بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Meaning
Your Beauty transcends my vision
Your Secret is unfathomable to my understanding
My singleness throngs with Your Love
To describe Your Attributes is beyond my capability
Language
Persian/Farsi
Transliteration
Ḥusn-i tu fuzūn ast zi bīnāʾī-yi man,
rāz-i tu burūn ast zi dānāʾī-yi man.
Dar ʿishq-i tu anbuh ast tanhāʾī-yi man,
dar vaṣf-i tu ʿajz ast tavānāʾī-yi man.
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Brief Explanation
In his treatise Sawāniḥ (Inspirations), which is one of the earliest extant treatises on Sufism, Ahmad Ghazali describes the finite person’s relationship with the Infinite Lord as one marked by inaccessibility, inability, and helplessness. Yet he indicates that it is deeply fulfilling in itself, for it is more than abundant for the finite person. In our singleness, there is no room for anything else.
Background
Before quoting this verse, the author states that the limit of knowledge lies at the shore of love, where one may have some idea of it. Venturing farther causes one to drown, unable to return and speak about it. One who is drowned in it cannot be said to possess knowledge about it.
