The world either puts the heart and mind into the same compartment, connecting their ends in a way that there seems to be no difference or distinction between them, or it goes to the other extreme, creating such a distance between the two as if their very existence requires them to stay far apart and segregated from each other. The truth is that both approaches are extremist. The heart and mind are two wires that must connect for anything to come into existence. Medical science also considers them companions. It is a different matter that they have a distinct intellectual identity, but they share a bond of pain and intimacy. Through one, a person perceives something, while through the other, they realize the beauty or flaws of that perception. Relying solely on the heart or always considering the mind as one's only companion is not appropriate. Often, this bond between the two elements is broken, which is why we frequently encounter extremism, prejudice, or sometimes cowardice, dejection, and indifference. In reality, both are cheerful companions and helpers to each other. Just as improperly connecting two contrasting wires can cause a blast, failing to properly connect the wires of the heart and mind opens the door to destruction. It is said that Western countries opened the door of the mind and achieved progress, while Eastern countries opened the doors of the heart to progress; that is why both stand on two opposite banks of a river, with no meeting point. One calls for inhabiting the world of the heart, while the other wants to inhabit machines. But since both are separate, there is division, disagreement, and at times, chaos between them.
This relationship between the heart and mind was beautifully understood and explained by the late Mr. Kaleem Aajiz, which is well worth reading. He writes: "Yes, I will submit one thing—people are accustomed to presenting the matters of the heart by heavily adorning them with intellectual concepts and making them multi-layered. I do not consider the heart and mind as separately functioning entities. Their action is parallel, so they must remain balanced, and this balance is natural. Without their joint action, art cannot be born. I do not believe at all in 'complicating a few points with complex expressions'. I do not consider either of them as master or servant, dominant or defeated. They are cheerful companions, obedient to each other, friends of each other, well-acquainted with each other's state, recognizing secrets, and helping one another. They walk hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, step by step. Neither tries to surpass the other. For me, their harmony and shared temperament are paramount. I have not spoken with hesitation; I have opened my heart and placed it before the people of heart and before the people of mind, and I have done so with certainty and confidence. With the same confidence with which Mir Sahab says:
Batein hamari yaad rahein phir batein na aisi suniye ga
Kehte kisi ko suniye ga to der talak sar dhuniye ga
(Wo Jo Shayari Ka Sabab Hua: 175)"
✍ Muhammad Sabir Hussain Nadvi
اناس میمن پلانپوری
