M6:1521 — پس خودی را سر ببر ای ذوالفقار / بی‌خودی شو فانیی درویش‌وار

Translation: So sever the head of this 'self' (khudi), O Dhulfiqar; become selfless (bikhudi), annihilated like a dervish. Meaning: This verse calls us to transcend our 'self' or ego, encouraging us to annihilate our individualistic desires and become selfless, like dervishes absorbed in the Eternal Beloved.

This couplet encapsulates one of the deepest teachings of the Mathnawi; it is an invitation to transcend khudi (selfhood, ego) and arrive at bikhudi (selflessness). Prior to this verse, Mawlana recounts stories illustrating actions undertaken 'for oneself' versus 'for God.' He draws these narratives from intricate jurisprudential discussions where, for instance, if a father disciplines his child 'for his own reasons' (bahr-i kār-i khwīsh zad) and the child dies, the father is liable. However, if a teacher disciplines a student not out of personal motive, but as a amīn (trustee or representative of truth), and an error occurs, the teacher is absolved of responsibility.

I believe the core lesson Mawlana draws from these stories is precisely this: 'behead the self!' This means to become utterly objective, completely detached. Remove yourself from the equation, as if you are not present in the midst of it all. Mawlana here asks you to be like a scale that weighs without speech or emotion, or a mirror that reflects reality without any personal sentiment. This emptying of the self implies a complete suspension of one's personal emotions and desires towards both contending parties and adversaries.

The word Dhulfiqar here, in my view, carries no special mystical meaning; it is more an address to a powerful instrument for severance. Mawlana himself says: 'From Ali, you inherit Dhulfiqar; bring forth the arm of God's Lion.' This implies the sword alone is insufficient; the powerful arm of the swordsman is necessary to 'behead the self.' But the central point is by what means we sever the self: it is with a will and resolve liberated from attachments.

The 'dervish-like annihilation' (fānī-yī darvīsh-vār) mentioned later in the couplet, immediately brings to my mind the holy verse: 'You threw not when you threw, but Allah threw' (Quran 8:17) – a verse Mawlana repeatedly references in the Mathnawi, serving as an unparalleled model for the annihilation of the servant in Truth. The Quran tells the Prophet: 'When you threw the arrow, it was not you who threw, but God who threw.' This is a grand paradox that shapes the language of the mystic; for the mystic speaks from a station whose depth the narrow vessel of ordinary language cannot contain. At this station, the servant becomes 'empty of self' (khālī az khwud) and 'full of Truth' (pur az ḥaqq). Thus, he is both the agent and not the agent. This is precisely the model Mawlana presents for the dervish who must be annihilated in Truth. He regards this station as so high that he even recounts, albeit from an apocryphal story, that Imam Ali (peace be upon him) referred to Ibn Muljam (his assassin) as 'an instrument of Truth' and said he would not blame him. Though this narrative is historically inaccurate, its concept—that a human can become so immersed in God's will as to be merely an instrument in His hand—demonstrates the zenith of tawakkul (reliance on God) and fana. It is at this stage that one becomes āmin (secure), freed from all personal worries and responsibilities, for the true agent is another.

Finally, Mawlana himself realizes he may have delved into jurisprudential matters and quickly exits, declaring: 'The Mathnawi is a shop of spiritual poverty, O son.' This means the Mathnawi is not a book of fiqh (jurisprudence), but a shop of poverty and destitution from khudi and attainment of bikhudi. Mawlana, despite being a faqih and mufti himself, saw the ultimate value in this path of love and annihilation, rather than in legalistic concerns.

Key takeaways

• The primary goal is the transition from 'selfhood' (khudi) to 'selflessness' (bikhudi), moving from egocentrism to absolute impartiality.
• Selflessness implies detachment from personal emotions and desires in judgment and action, leading to complete objectivity.
• Dhulfiqar symbolizes the will and power required to overcome the 'self,' rather than possessing a specific deep mystical meaning.
• Dervish-like annihilation (fana) is the pinnacle of this selflessness, where true agency shifts from the servant to God (annihilation in God).
• The Quranic verse 'You threw not when you threw, but Allah threw' serves as the scriptural paradigm for understanding fana and this transfer of agency; the servant becomes empty of self and filled with Truth.
• The Mathnawi is not a book of jurisprudence, but a 'shop of spiritual poverty,' a path of love and annihilation that opens the way from selfhood to selflessness.