A discerning man questioned one of the indifferent, whom he saw to be very foolish and thoughtless, saying, Hast thou ever seen saffron, or hast thou only heard the name? He said, I have it by me, and have eaten a good deal of it, not once only, but a hundred times and more. Said the wise and discerning man to him, Bravo, wretch! Well done, my friend! Thou knowest not that there is a bulb as well! How long wilt thou wag thy beard in thy folly?
He who knows not his own soul, how shall he know the soul of another? and he who only knows hand and foot, how shall he know the Godhead? The prophets are unequal to understanding this matter; why dost thou foolishly claim to do so? When thou hast brought forward a demonstration of this subject, then thou wilt know the pure essence of the faith; otherwise what have faith and thou in common? thou hadst best be silent, and speak not folly. The learned talk nonsense all; for true religion is not woven about the feet of everyone.
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Comments3Just read "Of Those Who Heed Not" and I must say, it really made me think. The part where it says "He who knows not his own soul, how shall he know the soul of another?", is such a deep thought! It's like don't judge others until you've figured yourself out.
Hakim Sanai's words really resonate with me, especially the part that says "He who knows not his own soul, how shall he know the soul of another?". It's such a powerful message for self-reflection. What do you think motivated Sanai to highlight the importance of self-awareness in this poem?
Just got my mind blown over here as Hakim Sanai really packs a punch with his words. Never did think about it like that before. Maybe we all need to stop running our mouths and sit in silence for a bit, ya know? I need to give some thought to my own soul and what the heck I'm doing with myself. Wise words from an old soul, I tell ya. What a time to be alive!