M6:3865 — فارغست از خشت و از پیکار خشت / وز چو تو مادرفروش کنک زشت

Translation: He is free from the brick and the struggle of the brick, / And from an ugly brute like you, a mother-selling youth. Meaning: Spoken by a beardless youth, this verse describes the relief of a man with sparse facial hair, who is exempt from unwanted advances and the need for self-defense against aggressive individuals.

This verse emerges from a detailed story narrated by Mawlana, from the perspective of an amrad (a handsome, beardless youth) who is constantly exposed to the lust and irrationality of others. At the height of the youth's lament, this beyt expresses his envy for a kūsa (a man with only a few hairs on his chin, signifying a fledgling beard). The amrad observes: "After that, the child looked at the kūsa and said: 'He, with those two hairs, is free from sorrow.'" That is, merely by virtue of those few hairs, he is liberated from grief and suffering.

At this juncture, Mawlana introduces a profound theological and mystical point. The term khesht (brick) here symbolizes human self-made efforts for protection. One lays bricks, builds walls, erects fences to secure oneself. However, these bricks, no matter how numerous, are not immune to the harms of Satan and carnal desires. Satan can come and "uproot the brick of obedience" (khesht-e ta'at barkand), meaning he can dismantle any fortress you have built around yourself through your deeds and efforts, leaving you exposed.

Yet, those few hairs on the kūsa's chin are not khesht; they are not human effort. They are a "particle of the shadow of grace" (zarreh-i sāye-ye ʿenāyat). These hairs are from "that Other Side" (aṭā-ye ān sū), meaning from God. As Mawlana states: "If the brick is full, it is placed by you / Those two or three hairs are a gift from that Other Side." This divine gift, this spiritual grace, is a royal letter of immunity (amān-nāme-ye shāhanshahī); it is a kuh (mountain/fortress) that settles a person in a secure citadel.

I have always maintained: the difference between human effort and divine grace is like the difference between a hundred locks you place on a door, which a rogue thief comes and breaks, and a small seal placed on that same door by an authority (a shahna or prosecutor), which even mighty strongmen fear to break. Those numerous locks symbolize your effort; they are broken. But this small seal, not placed by you, but by the possessors of power and grace, remains unbroken.

Thus, this verse implicitly teaches us that true peace and security do not arise from the multitude of our efforts, but from the quality of divine grace. Mawlana here explicitly employs harsh and colloquial terms — such as mādar-furūsh konak-e zesht (mother-selling ugly brute) — to convey the depth of the depravity of these intrusions and the urgency of the need for divine protection. This demonstrates that Mawlana, unlike some other mystics who were detached from the world, was acquainted with the language of the people and social sufferings, and could utilize it to articulate his profound mystical intentions. He was never a mystic disengaged from the bitter realities of society.

Key takeaways

• True protection stems from divine grace, not from our own efforts.
• "Brick" (khesht) symbolizes human-made efforts, which are vulnerable; "hair" (mu) symbolizes divine gifts, which provide immunity.
• Satan can undermine the 'brick of obedience,' but is powerless against divine grace.
• Mawlana uses strong, colloquial language to convey deep mystical concepts, reflecting social realities.
• Divine security is like an official's seal, more potent than multiple human-made locks.
• The state of being "free" (fāregh) arises from connection to the source of grace, not mere detachment from the world.