M1:287 — این کند از امر و او بهرِ ستیز / بر سَرِ استیزه‌رویان خاک ریز

Translation: This one performs by divine command, and that one for contention; / Pour dust upon the heads of those who contend. Meaning: This verse underscores the fundamental difference between actions driven by divine command and those motivated by rivalry, urging us to abandon the path of contention.

In this verse and the preceding ones, Mawlana imparts one of his most profound lessons: the distinction between outward appearance and inner reality. I have often emphasized that the misguidedness of many stems from observing superficial similarities (surat) while remaining oblivious to radical inner differences (sirat). This is precisely what Mawlana returns to in his Masnavi-based interpretation of the Masnavi and elucidates in this section.

The verse states: One person performs an action by divine command (az amr), while another performs the same action for contention (behr-i estīz). This amr is the divine command and will, arising from the inner being of a saint (wali); it is an act nourished by a pure source. In contrast, estīz signifies rivalry, disputation, and mere retaliation; an act rooted solely in self-conceit and showmanship. I state unequivocally that Mawlana here points to the distinction between a divine act and a vain act, even if their appearances are identical.

As I have told you before, Mawlana elsewhere clarifies this very point with examples such as bees (one stings, the other makes honey), deer (one produces dung, the other musk), and reeds (one hollow, the other filled with sugar). I have said this repeatedly in my lectures: Both reeds drank from the same water source / One is empty, the other full of sugar. This present verse applies precisely the same logic to human action. The actions emanating from the saints of God (awliya) are rooted in divine command. However, actions stemming from the estīza-ruyān — that is, the contentious and blind imitators — are rooted in enmity and rivalry.

Mawlana continues: Pour dust upon the heads of those who contend (bar sar-i estīza-ruyān khāk rīz). This is an explicit mystical and ethical counsel. To pour dust upon someone's head means to abandon, forsake, and disregard them and their path. Mawlana cautions us against associating with those who act for contention. Why? Because their actions, though outwardly appearing good, spring from a diseased inner state and will ultimately lead to nothing but deviation. This perfectly echoes Ghazali's teaching on murāʾ (disputation), where he advised to abandon contention even if one is in the right; for it scratches the soul and conceals the truth.

This failure to discern the infinite difference between two outwardly similar actions leads Mawlana to conclude that many people act with an ape-like nature (bōzīna-ṭabʿ). An ape imitates, but only the outward form of an action, not its truth. The kafir (disguiser of truth), as Mawlana puts it, acts in contention with an ape-like nature; that is, in dispute and denial, they offer a superficial imitation of truth that is devoid of deep gnosis. The saint's action is from command, but the contentious person's action is merely from contention and blind rivalry. This distinction is the key to understanding many human and spiritual phenomena.

Key takeaways

• Outward appearances of actions can be deceiving; the fundamental difference lies in intention and source.
• Actions stemming from divine command (amr) are intrinsically different from those originating from contention (estīz) and rivalry.
• Mawlana advises us to distance ourselves from contentious individuals and not to value superficial actions.
• One's disposition (ṭabʿ) and inner state determine the quality and fruit of their actions, not merely their outward form.
• Blind imitation and disputation, akin to an ape-like nature, obscure truth and prevent understanding of the 'infinite difference'.