1.1.4  The Heart versus the Mind

The main difference between the heart and the mind, in this respect, is that the latter is inevitably directed and distracted by the diverse external sensations, while it is also bound by its own constrained intellectual and analytical abilities, which may seem to be potentially unlimited but practically become quickly exhausted, and quite often produce premature conclusions and rely on them to obtain wrong conceptions, which may become the principles for fundamental theories. In contrast to that, the heart is characterized by its intrinsic creative imagination and intangible inter-dimensional flexibility. Thus, one of the characteristic features of the Sufi comprehensive knowledge is that it is never achieved through reasoning, that’s why they normally describe it by “vision” and “tasting”, while comprehension may come later or may not come at all, but they don’t care, because: seeing is believing. Only they need to cleanse this subtle tool carefully before using it, otherwise they will also not be able to see beyond the usual dense physical boundaries. They usually spend decades in this cleansing, via the continuous concentrated contemplation, sometimes in strict seclusion and other severe spiritual meditation techniques.

Eventually, after witnessing or tasting some aspects of the reality in their hearts, only few Sufis, such as Ibn al-Arabi, have enough courage to describe their mystical experiences in the formal language that may be comprehended by other minds, lest they are commonly accused of heretics, even after applying their complicated multiple levels of symbols and ciphering and encrypting their statements in the forms of poetry and other indirect narrations.

As an example, in order to get a sense of the depth of the Sufi symbolic language, let us uncover some of the sciences encoded in the poem Ibn al-Arabi chanted at the beginning of chapter 295 of the Meccan Revelations [II.674.5], which includes some introductions on the origins and relations between the four elements of Nature. We shall come back to this key chapter often in chapters VI and VII, after we explain the splitting of heavens into the two parallel physical and psychical worlds. As in most other poems, Ibn al-Arabi’s expressions here have many layers of inter-connected meanings which are very difficult to convey or translate, so we shall provide here a general rough interpretation: - Rivers burst out from the essence of (my) stones, and dived deep inside the earth of my secret treasuries. - One tenth of divine knowledge I have disclosed, but what remained concealed are the other nine. - My soul is (trying to contemplate alone by) seeking (to unite and realize) in her partner (that is the mind), while my mind is urging me (to explain what I have disclosed) to other confronting minds. - I took refuge in the city of the Lord (the Spirit), (which is the body) that he built out of compound water and fire. - The heights of its fences are beyond comparing, and I am shielded inside the castle behind the seven walls. As we can see, from the first reading of this poem we may understand that Ibn al-Arabi is describing some delicate spiritual state of imagination, which is correct. However, when we understand the meanings of “earth”, “water”, “fire” and “heavens“, and the corresponding meanings of the “body”, “mind”, “soul” and “spirit”, all as the various possible space-time structures; this poem becomes a whole theory of creation and super-symmetry that can be applied equally on the complimentary physical and psychical worlds.

It is extremely difficult, and maybe impossible, to describe extraordinary experiences to someone who has never had similar experiences before. Therefore, the Sufis mostly give various hints to encourage the seekers to try by themselves. Why do we need to waste the time and efforts in explaining the taste of honey to our children or students? Give them a spoonful instead and they will know. Thereafter, if you ask them how it tastes, the only accurate answer is going to be: it is honey!