In Section 25 of the Hadiqat al-Haqiqah, Sanai uses the metaphor of the ladder of intellect (*nardeban-e kherad*) to explain the human potential to ascend to the spiritual realm (*bam-e alam*). He notes that this intellectual ladder can lead to either faith (*din*) or infidelity (*kofr*). If individuals turn away from spiritual truth toward worldly illusions, their intellect is corrupted, turning their source of life-giving water (*sar-e ab*) into a deceptive mirage (*sarab*).

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## Original content
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ای بلندان به عقل و جان شریف 
مکنید آن بلندی را تصحیف
در کفایت بلند رای شدید 
آن بلندی چرا پلید کنید
خویشتن را ندیده اید همه 
آدم نورسیده اید همه
همه را در ولایت یزدان 
راستی قالبست و معنی جان
زین زمین جز کسان آدم را 
نردبان نیست بام عالم را
مایهٔ کفر و پایهٔ دین است 
نردبان پایهٔ خرد این است
این هم از فعل تست کاندر تاب 
از سر آب رفته ای به سراب
سر آبت سراب شد چکنی 
عقل و دینت خراب شد چکنی
میوهٔ این و آن مچین پیوست 
چون درختان میوه دارت هست
نور خواهی به دست موسی وار 
دست در گرد جیب خویش برآر
راه مدین نرفته پیش شعیب 
چند گردی به گرد پردهٔ غیب
تا بده ساعتی شبان رمه 
چون برآری عصا به روی همه
دل بدان نه که باشد از خانه 
پشک تو به ز مشت بیگانه
همه نعمت ترا شده حاصل 
تو ز اسباب و خان و مان غافل
خوانت از هرچه نعمت است پرست 
لیک در دست موش سفره برست
نبود چون تو ابله هیچ بخیل 
کاب لیسی همی تو بر لب نیل
زهد اصلی رساندت در وصل 
زاهد مشتری ندارد اصل
هرچه از سعی طبعی و فلکیست 
نیست ملک تو ملکت ملکیست
چرخ را فرش او نوردیدست 
همچنو کارهاش گردیدست
هیزم بیهده مخواه از کس 
آتش دل بس است با همه خس
دارد از بهر پختگی درویش 
هیزم خشک ز آتش دل خویش
آتش جان تو بدست صواب 
شسته اند اختران به هفتاد آب
جنبش جبر خلق عالم راست 
جنبش اختیار آدم راست

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## English translation
O you who are elevated in intellect and noble in soul,
Do not misinterpret that elevation.

In competence you became high-minded;
Why do you defile that elevation?

None of you have seen yourselves;
You are all newly-arrived Adams.

For everyone in the dominion of God,
Truth is the form and meaning is the soul.

From this earth, except for the people of Adam,
There is no ladder to the roof of the universe.

It is the substance of infidelity and the foundation of religion;
This ladder is the step of intellect.

This too is from your action that in distress,
From the source of water you have gone to a mirage.

Your source of water became a mirage, what will you do?
Your intellect and religion became ruined, what will you do?

Do not constantly gather the fruit of this and that,
Since you have fruit-bearing trees.

If you want light in your hand like Moses,
Bring your hand out from your own collar.

Having not gone the way of Midian before Jethro,
How long will you circle around the veil of the unseen?

Until you are a shepherd of the flock for a while,
How will you raise the staff against everyone?

Set your heart on this: that from the house,
Your own meager portion is better than the handful of a stranger.

All bounties have been attained by you;
You are heedless of possessions, home, and family.

Your table is full of every bounty,
But it has been carried away by the mouse of the tablecloth.

There is no miser as foolish as you,
For you lap up water while on the bank of the Nile.

True asceticism brings you to union;
The ascetic who is a buyer has no essence.

Whatever is from natural and celestial effort,
Is not your property; it is the property of the Sovereign.

He has rolled up the carpet of the wheel (sky);
Likewise His affairs have turned.

Do not vainly seek firewood from anyone;
The fire of the heart is enough along with all the thorns.

The dervish has, for the sake of maturity,
Dry firewood from the fire of his own heart.

The fire of your soul, by the hand of rectitude,
The stars have washed with seventy waters.

The movement of compulsion belongs to the creatures of the world;
The movement of free will belongs to Adam.

بخش ۲۵ - اندر ترک دنیا و ریاضت نفس گوید / Section 25 - He Speaks on Renouncing the World and Disciplining the Self

In Section 22 of the Hadiqat al-Haqiqah, Sanai employs the metaphor of the *Pir-e Zal* (Old Hag) to personify the deceptive and ensnaring nature of the material world. He describes the celestial and terrestrial realms as two 'beads' (black and white, representing night and day) being manipulated by this hag to distract the seeker. To escape this trap, Sanai exhorts the seeker to construct a *Nardeban-e Kherad* (Ladder of Wisdom) to ascend beyond the 'blue veil' of the physical spheres. This imagery emphasizes that true spiritual progress requires a rational recognition of the world's worthlessness and an active intellectual effort to return to the 'roof of the universe'.

The Metaphor of the Old Hag (Pir-e Zal) and the Ladder of Wisdom in Section 22

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The Ladder of Intellect and the Worldly Mirage in Sanai's Hadiqat

In Section 41 of the 'Hadiqat al-Haqiqah', Sanai teaches the necessity of renouncing worldly attachment through two key allegories:

1. **The Refusal of the Cushion**: A master ('Khwajeh') refuses to lean on a cushion offered to him, explaining that someone who is mindful of death, the grave, and the day of judgment cannot comfortably rely on temporary worldly supports. He declares that all earthly reliance leads only to sorrow and desire, whereas God's mercy is the only true refuge.
2. **The Deceptive Old Hag**: Sanai personifies the material world as an ugly, foul-mouthed old hag ('gandeh-pir') disguised under jewelry and fine clothing ('holi va holleh'). He warns that the world uses deceptive coloration ('rang o nirang') to entrap those who mistake its outer beauty for substance.

Together, these metaphors urge the seeker to look past the attractive illusions of the physical world and find true security solely in divine mercy.

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