In Section 64 of the *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sana'i uses the story of the ascetic Abu Shu'ayb and his wife Jauharah to illustrate the spiritual virtue of contentment (*qana'ah*) and voluntary poverty. Jauharah's willingness to live with Abu Shu'ayb in a mountain hermitage with minimal worldly goods highlights that true devotion and the curtailment of prayer (focusing on spiritual essence over lengthy outward forms) are achieved when the heart is freed from worldly desires and satisfied with divine decree.

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## Original content
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بوشعیب الابی امامی بود 
که ورا هرکسی همی بستود
قائم الیل و صائم الدهری 
یافت از زهد در زمان بهری
برده از شهر صومعه بر کوه 
جسته بیرون ز زحمت انبوه
زنی از اتفاق رغبت کرد 
گفت شیخا زنت بود در خورد
گر بخواهی ترا حلال شوم 
به قناعت ترا عیال شوم
به قناعت زیم به کم راضی 
نکنم یاد نعمت ماضی
گفت بخ بخ رواست بپسندم 
گر قناعت کنی تو خرسندم
با عفاف و کفاف و خلق حسان 
غایت حسن و آیت احسان
بودش این زن عفیفه جوهره نام 
یافته از حسن و زیب بهره تمام
شهر بگذاشت و عزم صومعه کرد 
قانع از حکم چرخ گردا گرد
بوریا پاره ای فکنده بدید 
جوهره بوریا سبک برچید
مر ورا بوشعیب زاهد گفت 
کای شده مر مرا گرامی جفت
از برای چه برگرفتی فرش 
که بود خاک تیره موضع کفش
گفت بهر صلاح برچیدم 
که من این معنی از تو بشنیدم
که بود بهترین هر طاعت 
که نباشد حجابش آن ساعت
جبهت بنده را ز عین تراب 
بوریا بود در میانه حجاب
بود هر شب دو قرص راتب او 
به وظیفه که بد معاتب او
به دو قرص جوین گه افطار 
بود قانع همیشه آن دیندار
بوشعیب از قیام شب یکروز 
گشت رنجور و بود وی معذور
آن شب از ضعف حال آن سره مرد 
فرض و سنت نماز قاعد کرد
زن یکی قرص پیش شیخ نهاد 
قطره ای سرکه داد و بیش نداد
شیخ گفت ای زن این وظیفهٔ من 
بیش از این ست کم چرا شد زن
گفت زیرا نماز قاعد را 
مزد یک نیمه است عابد را
تو نماز ار نشسته کردستی 
نیمه ای از وظیفه خوردستی
بیش یک نیمه از وظیفه مخواه 
از من ای شیخ کردمت آگاه
که نماز نشسته را نیمی 
مزد استاده است تقسیمی
چون تو نیمی عباده بگذاری 
جمله را مزد چشم چون داری
جمله بگذار و مزد جمله بخواه 
ورنه این طاعتست عین گناه
ای تو در راه صدق کم ز زنی 
باز بستر ز همچو خویشتنی
مر ترا زین نماز نز سر دل 
نیست جان کندنی مگر حاصل
طاعتی کان ز دل ندارد روح 
کس ندارد وجود آن به فتوح
زآنکه در اصل خود نیاید نغز 
بر سر کاسه استخوان بی مغز
هر نمازی که با خلل باشد 
دان که در حشر بی محل باشد
از خشوع دلست مغز نماز 
ور نباشد خشوع نیست نیاز
آنکه در بند روزه ماند و نماز 
بر در جانش ماند قفل نیاز
زان در این عالم فریب و هوس 
واندرین صدهزار ساله قفس
دست موزه ات کلاه جاه آمد 
که سرت برتر از کلاه آمد
هرکرا در نماز عده نکوست 
غار مغرب سزای سجدهٔ اوست
رو قضا کن نماز بی دم آز 
که نمازت تبه شد از نم آز
شد ز ننگ نماز و روزهٔ تو 
کفش پای تو دست موزهٔ تو
مرد باید که در نماز آید 
خسته با درد و با نیاز آید
ور نباشد خشوع و دمسازی 
دیو با سبلتش کند بازی
لحن خوش دار چون به کوه آیی 
کوه را بانگ خر چه فرمایی
کرده ای در ره دعا برپای 
صد هزاران عوان صوت سرای
لاجرم حرف آن ز کوه مجاز 
چون صدا هم به دمت آید باز

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## English translation
Abu Shu'ayb al-Ubayy was an imam
whom everyone praised.
Standing in prayer at night and fasting by day
he gained a portion of asceticism in his time.
He took his monastery from the city to the mountain
seeking escape from the troublesome crowd.
By chance, a woman showed interest and said:
"O Sheikh, it would be fitting to have a wife.
If you wish, I will become lawful to you
and become your family with contentment.
I will live in contentment, satisfied with little
and will not recall past comforts."
He said, "Excellent, excellent! It is acceptable, I approve
if you are content, I am pleased."
With chastity, sufficiency, and good character
she was the ultimate beauty and a sign of goodness.
This chaste woman was named Jawharah
who had a full share of beauty and adornment.
She left the city and set out for the monastery
content with the decree of the turning heavens.
She saw a piece of straw mat laid out
Jawharah quickly rolled up the straw mat.
Abu Shu'ayb the ascetic said to her:
"O you who have become my dear spouse!
For what reason did you pick up the mat
sine the dark earth is the place for shoes?"
She said, "I picked it up for the sake of benefit
because I heard this meaning from you:
That the best of all obediences
is that which has no veil in that hour.
Between the servant's forehead and the earth itself
the straw mat was a veil in the middle."
Every night, two loaves of bread were his daily ration
a duty for which he was accountable.
With two barley loaves at the time of breaking the fast
that devout man was always content.
One day, Abu Shu'ayb, from standing at night
fell ill and was excused.
That night, due to the weakness of that noble man's state
he performed his obligatory and sunnah prayers sitting down.
The woman placed one loaf of bread before the Sheikh
and gave a drop of vinegar, giving no more.
The Sheikh said, "O woman, this ration of mine
is more than this; why has it decreased?"
She said, "Because for the sitting prayer
the reward is only one half for the worshiper.
Since you performed the prayer sitting down
you have eaten half of your daily duty.
Do not demand more than half of the ration
from me, O Sheikh, I have made you aware.
For the sitting prayer is half
the reward of the standing prayer in division.
Since you perform only half the worship
how do you expect the reward of the whole?
Perform the whole and demand the reward of the whole
otherwise, this obedience is the very essence of sin.
O you who in the path of truth are less than a woman
learn a lesson from someone like yourself!
For you, from this prayer not done from the heart
there is nothing obtained except struggle.
An act of worship that has no spirit from the heart
no one accepts its existence as a victory.
Because in its origin it does not seem beautiful
a marrowless bone on top of a bowl.
Every prayer that has a defect
know that in the Resurrection it will be out of place.
The marrow of prayer is from the heart's humility
and if there is no humility, there is no true supplication.
The one who remains bound only by formal fasting and prayer
the lock of need remains on the door of their soul.
Therefore, in this world of deceit and desire
and inside this hundred-thousand-year-old cage,
Your plaything became the hat of status
though your head is higher than any hat.
Whoever boasts of their number of prayers
the cave of the west is fitting for their prostration.
Go, make up for the prayer performed without the breath of greed
for your prayer was ruined by the dampness of desire.
From the shame of your prayer and fasting
your shoes became your tool of trade.
A man must enter into prayer
broken, with pain and with deep yearning.
And if there is no humility and harmony
the devil will play with his mustache.
Have a sweet voice when you come to the mountain
why do you offer the braying of a donkey to the mountain?
You have set up in the way of prayer
a hundred thousand loud-voiced guards.
Inevitably, its word from the mountain of metaphor
like an echo, will return back to your own breath.

بخش ۶۴ - التّمثیل فی تقصیر الصّلوة / Section 64 - The Parable on the Curtailment of Prayer

In the *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sana'i contrasts the mere physical performance of prayer with its true spiritual essence. He warns that prayer performed in a state of heedlessness (*ghaflah*), lacking sincere supplication (*du'a*), entreaty (*tadarru'*), and presence of the heart, is spiritually empty and unacceptable. For Sana'i, true prayer is an intimate dialogue that must arise from a place of spiritual pain and genuine need to be received by the Divine.

The Distinction Between Inward Presence and Outward Ritual in Sana'i's Hadiqat al-Haqiqah

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The Theme of Contentment and Asceticism in Sana'i's Parable on the Curtailment of Prayer

In the *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah*, Sanai recounts the anecdote of an arrow being removed from Imam Ali's foot while he is deeply absorbed in prayer. Sanai uses this story to illustrate the concept of extreme humility (*khushu*) and complete presence of the heart (*hudur al-qalb*) during prayer, where the worshipper's spiritual absorption renders them entirely oblivious to physical pain and the material world.

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