The Unity and Transformation of Spiritual Senses in the Masnavi
In Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, particularly in Book Two, Section 94, Rumi expounds on the concept of spiritual senses (havas-e batini). He explains that the physical senses are limited to the material world, but when a mystic undergoes spiritual transformation and one of their inner senses breaks its bonds to perceive the unseen (ghayb), a chain reaction occurs. This single illuminated sense acts as a prophet to the other senses, transforming them so that they all begin to perceive the spiritual reality. Rumi uses the metaphor of a flock of sheep following one that leaps across a stream to illustrate how the awakening of one spiritual sense elevates all others, leading the mystic to the garden of truths where reality is perceived directly and without the need for allegorical interpretation (ta'wil).
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Persian Literature Prerequisite Course