The Eighth essay in this book is "Reason and Mystical Experience in Sufism" by (Late) Annemarie Schimmel.
Annemarie Schimmel has focused her essay on how Sufis think about intellect and love. She gave many wonderful examples from Sufi traditions to highlight the difference between them. In Sufis' understanding intellect has to first think thoroughly and deeply about things, whereas love tries to jump into the heart of the matter without thinking of consequences. Sufis do not deny the importance of intellect but they think it is only useful to guide the behavior on the broad path of Sharia. She quoted Rumi who explains the role of intellect as a father who disciplines the child and sends him to school to learn so that the child can face the world in a better way where as nafs, the lower soul, is like a mother who wants to spoil the child and wants to keep him close so he shouldn't face the hardships in life.
In Annemarie's words, "Intellect has a very important role in human development, even though it has no right to enter the bridal chamber of love." She went ahead and gave plenty of example where superiority of love is clearly mentioned and intellect was left behind as weaker than love. She quoted hadith of Prophet Mohammed (p.b.u.h.) "...When he was asked how to behave in a certain case, he replied: Ask your heart for a fatwa; because it is the heart that gives the true answer to the problems which beset [trouble or harass constantly] human intellects."
According to Rumi "....Intellect is necessary to give us khabar; information, but what the heart craves is nazar, direct vision." Where Sufi writings are concern they are difficult for the general people to understand because their writing are reflection of their spiritual experience and words cannot completely explain their thoughts. Annemarie referred article by Sayyed Hossein Nasr in which he mentioned that it is not enough to read the text as they stand, we have to read the white between the lines, that is, we have to understand the meaning of the texts by being introduced to them by someone who has true experience. Annemarie ended this essay with a beautiful example given by Rumi summarizing the debate between intellect and love. "...He says: When you make a house for your chicken, a camel does not fit into it."
This essay is a wonderful explanation of how Sufi perceive this world and why they are so difficult to understand by ordinary people. Her selection of examples to explain Sufis' approaches about things were outstanding. Certainly, it reflects her superior command and understanding of Sufi beliefs and practices. Annemarie is no more with us and this essay is just one of the extremely valuable literary contributions made by her. I strongly suggest to the readers of this review to read this essay in full, it is really an essay worth reading.
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