عقل در مثنوي مولانا

Reason in Rumiʹs Masnavi

The reader of the Masnavi finds it hard to grasp the notion of "reason" at the outset. According to what sect has this notion been defined? Is it that of philosophers, ethicists and Sufis, each of whom has his own definition of the term, or is it something else? What are the different kinds of "reason" cited in the Masnavi, and what are the characteristics of "reason"? Rumi has made contradictory statements about "reason", praising it at one time and disapproving of it at another. How can these contradictions be made sense of?This article aims to provide answers to the above questions to the extent possible.