of the text. Sanai's use of this metaphor established a foundational trope for later Sufi poets, such as Shabestari in *Golshan-e Raz*, to explain the relationship between form (*surat*) and meaning (*ma'ni*).

The Metaphor of the Shell and Pearl for the Quran in the Hadiqat

In Section 8 of *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai discusses the true nature of reciting the Quran. He argues that one cannot experience the spiritual taste (*ta'm*) and pleasure (*lazzat*) of the Quran through mere tongue-recitation without the involvement of the soul (*jan*). Sanai urges the reader to transition from the physical realm of the body (*tan*) to the vision of the soul in order to behold the 'garden of the Quran' (*bagh-e qoran*), where the cosmic truths of past, present, and future, as well as the divine attributes, become fully manifest to the sincere reader.

Tasting the Spiritual Garden of the Quran in Section 8 of the Hadiqat

In Section 9 of *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai discusses the spiritual listening (*sama'*) of the Quran. He asserts that a true mystic (*arif*) hears the divine word directly from God (*Bari*), arguing that the artistic recitation of the external reciter (*qari*) serves as a veil (*hijab*) that blocks direct spiritual comprehension. Sanai notes that the nature of the singer is weak, while love possesses its own inner minstrel, indicating that true audition transcends external sounds and sensory forms.

Hearing the Quran from God and the Veil of the Reciter in the Hadiqat

In Book Three of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the poet elaborates on a prophetic tradition (Hadith) stating that the Quran possesses an outward meaning (ẓahr) and multiple inward dimensions (baṭn), reaching up to seven inner depths. Rumi explains this multiplicity of meaning through the metaphor of a human being. Just as a person's physical form is visibly apparent while their inner spirit remains hidden, the literal words of the Quran are accessible to all, whereas its profound spiritual realities require deeper insight to comprehend. Rumi warns against restricting one's understanding to the outward text, likening such a literalist approach to Iblis (Satan), who perceived Adam merely as physical clay and failed to recognize the divine breath within him.

The Metaphor of the Quran as a Human Being in the Masnavi

In Section 5 of *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai employs the metaphors of the well (*chah*) and the rope (*rasan*) to describe the human spiritual condition and the role of the Quran. The human soul is compared to Joseph trapped in a well due to the temptations of Satan, while the Quran is depicted as the saving rope. Sanai instructs seekers to grasp this rope to escape spiritual destruction, contrasting those who use the rope to draw the 'water of life' with those who use it merely for worldly gain, like a rope-dancer performing for bread.

The Metaphor of the Rope and the Well for the Quran in the Hadiqat

In Section 7 of *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai introduces the concept of the Quran personified as a complainant (*geleh*) before God on the Day of Judgment. The Quran testifies against hypocritical readers who recited its verses loudly and melodically for public show, but failed to observe the true rights of its grammar, syntax, meaning, and spiritual sincerity (*sadq*). This personification illustrates Sanai's broader theme that external ritualism without internal truth is not only worthless but will actively testify against the individual in the afterlife.

The Complaint of the Quran on the Day of Judgment in the Hadiqat

In Section 6 of the *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai criticizes those who reduce the Quran to external divisions like tenths (*a'shar*) and fifths (*akhmas*) for superficial recitation. He argues that using the holy text as a tool for worldly gain, public show, or sectarian debate, and interpreting it through personal opinion (*ra'y*) or analogy (*qiyas*), neglects its true spiritual light and constitutes a form of hypocrisy.

The Criticism of Superficial Divisions and Worldly Exploitation of the Quran in the Hadiqat

In Section 2 of *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai introduces the distinction between the outward form (*zahir*) of the Quran and its inward spiritual meaning (*batin*). He warns against reciting the Quran out of heedlessness (*ghafleh*) or mere habit, noting that such readers only pronounce the letters without experiencing spiritual taste (*zowq*) or desire. Sanai contrasts the 'wise' (*aqilan*), who receive sweetness in their souls, with the 'heedless' (*ghafilan*), for whom the Quran is merely a verbal recitation (*telavat*). This thematic division between form and essence is a fundamental prerequisite for understanding later mystical interpretations of scripture in Persian literature.

Google

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

هم جلیلست با حجاب جلال 
هم دلیلست با نقاب دلال
سخن اوست واضح و واثق 
حجت اوست لایح و لایق
در جان را حروف او درجست 
چرخ دین را هدایتش برجست
روضهٔ انس عارفانست او 
جنة الاعلی روانست او
ای ترا از قرائت قرآن 
از سر غفلت و ره عصیان
بر زبان از حروف ذوقی نه 
در جنان از وقوف شوقی نه
از کمال جلالت و سلطان 
هست قرآن به حجت و برهان
بر زبان طرف حرف و ذوقی نه 
غافل از معنیش که از پی چه
از درون شمع منهج اسلام 
وز برون حارس عقیدهٔ عام
عاقلان را حلاوتی در جان 
غافلان را تلاوتی به زبان
دیده روح و حروف قرآن را 
چشم جسم این و چشم جان آنرا
زحمت این ببرده چشم ز گوش 
نعمت آن بخورده روح ز هوش
زآسمان تفضل و احسان 
هر نقط زو چو طرهٔ یاران
ز ابر برش جدا شده به لطف 
عقد در بسته در دهان صدف
بهر نامحرمان به پیش جمال 
بسته از مشک پرده های جلال
پرده و پرده دار را از شاه 
نبود دل ز کار او آگاه
داند آنکس که وی بصر دارد 
پرده از شاه کی خبر دارد
نشد از دور طارم ازرق 
عرق او سست و تازگیش خلق
نقش و حرف و قرائتش به یقین 
از زمین هست تا سر پروین
تو هنوز از کفایت شب و روز 
قشر اول چشیده ای از گوز
تو ز قرآن نقاب او دیدی 
حرف او را حجاب او دیدی
پیش نااهل چهره نگشادست 
نقش او پیش او بر استادست
گر ترا هیچ اهل آن دیدی 
آن نقاب رقیق بدریدی
مر ترا روی خویش بنمودی 
تا روانت بدو بیاسودی
اولین پوست زفت و تلخ بود 
دومین چون ز ماه سلخ بود
سیمین از حریر زرد تنک 
چارمین مغز آبدار خنک
پنجمینت منزل است خانهٔ تو 
سنت انبیا ستانهٔ تو
چون ز پنجم روان بیارایی 
پس به اول چرا فرود آیی
دل مجروح را شفا زویست 
جان محروم را دوا زویست
تن چشد طعم ثفلش از پی زیست 
جان شناسد که طعم روغن چیست
حس چه بیند مگر که صورت نغز 
مغز داند که چیست آنرا مغز
صورت سورتش همی خوانی 
صفت سیرتش نمی دانی
کم ز مهمان سرای عدن مدان 
خوان قرآن به پیش قرآن خوان
حرف را زان نقاب خود کردست 
که ز نامحرمی تو در پردست
تو همان دیده ای ز سورت آن 
کاهل صورت ز صورت سلطان
صورت از عین روح بیخبرست 
تن دگر دان که روح خود دگرست
چه شماری حروف را قرآن 
چه حدیث حدث کنی با آن
که نبینند همچو بیداران 
ذات او خفتگان و طراران
حرف با او اگرچه هم خوابه است 
بی خبر همچو نقش گرمابه است

</div>

## English translation
It is both majestic with the veil of majesty,
And a guide with the mask of grace.
His speech is clear and trustworthy,
His proof is manifest and worthy.
Its letters contain the pearl of the soul,
Its guidance is a constellation for the wheel of religion.
It is the garden of intimacy for the gnostics,
It is the highest heaven for the soul.
O you, whose recitation of the Quran
Is out of negligence and on the path of rebellion,
Having no taste of the letters on your tongue,
And no yearning in your heart from understanding,
Due to the perfection of its majesty and authority,
The Quran stands as a proof and demonstration.
On your tongue is only the edge of the letter, no taste,
Heedless of its meaning, not knowing for what purpose.
From within, it is the candle of the path of Islam,
And from without, the guardian of the common creed.
For the wise, a sweetness in the soul;
For the negligent, a recitation on the tongue.
The spirit sees the spirit, and the eye of the body sees the letters of the Quran;
The physical eye sees the latter, and the eye of the soul sees the former.
The physical eye has taken its trouble from the ear,
The spirit has consumed its bounty through consciousness.
From the heaven of grace and benevolence,
Every dot of it is like the tresses of friends,
Separated from the rain cloud by grace,
Like a string of pearls locked in the mouth of a seashell.
For the uninitiated, before its beauty,
It has drawn veils of majesty made of musk.
The veil and the gatekeeper
Are not aware of the King's affairs.
He who has vision knows;
How can the veil have news of the King?
The blue dome of the sky through its cycles
Did not make its root weak, nor its freshness worn out.
Its script, letters, and recitation, with certainty,
Extend from the earth to the summit of the Pleiades.
You, still occupied with the worries of day and night,
Have only tasted the first outer shell of the walnut.
You saw only the veil of the Quran;
You saw its letters as its hijab.
It has not revealed its face to the unworthy;
Its script stands as a barrier before him.
If it saw you worthy of it,
It would tear that thin veil,
It would show its face to you,
So that your soul would find rest in it.
The first skin is thick and bitter;
The second is like the end of the lunar month.
The third is of thin yellow silk;
The fourth is the cool, juicy kernel.
The fifth is your destination, your home;
The sunnah of the prophets is your threshold.
Once you adorn your soul with the fifth,
Why would you descend back to the first?
Healing for the wounded heart is from it;
Medicine for the deprived soul is from it.
The body tastes the dregs of it for the sake of survival;
The soul knows what the taste of the oil is.
What does the sense see but the beautiful form?
Only the intellect knows what the essence of it is.
You read the form of its chapters;
You do not know the quality of its character.
Deem it not less than the guest house of Eden;
The table of the Quran is spread before the reciter of the Quran.
It has made the letter its veil because,
Due to your unworthiness, you are behind the curtain.
You have seen in its chapters only what
The people of form see in the form of a king.
Form is unaware of the essence of the spirit;
Know the body as one thing and the spirit as another.
Why do you count the letters as the Quran?
Why do you speak of transient things with it?
For those who sleep and the thieves
Do not see its essence, unlike the vigilant.
Though the letter is its bedfellow,
It is unaware, like a painting on a bathhouse wall.

بخش ۲ - ذکر جلال قرآن / Section 2 - Mention of the Glory of the Quran

In the opening section on Divine Speech in the *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai asserts the orthodox Sunni theological stance regarding the nature of the Quran. Grounding his discussion in Hadith and the declarations of early scholars like Ahmad ibn Hanbal, he emphasizes that the Quran is the uncreated Word of God (*Kalam Allah Ghayr Makhluq*). Sanai warns that viewing the Quran as created diminishes its divine majesty, setting a theological foundation for the subsequent sections of the poem that detail the glory, recitation, and spiritual audition of the holy text.

The Doctrine of the Uncreated Quran in the Hadiqat

Root URL: https://ganjoor.net/
Source URL: https://ganjoor.net/

This Reference node represents the source used by the Literature-to-1Cademy migration agent.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After