M1:231 — شاه آن خون از پی شهوت نکرد / تو رها کن بدگمانی و نبرد

Translation: That King did not shed that blood out of lust; You, too, abandon ill-will and strife. Meaning: This verse asserts that actions commanded by the Divine are not driven by carnal desires and should be accepted with absolute submission and good faith, free from suspicion and opposition.

I have stated before that Mawlana recognizes only one path in the face of divine command: “submission, submission, submission.” This couplet falls precisely within that framework, serving as a justification rooted in Mawlana's profound monotheistic gnosis, not a justification born of coercion or necessity. He asserts that an action performed by the command of the “King” (referring here to the sacred divine realm, or His saints like Abraham who executed divine orders) is never motivated by “lust” (shahwat) or carnal desires.

This shahwat should not be restricted to its specific meaning; rather, it can be extended to encompass any form of selfish desire, worldly expediency, or even the limited rationalizations of human intellect. When God issues a command, it stems from absolute wisdom and purity (ṣafā). Mawlana continues: “You, too, abandon ill-will and strife.” This is a direct address to us, the reader, the seeker. He asks us to relinquish “ill-will” (bad-gūmānī) when encountering divine actions or events that appear outwardly unpleasant. Ill-will means judging, subjecting what emanates from the boundless divine realm to our limited human criteria. “Strife” (nabard) refers to contention and protest against divine decree and destiny, or against truths that our intellect cannot fully grasp.

In essence, this couplet offers a profound spiritual teaching: to attain the “wine of the soul” and “an eternally joyful spirit,” there is no path other than to “like Ismail, lay your head before Him / happily and smilingly surrender your life before His blade.” Mawlana emphasizes that in the realm of ṣafā, deceit and impurity have no place. This means what flows from the pure spring of existence is itself pure, however bitter it may taste to us. This is the understanding in which God's majesty and self-sufficiency efface all strife and ill-will. It is here that “effacement is needed, not grammar, know this here.” One must efface oneself before the divine command and refrain from grammatical reasoning and contentious speculation to perceive the hidden wisdom.

Key takeaways

• Divine actions are free from carnal desires and must be viewed with good faith.
• In the face of divine command, there is no path but absolute submission, abandoning ill-will and protest.
• What emanates from the sacred realm, even if outwardly unpleasant, is rooted in wisdom and purity.
• Unquestioning acceptance of divine will is the key to inner peace and joy.