by Hakim Sanai of Ghazna
Book IV of the Hadiqa al-Haqiqa — "The Walled Garden of Truth" — is Sanai's treatise on Reason (al-ʿaql). In fourteen sections and approximately 354 couplets, it builds the intellectual foundation upon which the rest of the Hadiqa stands: praise of reason as the Sultan of creation and God's shadow on earth; its nobility as parent to the soul; its perfection as commander of the senses; its role in the creation of the world; and finally, its reconciliation with divine law — not as rival but as partner.
The architecture is deliberate. After Book I (Divine Unity), Book II (Speech), and Book III (The Prophet), Book IV asks: what is the faculty that receives all of this? Reason is the eye; prophethood is the light (XIV.1). Yet the massive central section (III, 144 couplets) contains within it the seed of reason's own transcendence: "Reason in the lane of love is blind — being reasonable is the work of Ibn Sina" (III.41). Sanai builds the fortress of reason only to tell you, in Book V, that love will burn it down.
Hakim Sanai of Ghazna (~1080–1131 CE) was the first of the three great Sufi masnavi poets. Rumi acknowledged him: "Attar was the spirit and Sanai his two eyes — we came after Sanai and Attar." The Hadiqa, composed around 1131 CE and dedicated to the Ghaznavid sultan Bahramshah, runs to ten books and approximately twelve thousand couplets — the earliest monumental poem of Persian Sufism.
Book I was translated into English by Major J. Stephenson in 1910 (freely available via the Internet Archive). Books II, III, and V have been translated by the Good Works Project. This is the first freely available English translation of Book IV.
This is a Good Works Translation from Classical Persian. The source text is from Ganjoor.net, the principal digital archive of classical Persian poetry. Blood Rule satisfied: translated directly from the Ganjoor Persian text. No existing English translation was consulted during this work.
I. Epigraph
ذکر العقل اوجب لان نتائجه اعجب، من لا عقل له لادین له، قال النّبی صلّیاللّٰه علیه وآله وسلّم: اوّل ما خَلَقاللّٰه تعالی العقل — The remembrance of Reason is most incumbent, for its fruits are most wondrous. He who has no reason has no faith. The Prophet — peace be upon him and his family — said: "The first thing God Most High created was Reason."
II. In Praise of Reason, the Reasonable, and the Object of Reason
اندر ستایش عقل و عاقل و معقول
Whatever under the heavens is good or ill —
they are all gleaners of the harvest of Reason.
When it came forth from the court of eternity,
through it the work of knowledge and action was set right.
The key of all affairs is in its hand;
the way of command is sealed in its being.
The source of good and the shadow of evil is it;
the cause of was and is and will be is it.
In the letters that are the veil of transmission,
the end of divine law is the beginning of reason.
For the welfare of both sovereignty and faith,
the eye of reason comes first, though it sees the end.
Reason shows you everything —
what has passed, what is, and what is to come.
The speech of reason is not sound and letter,
for darkness is not born from wonder.
Wherever the utterance of reason speaks,
letter and sound slip into nothingness.
Reason is both the jewel and the mine,
both the messenger and the guardian.
No dryness was ever bound more beautifully;
no silence was ever more eloquent than it.
Give the body soul and forbearance;
grant the self knowledge and aid.
Not from the path of spells and fables —
I speak to you a wise word:
The east and west of your reason
is neither above nor below, neither left nor right.
The east of the sun of eternal reason —
its west is God, the Mighty and Glorious.
The far-sighted know this meaning:
from reason, as from ignorance, one stands at the door of nothingness.
For in this dwelling of deception and desire
there exists only bondage, and a cage to break.
Reason in the dwelling of eternity, from the first —
its end is its beginning, like eternity.
For upon this face the back of faith came —
that was so, and this became so.
Therefore in this court of sorrow and grief,
for the sake of the joy of the children of Adam,
the cause of understanding, imagination, and intellect came —
naked, it came to clothe the naked.
For the Unseen, for the fortune of both abodes,
sometimes hidden, sometimes plainly showing.
Without any fault, deceit, or doubt —
Reason, the reasoned, and the reasonable: these three are one.
Reason on the path of God is guide enough for you;
Reason in every place is friend enough for you.
Cling to reason so that you may be saved —
else you will wander every path like a vagabond.
It receives "do" and "do not" from the command,
then speaks to the soul: "Do this. Do not do that."
The true-aiming Arabs of destiny called
its essence the Administrator of the Nearest.
They named it the Active Intellect
and made the five senses its servants.
Sense and the humors called it commander;
the Universal Soul is like a vizier to it.
Its bounty washes the stains from the forms;
its action purifies the seeking souls.
Its grace in purity is the tranquility of the spirit;
its merit in faithfulness is the ark of Noah.
For the sake of the good, not for desire,
its inclination favors two persons most:
either the support of a just king
or the unity known by a scholar of action.
Though it is substance and these two are accidents,
yet they follow it for its purpose.
For the solitary, its care is greater;
for the caliph, its favor is greater —
for without these two, neither realm nor faith exists;
wherever one is absent, the other vanishes.
It keeps company always with the ascetics,
for ascetics stand higher than mere worshippers.
A jewel like reason is all you need —
one that rarely breathes for the self's sake.
It is the heir of divine law and faith;
from eternity to eternity, thus it is.
For the wise in this ancient dwelling,
know no comforter like speech.
If reason has settled on your side,
do not abandon the soul that increases wisdom.
Reason delivers you from ignorance;
Reason carries you to truth.
Reason is sufficient as your hand-holder;
Reason is sufficient as your path's guard.
Reason sends the self a message:
"From me to you — greetings and peace."
Whoever breathes in the scent of reason —
from its discourse, all subtleties bloom.
The reasonable man is always thriving;
the ignorant man is wretched and sorrow-eating.
The fool's heart is full of greed —
cut off greed for the wealth of the people entirely.
Trample your own avarice underfoot;
seek reason and abandon ignorance.
Avarice is a man-devouring dragon —
so long as you do not hold your own avarice cheap.
Know avarice as pig and bear;
abandon avarice and fear no one.
Your breast in this desire is always
like a mirage, and imagination wanders lost from it.
III. That Reason Is the Sultan of Creation and the Proof of Truth
فی ان العقل سلطان الخلق و حجة الحق
Reason is the capable sultan of good nature —
the one they call God's shadow: that is it.
The shadow is familiar with the essence;
how could the shadow be separate from the essence?
How could the shadow be anything but a servant?
How could the shadow have free choice?
The Universal Intellect holds its tablet beneath the clay;
wherever command says "Speak," it holds command.
So long as reason stands before the ball of command,
its speech is the companion of the Quran.
Whatever does not come from the court of command —
all of that is your pain, not your remedy.
Reason is above imagination, sense, and analogy;
the star-knower stands above the heavens.
In right counsel, it is the administrator of the soul;
in all realms, it is the scribe of God.
Distinguish reason from its chains —
swelling is not the same as fatness.
The Universal Intellect delivers you swiftly
from the companionship of demons, fire, and smoke.
It is God's mercy placed in the world,
the proof of Truth in the house of Adam.
Reason in the house of the veil of "Be" —
for the receiving of "Do" and "Do not."
It was fortunate, then turned its back,
then found fortune again for the sake of mystery.
It became receptive to the light of command in all things —
worthy of itself, not worthy of the Word.
Whoever opposed it exhausted himself;
whoever followed it escaped evil.
Plan with reason like Jupiter;
do not seize faith for the sake of victory like the moon.
The growing soul is in its care;
the speaking soul is in its guidance.
It is, through generosity, the dispeller of grief;
its presence is the summit of aspiration.
Reason knows the names of every thing;
it makes the distinction between better and worse.
The master of the human body is reason;
reason is aware of every state.
Clean and unclean are on one table —
without reason, how could one tell them apart?
Whoever is familiar with reason
is separated from all faults.
The wise man found, through triumph and success,
in the house of corruption, the very essence of goodness.
The wise man's speech, through the path of analogy,
is the pearl of faith, and his mind is the diamond.
Though the man of art lives in the desert,
his soul is the tablet of the divine secret.
Skill is to a man as spirit to body;
without skill: dead soul and living body.
The patient one tastes the drink of reason;
the donkey, being without reason, carries burdens.
When reason learned the alphabet of Truth by heart,
it stripped the garment of falsehood from its head.
Whoever is unworthy of his own reason —
his forbearance is force and his knowledge is ignorance.
Whoever fell into the chains of "they said" —
his reason fell into fetters.
A man without reason is nothing but a phantom;
a fruitless willow is never free of demons.
The kernel is reason and the stars are its weight;
the elder is reason and the earthlings are children.
Reason came as nurse for the sake of speech —
the jurist in the cradle of opinion.
Reason is both able and destined;
reason is both commander and commanded.
Above form and place and location —
the door of the gateway to the world of eternity.
Reason is the king and all others are courtiers,
for in rank they are less than reason.
All the honor of reason comes from God;
otherwise it is helpless and astray.
Know the Universal Intellect as the roof;
the steps of the ladder toward the roof are the senses.
Reason is the tablet and the soul is the pattern-displayer;
the pattern is the command and the pattern-maker is God.
The Creator gave reason this honor;
otherwise, when would it have ever seen this glory?
Reason in the lane of love is blind;
being reasonable is the work of Ibn Sina.
For you, reason is either peace or rancor —
what a wound, if this is what reason is to you.
The reason that is your guide to trickery —
that is not reason; that is your chain.
For the sake of health, it has called the bright senses
"reason" — yet they are enemies.
Do not look at that brightness — for with pride
the lamp killed the moth with its light.
Whoever mixed reason with evil —
inevitably reason fled and he was left hanging.
Take the path that reason showed you;
when your rook and knight are gone, hold the king.
Not everyone familiar is a friend;
whoever has no reason is mad.
The disciple of the elder of need must be mute,
so that his reason may become the speech-maker.
When the disciple's reason becomes the speaker,
the rebellious demon lies dead at the door.
Whoever became like Salman in reason —
know that the demon of his heart became Muslim.
Inevitably, when from reason he found perfection,
he crossed three deserts in three hundred years.
Whoever has Salman's vision and face —
his final station is Islam.
From reason in the house of pride
there is no fever and no warmth from the breath of the vine.
And from reason there is no imagination except
wine and chess and backgammon and lute and flute.
Reason came for the sake of safety and command,
not for the sake of wine and music and gambling.
Reason is the command of kingship,
not for amusement and diversion.
The preventer of music and the forbidder of wine — that is it;
the one you have heard of as "those in authority" — that is it.
And these sultans who are not on the path of faith —
they are not sultans; they are satans.
The reason that exists for wealth and rank and the village —
know it is no perfumer; it is foul-breathed.
Reason is not a swindler or a trickster;
reason is not two-faced or vindictive.
Reason is ashamed of shameful verses;
what has reason to do with lies and nonsense?
Reason commits no tyranny on any heart;
from greed it does not aim at praise or blame.
Reason is nothing but a verified master;
reason is not a babbling little Sufi —
the one who pours water and begs for bread,
the one who is a novice and the one who is a wonder-monger,
the one who for the gathering of rogues
made the spit of July in the prison,
the one who in the cold of December
puts on chains from the guise of need,
the one who is cunning and the one who is a hypocrite,
the one who is a slanderer and the one who is a sanctimonious fraud,
the one who empties glass from stone,
the one who plays dice in the box,
the one who upon the ground a thousand times
placed feet on head like a hoop.
There are many of this sort in the world
whose number and count cannot be told.
All of these are borrowed reasons
born of rank and wealth and ill intent.
All these gold-seeming ones give dust;
all perfumer-shaped, they give stench.
Every cleverness that is disapproved —
human sense has stolen it from reason.
Whatever is good, if it has turned evil —
it is not its own; it is reason that was lost.
Reason has no work but goodness;
do not hold reason idle in the matter of goodness.
Reason itself does not do evil deeds;
whatever is disapproved, it does not do.
Reason in the hands of a self-willed flock
is like a lamp in the privy.
There was once a reason that was the root of knowledge and reward;
its ugly reputation is: a handful of thieves.
Reason is never content with lies;
reason is never the judge's agent.
Reason is nothing but truth-speaking and gentleness;
it is not a trick-maker and a throat-seizer.
Reason never thinks error;
toward me and you it never thinks of calamity.
Reason is not a companion of force and slander;
it does not cover up for so-and-so.
When in nature one has set foot in "they say" —
the hand of Haydar befits the reason of Aqil.
The pain of orphans and the grief of children
brought his greed to the treasury.
When he sought remedy from Ali,
Ali pressed a heated iron to his side.
Since his force availed nothing at the resting place —
did not the reason of Aqil wail in misery?
So that you may know in truth, not by appearance,
that the heart sees the face from behind the eyes.
For in the gallery of the soul,
beyond the five senses and four elements,
reason withdraws from these affairs;
when would reason aim at trap and bait?
Worm-like, they spin cocoons around themselves
because they are in the chains of their own ignorance.
Though from hypocrisy, deceit, and fraud,
and for the joy of the heart of Iblis,
they grow violets from your clay —
the dark-minded and the dazzle-faced.
The one among them who is wiser in affairs —
in secret he is a scorpion and openly a friend.
Slow in generosity and sharp in cruelty,
like so-and-so, they stir up avalanches.
So what will far-seeing reason do for you?
What else can it do for you but this?
Reason shows its beauty in a place
where it can be at ease and rest.
It will not show you a sign of itself
so that you might make its dwelling a prison.
Reason has not shown you its face;
and if it did show its face, it was in vain.
This thing that from this side is the reason of man and woman —
this is not reason; this is the eavesdropping of Ahriman.
The mind of the counterfeiter, the soothsayer, the sorcerer;
the opinion of the thief, the juggler, the poet.
All this acumen and cunning and trickery
is from the gift of Mercury and Saturn.
It is obvious: through fraud,
what do Hindu tricks and swindling give?
The giving of Mercury and the gift of Saturn —
they bend you in the corner like a bow.
Through this reason the demon became full of evil and turmoil,
until by the rod of damnation it was blinded.
Pass beyond reason and deceit and fraud,
for through this, Azazil became Iblis.
The cleverness that is a guide to evil —
curse it, for it is witlessness.
Reason knew the nature of miserliness from generosity;
reason recognized the scent of willow from aloes-wood.
Pass beyond this cunning of the rabble;
seek the reason of faith, then follow it.
The reason of faith is a good helper to you;
if you find it, it is no trivial thing.
The reason of faith makes you like an arrow;
it makes you commander over all creation.
The reason of faith gives nothing but guidance;
it does not release you until it has brought you to Truth.
A soul without reason is a fool;
Noah without spirit is just a boat.
The reason of men who have reached the door of Truth
has become free from the bonds of good and evil.
In the wise man's view, one bound by good and evil
is like a demon or a beast.
For the wise have nothing to gain
from what? From the seven rulers and the nine spheres.
When one sees all as good, one does no evil,
for the governor of reason does not do evil.
Who is the governor of heaven and time? Reason.
What is the world of law and justice? Reason.
In the station of comfort and pain,
there is nothing better on the treasure than the snake-crusher.
Beneath this ancient foundation,
no nurse is like inborn reason.
Your reason, day and night, like pilgrims
at the crossroads of the money-changers,
goes about bewildered and says:
"So-and-so washes himself better."
"This one is handsome and that one is ugly;
this land is salt-marsh and that land is farmland."
"The flower of this one is thorns and the water of that one is low;
the heart of this one is asleep and the reason of that one is drunk."
"This one is Jesus, that one is the begging donkey;
the third is Khidr and the fourth is a ghoul."
"This one is tall and that one is short;
this one turned red, and that one white and black."
All this is futile — pass beyond it;
do not make the king of the soul a mere vizier.
You do not know the path of sobriety;
you hold reason as a liar.
Draw the veil higher from reason's face;
why do you strike your hand blindly on the quiver?
Since you are not a man of action on the day of battle,
leave the night-raiding and do not boast in vain.
A man of remedy — pain is not from reason;
he finds it late but spends it quickly.
The quality of the wise in this new garden:
renewing the old before the lamp.
From the beginning of creation to the end of life,
the fool and the simpleton have been engaged with reason's work.
One must act for the sake of the hereafter;
the bowl, like the purse of reason, is full of justice.
At the door of the Unseen, reason is the interpreter;
the king of the body is the soul, and the king of the soul is reason.
Whoever drove reason for the sake of desire
was left walking behind two donkeys forever.
Though desire overpowers the reasonless,
at the door of the house, every dog is a lion.
For the reasonless, merit and skill are evil,
for the ant's destruction comes from its wings.
When death comes upon the snake,
the road-pass comes to it at the crossroads.
God gives, at the time of question and answer,
everyone reward according to the measure of their reason.
You deceive your own soul
if you hold reason as a liar.
And if we do not believe — from the Quran,
read "Woe!" and "The Emissaries" upon yourself.
Turning reason into mere habitual appearance —
transformed into beast is the one who broke reason's anointing.
When you find reason, cherish it;
from your own heart, build a place for it.
IV. On the Nobility of the Soul and Reason
در شرف نفس و عقل
The father and mother of the subtle world —
know them as the Speaking Soul and Noble Reason.
From this noble pair do not turn away;
in these two roots do not be disobedient.
Serve them always;
do not let go of those who are scattered.
If they are worshipped after the divine command,
these two jewels are worthy of that.
Parents whom the wise cherish —
the sages hold them as Reason and Soul.
They are the endowers of the heavens and the elements,
the attendants of the world of soul.
The cause of your body is these two corporeal ones;
the cause of your spirit is those two spiritual ones.
Those two from desire entrusted you to dust;
those two from destiny carried you to the heavens.
Honor the right of those two noble ones
and do not neglect the right of these two either.
And the one who on the road to the Ka'ba, from justice,
gave the camel — if your provision is what that one gave:
Reason takes the "you" from you forever,
as the sun draws water up into the air.
Reason is the adorner of your soul;
Reason is the lamp of your faith.
The casket of Truth in this world is reason —
it is sealed and self-sustaining.
Reason in the workshop of "Be, and it is,"
for the display of stability and stillness —
in eternity, when it drove discourse with itself,
until forever, it remained like the silkworm.
When you seek the way to the market of faith,
you are saved if you leap from the place of blame.
Be far from crookedness and do not be warped;
since you are not aloes-wood, do not idly pose as fir.
For crookedness belongs to the self full of coquetry;
straightness belongs to reason that sees well-being.
Reason delivers you from evil;
Reason gives you a pass from hell.
Ignorance is infidelity and reasonableness is faith;
fault-finding is the one, and speaking of the Unseen is the other.
Desire drags the one toward the dungeon;
Reason carries the other to the heights.
Do not look at what evil commands you;
look at what reason commands you.
Better that a wise man angers you in truth
than that a fool shuts your eyes.
May all your affairs be with the wise;
may you be far from the company of the ignorant.
V. A Tale of the Wise Man's Commerce
حکایت در داد و ستد خردمند
Ma'n would give a full jar of silver in a moment,
then haggle over a single coin.
He said: "This manner is not bad in my sight —
generosity with wealth, but thrift with reason."
"I give wealth for the sake of gallantry,
but I will not give reason to anyone — for that is cowardice."
"In generosity, give as you please,
but in dealings, keep it tight."
"In trade, do not be a fool —
better dead than alive and cheated."
"Be a man at the time of buying and selling,
and you will not fall from the Pleiades to the dust."
Know reason as short of hand and tongue;
know desire as the fool's only capital.
O you whom reason has made proud —
avarice has turned you upside down.
A man circles the door of reason;
in a narrow arena he circles himself.
Wherever you turn your face, O wise one,
you will prosper if you harbor no evil in your heart.
Whoever does not plan with an evil opinion
does not trade without reason.
The reasonless one profits nothing from himself;
his existence is fire and his profit is smoke.
From him, darkness brings only darkness;
to the eye, dazzlement brings only bewilderment.
Where the governor of reason rules in this foundation,
affairs are firm and hearts are glad.
For in the school of the sciences of eternity,
for the sake of advancing the customs of action,
its gems are in the heavens of tradition;
its subtleties in the library of reason.
Become a master through reason, for white stone
became ruby under the hem of the sun.
It is for the sake of eternal permanence:
the register of the self and the pen of command.
VI. On the Universal Soul and Its Joining to Reason and Gnosis
در نفس کلی و پیوستن به عقل و معرفت گوید
In expression, it is the inscribed book,
the parchment of the charter and the Populated House.
It is in the shadow of reason's shelter,
the gatekeeper of the court of reason.
The steward of the sent prophet is it;
the Second Intellect and the First Soul is it.
For the sake of benefit and verification,
the Universal Intellect is the Chosen One, and it is the Truthful.
Always from the receptive substance,
receiving the trace of reason's light.
It is both giver and receiver,
both acceptor and deliverer.
Mediating between form and consciousness,
becoming tongue on this side and ear on that.
When a man takes shelter in reason,
he makes the mass and form of a dim star into a moon.
Circling reason for a time —
though a son, he becomes a father.
He becomes a king from the wealth of reason;
he becomes a sun from the shadow of reason.
When his substance migrates from deficiency,
it rises higher and becomes one with reason.
When through reason's grace he becomes king of himself,
he receives the robe of longing from God.
When longing takes hold of his nature,
it stirs the Universal Intellect from its path.
Until now reason was his commander —
but now from him, reason becomes the one who receives command.
When he becomes master of his own nature,
he hears: "Return to your Lord."
VII. On the Animal Spirit
در روح حیوانی گوید
After that, when the wayfarers hasten,
they find the knowledge of God in its discourse.
For it possesses the knowledge of form and attribute;
its thought exceeds its gnosis.
In spring, were it not for its justice,
when would there be roses and rosewater?
Reason is like a heart-winning spring
whose water of wisdom flows in the stream.
The wing of youth is joy-striking;
the first dawn is a liar.
The night of youth comes from unleavened dough;
the elder, like the dawn, is in flight.
It is in the divine hospice,
at the head of the highway of Islam.
For the joy of the tall cypress —
not from the way of evil, but from the face of goodness.
VIII. On the Perfection of Reason
اندر کمال عقل
The four humors are its disciples, and it is the master;
the ten senses are its army, and it is the commander.
Wash the color of presumption from the slate of avarice
with the water of humility and need.
For within the precincts of divine law's shadow,
the root of faith serves the subtlety of the branch.
It gave you substance for your sojourn —
three powers, four-colored temperament.
When the soul enters the world of delay,
shame comes to it from these colors.
For the sake of finding the soul's safety,
do not ride the horse of the soul in this ocean.
Those of intelligence and discernment know
that safety lies on the shore of the sea.
Your hands and feet are bound by fate's chains
in this borrowed space.
So you, with your hands and feet bound by it —
do not seek the sea's surface on the back of a gourd.
If you do not know how to swim,
why do you drive the donkey into the Red Sea?
And if you cannot swim, listen:
do not climb the minaret in vain and bewildered.
Though you are a master in swimming,
before me, for this reason, you are still standing.
Was it not when the ship broke, O proud one,
that swimming became a curse in the sea?
Except through the perfection of reason and intellect,
who would buy three yards of silk for nine coins?
To the heart that is the mine of reason,
all the sky's goodness is altogether evil.
In the heart and soul of the sober,
on the head and eyes of the wakeful —
it is a bridge over the pure water on both sides;
once you have crossed it, what is bridge, what is valley?
IX. On the Honor of Reason
اندر عزت عقل
The honor of reason flows toward the spirit,
before the luminous, pure-flowing conscience.
In relation to the subtle world —
in relation to reason, it is dense.
First and last, honored and humbled,
celestial and earthly, ugly and beautiful.
The purpose of command and the nurse of Adam,
the accident of the self and the substance of the world.
Both beyond the degrees of name
and receptive to bodily form.
Its essence revolving from the soul,
its motion receiving imprint from the soul.
The wealth and foundation of the degrees of name,
the cause and instrument of the ranks of body.
All this was granted to reason;
heaven became reason's, and spirit became its ladder.
X. On the Beauty of Reason
اندر جمال عقل
The cause of the community and its messenger —
the cause of form and its matter.
It has placed, also by the command of eternity,
form within the matter of the world.
For that existence which is without tongue
is from the matter of reason and soul.
XI. On the Creation of the World
در آفرینش جهان
For the sake of finitude in action,
the world of body gathered like a sphere.
Equal in nature like a ball,
differing not in one direction from another.
The world extends, and within its limit,
finite direction stretches.
After that, in the realm of imaging,
know the degrees: the pattern and the pattern-receiver.
From the first of soul to the last of coral,
agent and patient stand between these two.
In the house that receives attributes of annihilation,
for the elevation of palaces and buildings —
reason sits bound by command;
the soul, heart-weary in longing for reason.
Form is bound for the sake of substance;
the nine heavens in the hand of seven lassoes.
And from within the heavens, four jewels —
all bound and enemies of one another.
Three offspring from these four elements:
plant, mineral, and animal.
When plant became the food of animal,
animal too became the food of man.
When the speech of man became the food of angels,
thus by this face it returned to the heavens.
Otherwise, in the world of certainty and conjecture,
the donkey would be the same as the sage.
Beautiful speech is better than silence;
otherwise, forgetfulness in the soul is better.
In speech you must string pearls;
otherwise, muteness is better than speaking.
A mute who is soft-voiced in discourse
is better than a babbler who races in vain.
Reason gave you firm counsel:
"Be either a good speaker or be mute."
If you had accepted the counsel,
when would you have turned merit into meddling?
XII. On the Degrees of Reason
اندر مراتب عقل
The organs are like a city and its craftsmen;
Reason is the minister and the heart within it is the sultan.
Anger is the constable and desire the governor;
one is a tyrant, the other ignorant.
If the governor breaks any condition,
Reason hands him over to the constable.
If the constable devises any evil,
this guardian over him is from Reason.
If the soul-sultan is just,
body, reason, and spirit become heartfelt.
The interpreter of the heart is speech and tongue;
the tongue of the body is profit and loss.
When the interpreter, over time,
finds support from the sultan's power —
if they find the share of what I said,
the king is pleased and the city is glad.
But if all become seekers of desire,
they become masters of an incomplete kingdom.
If they are not under the command of reason and heart,
they are all disgraced and ashamed.
If they become obedient to reason and heart,
in the depths of annihilation they become exalted.
XIII. On the Faculties of Sense and Memory
در ذکر قوای حاسه و حافظه
The soul that holds you like life itself —
without you, within your body, it has much work.
Though those five constables are idle,
three agents within you are awake.
That one digests and this one distributes;
that one carries the waste and this one stores the blessing.
That one shows the way, this one makes plans;
this one becomes the guardian, that one the interpreter.
Do you not see that when you fall asleep,
you become free from toil and torment?
For the sake of your rest and sleep,
and for the sake of your well-being and provisions,
in this dustbin — from fire and wind,
from water, your face — the dust carried away your lineage,
so that it might seat you upon the throne of reason's secret,
for the sake of its own comfort.
You rest, and reason works;
you sleep, and within you it is awake.
XIV. On the Reconciliation of Reason and Divine Law
اندر جمع بین عقل و شرع
Reason is the eye and prophethood is the light;
one is not far from the other.
Those in the hand of desire and anger
are eyes without light and light without eyes.
Know light without eyes as a branch without fruit;
know eyes without light as a body without a head.
This one displays humility, full of deceit;
that one increases pride like Iblis.
This one gives things from the hand of the commander;
that one gives sharply from the bottom of the chief.
There is nothing but law, reason, soul, and mind
for the people in two realms: eye and lamp.
When desire has replaced your reason,
you laugh at everything but argument.
When reason runs toward every heart
and speaks from every person's heart —
for the sake of well-being in this foundation,
whose beginning is fire and whose end is wind —
it is the trusted champion of God,
the beneficiary of the seal of humanity.
Reason does nothing but justice and generosity,
for those who possess command do not commit tyranny.
When reason opens the crow of desire,
it draws in its head like a pheasant in the brush.
A rider whose reins are held by reason
has the horse of outcome under his thigh.
For a face that has never had a bad day,
there is no adorner like reason.
From reason, one of base nature does not gain glory;
when does a stone of base nature become a jewel?
Do not exchange your good days for bad, O son;
go with reason, not with your own heart.
Be with reason and flee from desire,
for desire is a many-colored illness.
The world without experience is corruption;
experience is the reason acquired.
Reason exists for the sake of kindness;
its life concludes upon this quality.
Reason exists for the sake of righteousness and beneficence,
for its very creation is of this nature.
Evil words are base on the tongue;
whoever is with faith is not base.
The kingdom of reason is better than mining jewels;
kingship is better than night-watching.
No praise can be spoken for reason
except through it; no pearl of praise can be strung.
Go, release the mortal world,
so that you may know the beauty of the Eternal.
The one who reaches the kingdom of reason
sees both worlds as they truly are.
For the attainment of the heart's blessing,
hang in the heart — dust upon the head of clay.
O Lord, O Glorious Creator,
bring this servant to the kingdom of reason.
When the discourse on reason was complete,
knowledge found its order in the world.
Colophon
Source: Hadiqa al-Haqiqa wa Sharia al-Tariqa (حدیقة الحقیقه و شریعة الطریقه), Hakim Sanai of Ghazna (~1080–1131 CE). Ganjoor.net, chapters hdgh04/sh1 through hdgh04/sh14. Poem IDs for all fourteen sections of Book IV (الباب الرّابع: On Reason).
Translation: Good Works Translation by Hodhod (هدهد — the Hoopoe) of the NTAC tulku lineage, March 2026. Translated directly from the Classical Persian text on Ganjoor.net. No existing English translation was consulted. Gospel register.
Structure: Section I is a prose epigraph (hadith on Reason). Sections II–XIV contain approximately 354 couplets covering the nature, praise, sovereignty, nobility, perfection, honor, beauty, and degrees of Reason (al-ʿaql); the Universal Soul and its relation to Reason; the animal spirit; the creation of the world; the faculties of sense and memory; and the reconciliation of Reason with divine law (shariah). The last couplet (XIV.28) explicitly bridges to Book V: "When the discourse on reason was complete, knowledge found its order in the world."
Notes: Section III (144 couplets) is the longest single section in Book IV and contains the critical foreshadowing of love's transcendence of reason: "Reason in the lane of love is blind; being reasonable is the work of Ibn Sina" (III.41). The story of Ali and Aqil (III.84–87) — where Ali burns his brother's hand for reaching into the treasury — illustrates the distinction between worldly cleverness and true reason. This distinction between "borrowed reasons" (عقلهای عاریتی, III.72) and the "reason of faith" (عقل دین, III.109–112) is the theological core of the section.
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Source Text
Persian source text from Ganjoor.net. Book IV (الباب الرّابع), chapters hdgh04/sh1 through hdgh04/sh14.
بخش ۱ — ذکر العقل
ذکر العقل اوجب لان نتائجه اعجب، من لا عقل له لادین له، قال النّبی صلّیاللّٰه علیه وآله وسلّم: اوّل ما خَلَقاللّٰه تعالی العقل.
بخش ۲ — اندر ستایش عقل و عاقل و معقول
هرچه در زیر چرخ نیک و بدند / خوشهچینان خرمن خردند
چون درآمد ز بارگاه ازل / شد بدو راست کار علم و عمل
هم کلیدِ امور در دستش / هم ره امر بسته در هستش
مایهٔ نیک و سایهٔ بد اوست / سبب بود و هست و باشد اوست
در حروفی که پردهٔ نقلست / آخر شرع اول عقلست
از برای صلاحِ دولت و دین / چشم عقل اوّلیست آخر بین
مر ترا عقل جمله بنماید / آنچه رفت آنچه هست و آنچ آید
سخن عقل صوت و حرفی نیست / زآنکه تاریکی از شگرفی نیست
هرکجا نطق عقل بر زد دم / حرف و آواز در خزد به عدم
عقل هم گوهر است و هم کانست / هم رسولست و هم نگهبانست
خشک بندی ندید نیکوتر / هیچ خاموش ازو سخنگوتر
جسم را جان و بردباری ده / نفس را علم بخش و یاری ده
نه ز روی فسون و افسانه / سخنی گویمت حکیمانه
مشرق و مغربی که عقل تراست / فوق نی تحت نی و نی چپ و راست
مشرق آفتاب عقلِ ازل / مغرب او خدای عزّ وجل
دور بینی شناسد این معنی / کز خرد همچو جهل بر در نی
کاندرین منزل فریب و هوس / هست بهر شکست بند و قفس
عقل در منزل ازل ز اوّل / آخرش اوّلست همچو ازل
که برین روی پشت دین آمد / آن چنان بود وین چنین آمد
زان درین بارگاه انده و غم / از پی شادی بنی آدم
علّت فهم و وهم و هوش آمد / که برهنه برهنهپوش آمد
غیب را بهر دولت دو سرای / گاه پوشیده گه صریحنمای
شده بیهیچ عیب و ریب و شکی / عقل و معقول و عاقل این سه یکی
عقل در راهِ حق دلیل تو بس / عقل هر جایگه خلیل تو بس
چنگ در زن به عقل تا برهی / ورنه گردی به هر رهی چو رهی
کن مکن در پذیرد از فرمان / پس به جان گوید این بکن مکن آن
خوانده از قدر صایبان عرب / ذات او را مدبّر الاقرب
عقل فعال نام او کرده / پنج حس را غلام او کرده
حس و اَطباع خوانده او را میر / نَفْس کلّی ورا بسان وزیر
فیض او نقشهای جافی شوی / فعل او نفسهای صافی جوی
فیض او در صفا سکینهٔ روح / فضل او در وفا سفینهٔ نوح
از پی مصلحت نه بهر هوس / بیشتر میل او بود به دو کس
یا به تأیید خسرو عادل / یا به توحید عالم عامل
ارچه او جوهر این دو کس عرضند / لیکن او را متابع غرضند
بر مجرد رعایتش بیش است / بر خلیفت عنایتش بیش است
زانکه بی این دو ملک و دین نبود / هرکجا آن نباشد این نبود
انس دارد همیشه با زهّاد / زانکه زهّاد برتر از عبّاد
جوهری همچو عقل باید و بس / کز پی نفس کم زند چو نفس
وارث رسم شرع و دین باشد / از ازل تا ابد چنین باشد
زیرکان را در این سرای کهن / هیچ غمخوارهای مدان چو سخن
عقل را گر سوی تو هست قرار / جان حکمت فزای را مگذار
از جهالت ترا رهاند عقل / به حقیقت ترا رساند عقل
مر ترا عقل دستگیر بس است / عقل راه ترا خفیر بس است
عقل مر نفس را دهد پیغام / کای ز من مر ترا درود و سلام
هرکه مر عقل را بینبوید / از حدیثش همه نکت روید
مرد عاقل همیشه تندارست / مرد جاهل ذلیل و غمخوارست
دل جاهل ز طمع باشد پُر / طمع از مال خلق جمله ببُر
آز خود را به زیر پای درآر / عقل را جوی و جهل را بگذار
آز چون اژدهاست مردم خوار / تا نداری تو آز خود را خوار
آز مانند خوک و خرس شناس / آز بگذار و از کسی مهراس
سینهٔ تو درین هوس دایم / چون سرابست و وهم ازو هایم
بخش ۳ — فی ان العقل سلطان الخلق و حجة الحق
عقل سلطان قادر خوش خوست / آنکه سایهٔ خداش گویند اوست
سایه با ذات آشنا باشد / سایه از ذات کی جدا باشد
سایه جز بندهوار کی باشد / سایه را اختیار کی باشد
عقل کُل تخته زیر گُل دارد / هرکجا امر امر قل دارد
عقل تا پیش گوی فرمانست / سخنش هم قرین قرآنست
هرچه از بارگاه فرمان نیست / آن همه درد تست درمان نیست
عقل برتر ز وهم و حسّ و قیاس / برترست از فلک ستارهشناس
در مصالح مدبّر جان اوست / در ممالک دبیر یزدان اوست
عقل را از عقیله باز شناس / نبود همچو فربهی آماس
عقل کل مر ترا رهاند زود / از قرینی دیو و آتش و دود
رحمةاللّٰه نهاد عالم را / حجّةالحق سرای آدم را
عقل اندر سرای پردهٔ کن / از برای قبول کن و مکن
مُقبلی بود مُدبری شد باز / باز اقبال یافت از پی راز
قابل نور امر شد به همه / درخور خود نه درخور کلمه
هرکه او را مخالف از خود خَست / وانکه او را متابع از بد رست
با خرد کن چو مشتری تدبیر / چون قمر دین ز بهر غلبه مگیر
نفس روینده در رعایت اوست / نفس گوینده در هدایت اوست
اوست از جود کاشف الغمّة / حضرت او نهایة الهمة
عقل داند اسامی هرچیز / او کند در به و بتر تمییز
کدخدای تن بشر عقلست / از همه حال با خبر عقلست
پاک و مردار بر یکی خوانست / جز به عقل این کجا توان دانست
هرکه با عقل آشنا باشد / از همه عیبها جدا باشد
یافت عاقل ز روی فوز و فلاح / در سرای فساد عین صلاح
سخن عاقل از طریق قیاس / دُرِّ دین است و ذهن او الماس
گرچه مرد هنر بیابانیست / جان او لوح سرّ ربّانیست
هنر از مرد همچو روح از تن / بیهنر مرده جان و زنده بدن
شربت عقل بردبار چشد / خر چو بیعقل بود بار کشد
عقل چون ابجدِ حق از بر کرد / جامهٔ باطل از سرش بر کرد
هرکه با عقل خویش نااهلست / حلم او زور و علم او جهلست
هرکه در بند قیلها افتاد / عقل او در عقیلهها افتاد
مرد بیعقل جز خیالی نیست / بید بیبَر ز دیو خالی نیست
مغز عقل است و اختران ثقلند / پیر عقل است و خاکیان طفلند
دایه عقل آمد از برای سخن / مجتهد را به گاهوارهٔ ظن
عقل هم قادرست و هم مقدور / عقل هم آمرست و هم مأمور
برتر از صورت و مکان و محل / درِ دروازهٔ جهانِ ازل
عقل شاهست و دیگران حشمند / زانکه در مرتبت ز عقل کمند
همه تشریف عقل ز اللّٰه است / ورنه بیچاره است و گمراهست
عقل کل را بسان بام شناس / نردبان پایه سوی بام حواس
عقل تخته است و نفس نقشنمای / نقش امرست و نقشبند خدای
عقل را داد کردگار این عزّ / ورنه کی دیدی این شرف هرگز
عقل در کوی عشق نابیناست / عاقلی کار بوعلی سیناست
سوی تو عقل صلح یا کین است / اینت ریش ار سوی تو عقل این است
عقل کان رهنمای حیلت تست / آن نه عقل است کان عقیلت تست
از برای صلاح دشمن را / عقل خوانده حواس روشن را
منگر آن روشنی که هم به غرور / کشت پروانه را چراغ از نور
عقل را هرکه با بدی آمیخت / لاجرم عقل جست و او آویخت
آنچه عقلت نمود آن ره گیر / رخ و اسبت چو شد کمِ شه گیر
آشنا نیست هرکه بیگانه است / هرکرا عقل نیست دیوانه است
گنگ باید مرید پیر نیاز / تا شود عقل او سخن پرداز
چون سخن گوی گشت عقل مُرید / مرده بر در بمانده دیو مَرید
هرکه در عقل همچو سلمان شد / دان که دیو دلش مسلمان شد
لاجرم چون ز عقل یافت کمال / سه بیابان بُرد به سیصد سال
هرکرا رای و روی سلمانیست / آخرین منزلش مسلمانیست
نیست از عقل در سرای غرور / تبش و تابش از دم انگور
وز خرد نیست در خیال سوای / می و شطرنج و نرد و بربط و نای
خرد از بهر امن و امر آمد / نز پی خمر و زمر قمر آمد
عقل فرمان پادشاهی راست / نز پی لاهی و ملاهی راست
زاجر زمر و ناهی خمر اوست / وآنکه بشنیدهای اولواالامر اوست
وین سلاطین که نز ره دیناند / نه سلاطین که آن شیاطیناند
عقل کز بهر مال و جاه و دهست / دان که عطّار نیست ناک دهست
عقل طرّار و حیلهگر نبود / عقل دو روی و کینهور نبود
عقل از اشعار عار دارد عار / عقل را با دروغ و هرزه چکار
عقل بر هیچ دل ستم نکند / به طمع قصد مدح و ذم نکند
عقل جز خواجهٔ محقق نیست / عقل صوفیچهٔ مبقبق نیست
آنکه او آب ریز و نان طلبست / وانکه ناشی وانکه بوالعجبست
وانکه از بهر مجمع رندان / کرد تفِّ تموز در زندان
وانکه سرمای دی مهی را باز / بند بر مینهد ز روی نیاز
وانکه داهی و آنکه سالوسیست / وانکه غماز وآنکه ناموسیست
وانکه از سنگ شیشه پردازد / وانکه در حقّه مُهره میبازد
وانکه او بر زمین هزاران بار / پای بر سر نهاد چنبروار
هست بسیار زین نسق به جهان / که حساب و شمار آن نتوان
این همه عقلهای عاریتی است / کز پی جاه و مال و بد نیتیست
این همه زرنمای خاک دهند / همه عطار شکل و ناک دهند
هر دهایی که ناپسندیده است / حِسّ انسان ز عقل دزدیده است
هرچه نیکوست گر بِدست بَدست / آن او نیست گم شدهٔ خردست
عقل را جز صلاح نبوَد کار / عقل را در صلاح هرزه مدار
عقل خود کارهای بد نکند / هرچه آن ناپسند خود نکند
عقل در دست یک رمه خود رای / چون چراغی است در طهارت جای
خردی بوده اصل و دانش و مزد / زشت نامی اوست مشتی دزد
عقل هرگز به کذب راضی نیست / عقل هرگز وکیل قاضی نیست
عقل جز راست گوی و لمتر نیست / حیله سازنده و گلو بر نیست
عقل هرگز خطا نیندیشد / با من و تو بلا نیندیشد
عقل دمساز زور و بهتان نیست / پردهپوش فلان و بهمان نیست
کرده چون در نهاد پای به قیل / دست حیدر سزای عقل عقیل
درد ایتام و اندُه اطفال / آوریدش طمع به بیتالمال
داد چون خواست از علی داروش / آهنی تافته سوی پهلوش
زور او چون نداشت گاه مقیل / نه بنالید زار عقل عقیل
تا بدانی براستی نه به روی / که دل از پشت چشم بیند روی
زانکه اندر نگارخانهٔ جان / از پی پنج حس و چار ارکان
عقل از این کارها کرانه کند / عقل کی قصد دام و دانه کند
کرم کردار گرد خویش تنند / زانکه در بند جهل خویشتنند
گرچه از زرق و خدعه و تلبیس / وز پی شادی دل ابلیس
از گل تو بنفشه رویانند / تیرهرایان و خیره رویانند
آنکه زیشان حکیمتر در کار / در نهان گزدمست و پیدا یار
در سخا کند و در جفا تیزند / همچو بهمان بهمن انگیزند
تا ترا عقل دوربین چکند / خویشتن را به تو جز این چه کند
عقل جایی جمال بنماید / که مرّفه شود برآساید
ننماید ترا ز خویش نشان / تا تو او را مکان کنی زندان
مر ترا عقل چهره ننموده است / ور بننمود چهره بر سودست
این کزین روی عقل مرد و زنست / این نه عقل استراق اهرمنست
ذهن قلاب و کاهن و ساحر / رای دزد و مشعبد و شاعر
این همه فطنت و دها و حیل / از عطای عطاردست و زحل
خود پدیدست تا به مکّاری / چه دهد هندویی و طرّاری
دهش تیر و بخشش کیوان / گوشه کشتت کنند همچو کمان
دیو از این عقل گشت با شر و شور / تا به مخراق لعنتی شد کور
بگذر از عقل و خدعه و تلبیس / که عزازیل ازین شدست ابلیس
خردی را که آن دلیل بدیست / لعنتش کن که بی خردیست
عقل دانست خوی بخل از جود / عقل بشناخت بوی بید از عود
درگذر زین کیاست اوباش / عقل دین جو و پس روِ او باش
عقل دین مر ترا نکو یاریست / گر بیابی نه سرسری کاریست
عقل دین مر ترا چو تیر کند / بر همه آفریده میر کند
عقل دین جز هدی عطا نکند / تا نبردت به حق رها نکند
نفس بیعقل احمقی باشد / نوح بیروح زورقی باشد
عقل مردان رسیده تا در حق / شده از بند نیک و بد مطلق
سوی عاقل چو دیو و دد باشد / هرکه در بند نیک و بد باشد
زانکه خود نیست عاقلان را برخ / از چه از هفت میر و از نه چرخ
چون همه نیک دید بد نکند / زانکه بد والی خرد نکند
والی چرخ و دهر کیست خرد / عالم شرع و داد چیست خرد
نیست اندر مقام راحت و رنج / بر سرِ گنج به ز مار شکنج
دایهای زیر این کهن بنیاد / نیست کس را چو عقل مادرزاد
عقل تو روز و شب چو طوّافان / بر سر چارسوی صرّافان
خیره میگردد و همی گوید / که فلان کون به نیک میشوید
این فلان خوب و آن فلان زشتست / این زمین شوره و آن زمین کشتست
گل این خار و آب آن پست است / دل این خفته عقل آن مست است
این یکی عیسی آن دگر خرِ سول / این سیم خضر و آن چهارم غول
این بلندست و آن دگر کوتاه / سرخ این شد از آن سپید و سیاه
این همه بیهده است بگذر ازین / شاه جان را لقب مکن فرزین
تو ندانی طریق هشیاری / تو خرد را دروغزن داری
پرده از روی عقل برتر کش / چه زنی دست خیره بر ترکش
چون نهای مرد کار روز مصاف / شب روی را بمان و خیره ملاف
مرد درمان درد نی ز خرد / دیر یابد ولیک زود خرد
صفت عاقلان درین نو باغ / کهنه نو کردنست پیش چراغ
ز اول خلقت و بآخر عمر / بوده در کار عقل جاهل و غمر
کرد باید ز بهر کسب معاد / کاسه چون کیسهٔ خرد پر داد
بر درِ غیب ترجمان خردست / شاه تن جان و شاه جان خردست
هرکه بهر هوا خرد را راند / از دو خر تا ابد پیاده بماند
گرچه بر بیخرد هوا چیرست / بر درِ خانه هر سگی شیرست
بیخرد را بَدست فضل و هنر / زانکه باشد هلاک مور از پر
مار را چوت اجل فراز آید / به سرِ ره ورا جواز آید
دهد ایزد گه سؤال و جواب / هرکسی را به قدر عقل ثواب
دیل در جان خویشتن داری / گر خرد را دروغزن داری
ور نداریم باور، از قرآن / ویل والمرسلات بر خود خوان
عقل کردن به خوی رویی هست / مسخ گشت آنکه مسح عقل شکست
عقل را چون بیافتی بنواز / از دل خویش جای او بر ساز
بخش ۴ — در شرف نفس و عقل
پدر و مادر جهان لطیف / نفس گویا شناس و عقل شریف
زین دو جفت شریف طاق مباش / واندرین هر دو اصل عاق مباش
بندگی کن همیشه ایشان را / مده از دست در پریشان را
گرشان بعد امر بپرستند / این دو گوهر سزای آن هستند
پدر و مادری که نازارند / حکما عقل و نفس را دارند
مایه بخش سپهر و ارکانند / پیشکاران عالم جانند
سبب جسمت این دو جسمانیست / علت روحت آن دو روحانیست
آن دوت از آرزو سپرده به خاک / وآن دوت از قدر برده بر افلاک
حق آن دو شریف را بگذار / حق این هر دو هم فرو مگذار
وانکه در راهِ کعبه از سرِ داد / اشتر این داد اگرت زاد آن داد
خرد از تو تویی برد جاوید / آب را در هوا کشد خورشید
خرد آمد مشاطهٔ جانت / خرد آمد چراغ ایمانت
حقّهٔ حق دراین جهان خردست / سر به مُهرست و پایدار خودست
عقل در کارگاه کنفیکون / از پی جلوهٔ قرار و سکون
در ازل چون حدیث با خود راند / تا ابد همچو کرم پیله بماند
سوی بازار دین چو جستی راه / رستی ار جستی از ملامت گاه
از کژی دور باش و کاژ مباش / چون نهای عود خیره ناژ مباش
که کژی نفس عشوه آگین راست / راستی عقل عافیت بین راست
خرد از بد ترا نجات دهد / خرد از دوزخت برات دهد
جاهلی کفر و عاقلی دین است / عیبجو آن و غیبگو این است
کشد این را هوا سوی سجین / برد آنرا خرد به علّیّین
منگر آن تات بد چه فرماید / آن نگر کت خرد چه فرماید
کند ار عاقلت به حق در خشم / به از آن کت ببندد ابله چشم
همه کار تو باد با عقلا / دور بادی ز صحبت جهلا
بخش ۵ — حکایت در داد و ستد خردمند
معن دادی خمی درم به دمی / باز کردی مُکاس در درمی
گفت این خوی نزد من نه بدست / جود مال و بخیلی خردست
مال بدهم پی جوانمردی / عقل ندهم به کس به نامردی
در سخاوت چنانکه خواهی ده / لیکن اندر معاملت بسته
ستد و داد را مباش زبون / مرده بهتر که زنده و مغبون
مرد باشی به گاه بیع و شری / از ثریّا نیوفتی به ثری
عقل دست و زبان کوته دان / آرزو رأس مال ابله دان
ای خرد کرده سرفراز ترا / سر نگونسار کرده آز ترا
مرد گرد درِ خرد گردد / تنگ میدان به گرد خود گردد
هرکجا رخ نهادی ای عاقل / تو به آیی چو بد نداری دل
هرکه تدبیر رای بد نکند / ستد و داد بیخرد نکند
بیخرد را ز خود نباشد سود / بود او آتش است و سودش دود
که ازو تیره تیرگی آرد / چشم را خیره خیرگی آرد
حاکم عقل را در این بنیاد / کارها محکم است و دلها شاد
زانکه در مکتب علوم ازل / از پی راندن رسوم عمل
نُتف او در آسمانهٔ نقل / نکتش در کتابخانهٔ عقل
از خرد خواجه شو که سنگ سپید / لعل شد زیر دامنِ خورشید
اوست بهر بقای جاویدان / دفتر نفش و خامهٔ فرمان
بخش ۶ — در نفس کلی و پیوستن به عقل و معرفت گوید
در عبارت کتاب مسطورست / رقّ منشور و بیت معمورست
اوست در سایهٔ پناه خرد / حاجب بار بارگاه خرد
کدخدای نبیّ مُرسل اوست / عقل ثانی و نفس اوّل اوست
از پی استفادت و تحقیق / عقل کلّ مصطفی و او صدّیق
دایم از جوهر پذیرنده / اثر از نورِ عقل گیرنده
هم دهنده است و هم ستاننده / هم پذیرای و هم رساننده
متوسط میان صورت و هوش / شده زین سو زبان و زان سو گوش
مرد چون عقل را پناه کند / جرم و شکل سها چو ماه کند
مدتی گرد عقل بر گردد / گرچه باشد پسر پدر گردد
پادشاهی شود ز مایهٔ عقل / آفتابی شود ز سایهٔ عقل
جوهرش چون کند ز نقصان نقل / برتر آید یکی شود با عقل
چون شد از فیض عقل بر خود شاه / خلعت شوق یابد از اللّٰه
شوق چون در نهادش آویزد / عقل کلّ را ز ره برانگیزد
تاکنون عقل بود بر وی میر / زو کنون عقل گشت امر پذیر
چون شود بر نهاد خود مالک / بشنود کارْجِعی اِلی رَبّک
بخش ۷ — در روح حیوانی گوید
بعد ازان سالکان چو بشتابند / علم حق در حدیث او یابند
زانکه با علم صورت و صفتست / فکرتش بیشتر ز معرفتست
در بهار ار نه عدل وی بودی / با گل و با گلاب کی بودی
عقل همچون بهار دلجویست / کاب فرزانگیش در جویست
بال برنا نشاط زن باشد / صبح اول دروغ زن باشد
شب برنایی از فطیر بود / پیر چون صبح مستطیر بود
هست در خانقاه ربانی / بر سرِ شارع مسلمانی
از برای سرور سرو سهی / نه ز راه بدی ز روی بهی
بخش ۸ — اندر کمال عقل
چار طبعش مرید و او پیر است / ده حواسش سپاه و او میر است
رنگ پنداشت را ز تختهٔ آز / رو بشویش به آب و ذُلّ و نیاز
زانکه اندر سواد سایهٔ شرع / اصل دین را برای نکتهٔ فرع
مایه داد از پی درنگ ترا / سه قوی چارگونه رنگ ترا
جان چو در عالم درنگ آید / خود از این رنگهاش ننگ آید
از پی جستن سلامت جان / اسب جان را در این محیط مران
داند آنرا که اهل ذهن و ذکاست / که سلامت به ساحل دریاست
دست و پای ترا به بند قضا / هست بسته درین سپنج فضا
پس تو با دست و پای بستهٔ او / روی دریا مجو به پشت کدو
آشنا را اگر نمیدانی / خر به قلزمْ درون چرا رانی؟
ور ندانی تو آشنا بشنو / خیره بیهوده بر مناره مرو
در سباحت اگرچه استادی / پیش من زین قبل بر استادی
نه چو کشتی شکست ای رعنا / شد سباحت وبال در دریا
جز ز روی کمال عقل و خرد / سه گز اطلس به نُه درم که خرد؟
نزد آن دل که معدن خردست / همه نیک فلک به جمله بدست
در دل و جان آنکه هشیارست / بر سر و چشم آنکه بیدارست
پل بود بر دو سوی آب سره / چون گذشتی ازو چه پل چه دره
بخش ۹ — اندر عزت عقل
عزّتِ عقل هست سوی روان / نزد روشن ضمیر پاک روان
در اضافت سوی زمانه لطیف / به اضافت به سوی عقل کثیف
اول و آخر و عزیز و ذلیل / علوی و سفلی و قبیح و جمیل
غرض امر و دایهٔ آدم / عَرَض نفس و جوهر عالم
هم ورای مراتب اسمی / هم پذیرای صورت جسمی
ذات او گشته مستدیر از نفس / جنبش او اثرپذیر از نفس
مایه و پایهٔ مدارج اسم / علت و آلت مراتب جسم
این همه عقل را مسلّم گشت / آسمان عقل و روح سُلّم گشت
بخش ۱۰ — اندر جمال عقل
سبب امت و رسولی او / علت صورت و هیولی او
او نهادست هم به امر قدم / صورت اندر هیولی عالم
کان وجودی که بیزبان باشد / از هیولی عقل و جان باشد
بخش ۱۱ — در آفرینش جهان
از برای تناهی اندر کرد / عالم جسم گویی آمد گرد
متساوی نهاد چون گویی / متفاوت نه سویی از سویی
هست ممتد جهان و اندر حد / متناهی جهت بود ممتد
بعد از آن در ولایت تصویر / مرتبه نقش دان و نقشپذیر
ز اوّل جان و آخر مرجان / فاعل و منفعل در این دو میان
در سرای صفتپذیر فنا / از پی رفعت قصور و بنا
عقل در بند امر بنشسته / نفس در شوق عقل دل خسته
صورت از بهر مایه اندر بند / نه فلک را به دست هفت کمند
وز درون فلک چهار گهر / همه در بند و خصم یکدیگر
سه موالید از این چهار ارکان / چون نبات و معادن و حیوان
چون نباتی غذای حیوان شد / حیوان هم غذای انسان شد
نطق انسان چو شد غذای ملک / تا بدین روی باز شد به فلک
ورنه در عالم یقین و گمان / خر همان بودی و حکیم همان
نطق زیبا ز خامشی بهتر / ورنه در جان فرامشی بهتر
در سخن دُر ببایدت سفتن / ورنه گُنگی به از سخن گفتن
گنگ اندر حدیث کم آواز / به که بسیار گوی بیهده تاز
کرد عقلت نصیحتی محکم / که نکو گوی باش یا ابکم
گر نصیحت قبول کردی تو / فضل را کی فضول کردی تو
بخش ۱۲ — اندر مراتب عقل
هست اعضا چو شهر و پیشهوران / عقل دستور و دل در او سلطان
خشم شحنه است و آرزو عامل / این یکی ظالم آن دگر جاهل
عامل ار هیچ شرط بگذارد / خرد او را به شحنه بسپارد
شحنهگر هیچ گون سگالد بد / این موّکل برو بود ز خرد
نفس سلطان اگر بود عادل / با تن و عقل و جان شود بیدل
ترجمان دل است نطق و زبان / مر زبان تنست سود و زیان
ترجمان چون ز روی دور زمان / پشت یابد ز قوّت سلطان
گر بیابند ازینکه گفتم بهر / خوش بود پادشا و خرّم شهر
ور همه طالبان کام شوند / مالک ملک ناتمام شوند
گرنه در امر عقل و دل باشند / همه هم خوار و هم خجل باشند
عقل و دل را اگر مطیع شوند / در حضیض فنا رفیع شوند
بخش ۱۳ — در ذکر قوای حاسه و حافظه
نفس کو مر ترا چو جان دارست / بی تو در جسم تو بسی کارست
گرچه آن پنج شحنه بیکارند / سه وکیل از درونت بیدارند
آن کند هضم و این کند قسمت / آن برد ثفل و این نهد نعمت
آن نماید ره این کند تدبیر / این شود حافظ آن کند تعبیر
آن نبینی که چون به خواب شوی / فارغ از زحمت و عذاب شوی
از برای فراغت و خوابت / وز برای صلاح و اسبابت
اندرین خاکدان ز آتش و باد / ز آب روی تو برد خاک نژاد
تا ترا بر سریر سرِّ خرد / بنشاند ز بهرِ راحت خود
تو بر آسوده و خرد بر کار / تو بخفته درونت او بیدار
بخش ۱۴ — اندر جمع بین عقل و شرع
عقل چشم و پیمبری نورست / آن ازین این از آن نه بس دورست
اینکه در دست شهوت و خشمند / چشم بینور و نور بیچشمند
نور بیچشم شاخ بیبر دان / چشم بینور جسم بیسر دان
این تواضع نمای پر تلبیس / وآن تکبر فزای چون ابلیس
این ز دست امیر چیز دهد / وآن ز کون رئیس تیز دهد
نیست جز شرع و عقل و جان و دماغ / خلق را در دو خطه چشم و چراغ
چون ترا از خرد هوا بدلست / خندهت آید ز هرچه جز جدلست
چون خرد سوی هر دلی پوید / وز دل هرکسی سخن گوید
از پی مصلحت درین بنیاد / کاوّلش آتش است و آخر باد
قهرمانِ امین یزدانیست / بهرمانِ نگین انسانیست
عقل جز داد و جز کرم نکند / که اولوالامر خود ستم نکند
عقل چون برگشاد زاغ هوس / درکشد چون تذرو سر در خس
راکبی کز خرد عنان دارد / اسب انجام زیر ران دارد
چهرهای را که روز بد نبود / هیچ مشاطه چون خرد نبود
از خرد بدگهر نگیرد فرّ / کی شود سنگ بدگهر گوهر
مده ای پور روز نیک به بد / با خردرو زآن نه با دل خود
با خرد باش و از هوا بگریز / که هوا علّتیست رنگ آمیز
کَون بیتجربت فساد بود / تجربت عقل مستفاد بود
خرد از بهر عاطفت باشد / ختم عمرش بر این صفت باشد
خرد از بهر برّ و احسانست / زانکه خود خلقتش ازین سانست
حرف بد بر زبان بون باشد / هرکه با دین بود نه دون باشد
ملک عقل از عقود کانی به / پادشاهی ز پاسبانی به
عقل را هیچ مدح نتوان گفت / جز بدو دُرّ مدح نتوان سفت
شو رها کن جهان فانی را / تا بدانی جمال باقی را
آن کسی کو به ملک عقل رسید / دو جهان را چنانکه هست بدید
از برای حصول نعمت دل / در دل آویز خاک بر سرِ گل
ای خداوند خالق سبحان / من رهی را به ملک عقل رسان
سخن عقل چون تمام آمد / علم را در جهان نظام آمد
Source Colophon
Persian source text from Ganjoor.net (ganjoor.net/sanaee/hadighe/hdgh04), accessed March 2026. Ganjoor is the principal freely accessible digital archive of classical Persian literature; the Hadiqa al-Haqiqa text follows the standard critical edition. Chapters hdgh04/sh1 through hdgh04/sh14, covering all fourteen sections of Book IV (الباب الرّابع). Composed ~1131 CE by Hakim Sanai of Ghazna (~1080–1131 CE). Blood Rule satisfied: translated directly from Ganjoor Persian text, not from Stephenson 1910 (Book I only) or any other English source.
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