Of course...

Of course, my own knowledge is inadequate, but as far as I know, there does not exist in Persian prose any remarkable work, except for short sayings-not even a passage which is long enough to be counted as a short discourse, especially a discourse which was originally delivered extempore and later collected and recorded in writing.

There are discourses that have been related from Rumi or Sa’di, meant as oral moral advice to their followers; they also by no means possess the brilliance and charm of the poetic works of those masters and definitely are not worth considering for a comparison with the discourses of the Nahj al-balaghah.

The same can be said about the writings which have reached us in the form of a treatise or letter, such as the Nasihat al-muluk by Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali, the Taziyaneh-ye suluk by Ahmad al-Ghazali, the latter being an elaborate epistle addressed to his follower and pupil ‘Ayn al-Qudat al-Hamadan Spiritual Counsel and Wisdom Moral counsel, according to the Quran, is one of the three ways of invitation towards God (hikmah, maw’izah, al jidal al-hasan, i.e.

wisdom, good admonition, and honourable debate). (1) The difference between hikmah (wisdom, philosophy) and maw’izah (spiritual and moral advice and admonition) lies in this hikmah is for instruction and imparting knowledge, while maw’izah is meant for reminding. Hikmah is the struggle against ignorance and maw’izah is a struggle against negligence and indifference. Hikmah deals with the intellect and maw’izah appeal to the heart.

Hikmah educates, while maw’izah prepares the intellect for employment in its reserves. Hikmah is a lamp and maw’izah is an eye-opener. Hikmah is for ratiocination, while maw’izah is for self-awakening. Hikmah is the language of the intellect, while maw’izah is the message for the spirit. Accordingly, the personality of the speaker plays an essential role in maw’izah, which is not the case with hikmah.

In hikmah, two minds communicate in an impersonal manner but in maw’izah the situation is like the passage of an electric charge that flows from the speaker, who is at a higher potential, to the listener. For this reason, it has been said of maw’izah that: If it comes forth from the soul, then it necessarily alights upon the heart. Otherwise, it does not go beyond the listener’s ears.