In Book One of the *Masnavi*, Jalaluddin Rumi employs the metaphor of the letter or word as a container (*zarf*) and the spiritual meaning as water (*ab*), stating that 'the letter is a container, and meaning in it is like water' (*harf zarf amad dar-o ma'ni cho ab*). This directly builds upon Sanai's formulation in the *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, where the outward text of the Quran is treated as a vessel and its inner truth as water. Rumi uses this metaphor to argue that while verbal forms are necessary vehicles for communication, the seeker must transcend the physical words to access the infinite, divine ocean of meaning (*bahr-e ma'ni*).

The Metaphor of the Letter as a Container and Meaning as Water in the Masnavi

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.

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## Original content
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سر قرآن قران نکو داند 
زو شنو زانکه خود همو داند
چون نباشد ز محرمان بنهفت 
سر قرآن زبان چه داند گفت
کی بنشناخت جز به دیدهٔ جان 
حرف پیمای را ز قرآن خوان
من نگویم اگرچه عثمانی 
که تو قرآن همی نکو دانی
هست دنیا مثال تابستان 
خلق در وی بسان سرمستان
در بیابان غفلتند همه 
مرگ همچون شبان و خلق رمه
اندرین بادیهٔ هوا و هوان 
ریگ گرم است همچو آب روان
هست قرآن چو آب سرد فرات 
تو چو عاصی تشنه در عرصات
حرف و قرآن تو ظرف و آب شمر 
آب می خور به ظرف در منگر
کان کین زان نمایدت اوطان 
که تموز است و مهر در سرطان
زان بماندت نهاد بی روزه 
کآب سرد است و کوزه پیروزه
سر قرآن پاک با دل پاک 
درد گوید به صوت اندهناک
عقل کی شرح و بسط او داند 
ذوق سر سر او نکو داند
گرچه نقش سخن نه از سخنست 
بوی یوسف درون پیرهنست
بود در مصر مانده یوسف خوب 
بو به کنعان رسیده زی یعقوب
حرف قرآن ز معنی قرآن 
همچنانست کز لباس تو جان
حرف را بر زبان توان راندن 
جان قرآن به جان توان خواندن
صدف آمد حروف و قرآن در 
نشود مایل صدف دل حر
حرف او گرچه خوب و منقوشست 
کوه از او همچو عهن منفوش است
از درون کن سماع موسی وار 
نز برون سو چو زیر موسیقار
جان چو آن خواند لقمه چرب کند 
دل که بشنود خرقه ضرب کند
لفظ و آواز و حرف در آیات 
چون سه چوبک ز کاسهای نبات
پوست ار چه نه خوب و نغز بود 
پوستت پرده دار مغز بود
حکمت از خبث تو سرود آید 
نبی از جهل تو فرود آید
تا در این تربتی که ترتیب است 
تا بر این مرکزی که ترکیب است
به بصر بید بین به دل طوبی 
به زبان حرف خوان به دل معنی
بکن از بهر حرمت قرآن 
عقل را پیش نطق او قربان
عقل نبود دلیل اسرارش 
عقل عاجز شدست در کارش
تا درین عالمی که پر صید است 
تا براین مرکبی که پر کیدست
تو کنون ناحفاظ و غمازی 
کی سزاوار پردهٔ رازی
تو نگشتی بسر او واقف 
نرسیدی هنوز در موقف
تا هوا خواهی و هوا داری 
کودکی کن نه مرد این کاری
چون جهان هوا خرد بگرفت 
نیکی محض جای بد بگرفت
دیو بگریخت هم به دوزخ آز 
یافت انگشتری سلیمان باز
آنگهی بو که صبح دین بدمد 
شب وهم و خیال و حس برمد
چون ببینند مر ترا بی عیب 
روی پوشیدگان عالم غیب
مر ترا در سرای غیب آرند 
پرده از پیش روی بردارند
سر قرآن ترا چو بنمایند 
پرده های حروف بگشایند
خاکی اجزای خاک را بیند 
پاک باید که پاک را بیند
شد هزیمت ز سر او شیطان 
چه عجب گر رمید از قرآن
در دماغی که دیو کبر دمد 
فهم قرآن از آن دماغ رمد
ز استماع قرآن بتابد گوش 
وز پی سر سوره نازد هوش
سوی سر نبی نیارد هوش 
جز دل و جانت از زبان خموش
هوش اگر گوشمال حق یابد 
سر قرآن ز سوره دریابد

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## English translation
The companion knows the secret of the Quran well;
Hear it from him, for he himself knows it.
Since it is not hidden from the intimates,
How could the tongue speak the secret of the Quran?
How can one distinguish, except with the eye of the soul,
The one who merely measures letters from the true reader of the Quran?
I do not say, even if you are like Uthman,
That you know the Quran well.
The world is like the summer season,
And creation in it is like the intoxicated.
They are all in the wilderness of heedlessness,
Death is like the shepherd and the people are the flock.
In this desert of desire and degradation,
The hot sand seems like flowing water.
The Quran is like the cold water of the Euphrates,
And you are like a thirsty sinner on the Day of Resurrection.
Consider the letters and the Quran as the vessel and the water;
Drink the water and do not look at the vessel.
For that mine of malice appears to you as home
Because it is July and the sun is in Cancer.
For this reason, your nature remained without fasting,
Because the water is cold and the jug is made of turquoise.
The secret of the pure Quran, to a pure heart,
Speaks of pain in a sorrowful voice.
How can the intellect know its explanation and detail?
Only spiritual taste knows the secret of its secret well.
Although the image of words is not the words themselves,
The scent of Joseph is inside the shirt.
The beautiful Joseph remained in Egypt,
But his scent reached Jacob in Canaan.
The letters of the Quran compared to the meaning of the Quran
Are like your clothes compared to your soul.
The letters can be spoken by the tongue,
But the soul of the Quran can be read only by the soul.
The letters are the shell and the Quran is the pearl;
The heart of a free person does not incline toward the shell.
Although its letters are beautiful and engraved,
The mountain is like carded wool before it.
Listen from within like Moses,
Not from without like the sound of a musical instrument.
When the soul reads that, it sweetens the morsel;
When the heart hears it, it beats the Sufi cloak.
The words, voice, and letters in the verses
Are like three sticks in bowls of rock candy.
Although the husk may not be beautiful and fine,
The husk is the guardian of the kernel.
Wisdom becomes poetry from your impurity,
The Prophet descends due to your ignorance.
As long as you are in this dust which is ordered,
As long as you are on this center which is composed,
Look at the willow with your sight, but at the Tuba tree with your heart;
Read the letters with your tongue, but the meaning with your heart.
For the sake of the Quran's sanctity,
Sacrifice the intellect before its speech.
Intellect is not the guide to its secrets;
Intellect has become helpless in its affair.
As long as you are in this world full of prey,
As long as you are on this mount full of deceit,
Since you are now unfaithful and a slanderer,
How are you worthy of the veil of the mystery?
You have not become aware of its secret,
You have not yet arrived at the station.
As long as you follow desire and have self-interest,
Behave like a child; you are not a man for this work.
When the intellect took control of the world of desire,
Pure goodness took the place of evil.
The demon also fled back to the hell of greed,
And Solomon found his ring once again.
Only then will the morning of religion dawn,
And the night of illusion, imagination, and senses flee.
When the veiled ones of the unseen world
Behold you without defect,
They will bring you into the chamber of the unseen,
And remove the veil from before your face.
When they show you the secret of the Quran,
They will open the veils of the letters.
The earthly one sees only the components of dust;
One must be pure to see the Pure.
Satan was routed from its secret;
What wonder if he fled from the Quran?
In a brain into which the demon of pride blows,
The understanding of the Quran flees from that brain.
The ear turns away from hearing the Quran,
And consciousness boasts of the secret of the surah.
Consciousness does not bring attention to the secret of the Prophet,
Except through your heart and soul, while the tongue is silent.
If the intellect receives correction from the Truth,
It will understand the secret of the Quran from the surah.

بخش ۳ - در سرِّ قرآن / Section 3 - On the Secret of the Quran

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.

The Contrast of Outward Recitation and Inward Comprehension of the Quran in the Hadiqat

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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.

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