In Book Four of the Masnavi, Rumi critiques human reliance on cleverness (dhakawat) and intellectual imaginations (taswirat-e tab'), arguing that worldly intelligence can become a barrier to seeking the knowledge of the unseen ('ilm-e ghayb), which is the domain of the prophets.

The Allegory of the Painted House

Rumi illustrates this delusion through the metaphor of a child in a decorated house:

• The House and Paintings: The physical world and its sensory distractions are compared to beautiful paintings (naqsh-o negar) on the walls of a house.
• The Child: Spiritually immature humans resemble children who fall in love with these superficial images, playing games of desire with mere representations.
• The Hidden Treasure: A vast treasure lies buried beneath the house. However, because the child is infatuated with the wall decorations, they never use an axe (tabar) to dig up the foundation and retrieve the true wealth.

Intellectualism vs. Spiritual K...