M6:336 — تازیانه از کفش افتاد راست / خود فرو آمد ز کس آنرا نخواست

Translation: His whip fell straight from his hand; he himself dismounted, he asked no one for it. Meaning: This verse illustrates how a Companion of the Prophet, influenced by the Prophet's teaching, humbly dismounted to retrieve his fallen whip without asking anyone else for assistance. It exemplifies self-reliance and freedom from dependence on others.

Mawlana, following a narrative that emphasizes avoiding burdening others, refers to a Hadith from the Prophet (PBUH) who states: “The Prophet said, 'Paradise from God, / If you truly desire it, ask nothing from anyone.'” This Prophetic saying is an invitation to independence and self-sufficiency from creation, even concerning legitimate requests. The Prophet explicitly guarantees Paradise for anyone who refrains from asking anything from any human being. This implies that one must strive to carry one's own burden and not impose it on others.

To illustrate the impact of this Prophetic teaching, Mawlana recounts an anecdote about the Arabs of the Prophet's time. Among some of them, arrogance reached such a degree that if a whip fell from their hand, they would not dismount to retrieve it but would instead ask someone else to hand it to them. However, this particular verse (M6:336) precisely demonstrates the transformation and impact of that Hadith on one of the Companions. This Companion, who perhaps previously acted like others, upon his whip falling, dismounts himself and picks it up without asking anyone. This act is an expression of self-sufficiency and self-reliance, for which the Prophet (PBUH) promised Paradise; it is about freeing the self from the weight of dependence on others.

This discourse by Mawlana, undoubtedly, carries both an exoteric and a deeper esoteric meaning. On the exoteric level, the intention is that a person should not impose their desires and requests on others, but rather always rely on themselves. Mawlana even states: “Is it better to remain stuck, or to slowly advance one's work with difficulty, rather than involving others and somehow employing them?” This implies that sometimes enduring hardship and slowly progressing one's affairs by oneself is superior to troubling others and, in a way, engaging them in one's service.

However, the esoteric and more sublime meaning of this Hadith and this act points to the spiritual station of Riḍā (contentment) in mysticism. In the third book of the Mathnawi, Mawlana explicitly states: “I know another group of saints / Whose tongues are sealed from prayer.” These saints are so content and submissive to Divine decree that they ask for nothing, even from God. They find a unique delight in everything God has destined for them, considering it blasphemous to seek deliverance or change in fate. This is a station where even asking from God is considered a form of impoliteness and objection to His will. This station of Riḍā is the pinnacle of submission and absolute independence from everything other than the Divine Essence, and it is here that self-sufficiency from creation extends to self-sufficiency from seeking and asking from God; not out of heedlessness, but out of the perfection of gnosis and good opinion of Divine grace.

Key takeaways

• Independence from creation is a sign of self-sufficiency from all but God, a path leading to Paradise.
• Humility and self-reliance, even in small tasks, are manifestations of Prophetic training and spiritual journeying.
• This anecdote serves as a practical example of disinterest in others, extending even to refraining from legitimate requests.
• The esoteric meaning of these teachings is the attainment of the 'station of Riḍā,' complete submission to Divine will, and refraining from asking even of God.