M1:3731 — در غَزا بر پهلوانی دست یافت / زود شمشیری بر آورد و شتافت

Translation: In battle, he gained mastery over a champion; Quickly he drew his sword and rushed forward.

Meaning: This verse initiates the story of Ali's encounter with a champion in battle, describing the moment Ali overcomes his opponent and prepares to deliver the final blow with his sword.

This verse marks the beginning of one of the most profound and instructive stories in the first book of the Masnavi: the account of Ali's encounter with a champion in battle. Mowlana, in recounting this event, not only portrays Ali's courage but also uses it as a bridge to discuss the highest spiritual and ethical insights.

Here, we meet Ali as the "Lion of God" (shīr-i ḥaqq), a "valiant champion" (pahlavān-i purdil). He not only overpowers his opponent and pins him down, but is ready to "draw his sword" and finish the job. This initial part of the story narrates the might and victory of a divine hero whom Mowlana calls "the pride of every prophet and saint" (iftikhār-i har nabī o har walī) and describes as having a "face before which the moon would prostrate" (rūy-i ke māh sajda ārad nazd-i ū). These deep and unparalleled descriptions from Mowlana attest to Ali's unique standing in his eyes; a position that, beyond any conventional praise, places him at the pinnacle of gnosis and spiritual authority.

But the crux of the story begins precisely at this point: when the champion, in the moment of certain defeat, "spits on Ali's face" (khadu andākht bar rūy-i ʿAlī). This act creates a profound rupture in the flow of battle. From here, Mowlana depicts Ali not merely as a warrior-hero, but as an accomplished mystic embodying pure sincerity of action (ikhlāṣ-i ʿamal). Ali rises from the champion's chest and casts his sword aside. Why? Because Ali's purpose in ghazā (holy war) is not personal gain or revenge. The act of spitting debases the battle from a divine plane to a personal, ego-driven one; from fighting for God to fighting for oneself. Sincerity of action means that personal motives must not interfere with a divine act. Had Ali killed the champion at that moment, his killing would have stemmed from personal anger, not for God. This distinction between "God's action" (ʿamal-i Allāh) and "the self's action" (ʿamal-i nafs) is a fundamental point in Mowlana's practical mysticism.

I have often emphasized that Mowlana's version of this story differs significantly from popular Shi'i and even Sunni accounts. In the Masnavi's narrative, Ali ultimately does not kill the champion; instead, Ali's forbearance (ḥilm) and self-restraint lead to the champion's conversion to Islam, and nearly fifty of his relatives also embrace the faith. This conclusion is vital for Mowlana: "The sword of forbearance is sharper than the sword of iron, / Nay, it brings victory more than a hundred armies" (Tīgh-i ḥilm az tīgh-i āhan tīztar / Bal ze sad lashkar zafr-angīztar). This means that forbearance not only compels the enemy to surrender but redeems his soul from unbelief and guides him toward faith. This kind of victory is the highest: killing the "spirit of unbelief" (rūḥ-i kāfirāna), not the "unbeliever's body." This perspective reveals Mowlana's deep insight into the transformative power of love and forbearance, which can fundamentally alter human essence.

In the midst of the story, Mowlana, through the champion's voice, addresses Ali, saying: "O Ali, who art all intellect and sight, / Narrate a glimmer of what you have seen" (Ey ʿAlī ke jumla ʿaql o dīda'ī / Shamme'ī vāgo az ānche dīda'ī). This description of Ali as "all intellect and sight" is not merely an exaggeration but a profound reference to the epistemic nature of Ali's being; he embodies intuitive rationality and the seeing of truth. From here, Mowlana elaborates on Ali's attributes, seeing himself as a mirror reflecting Ali's light: "From you it shone on me, why do you conceal it? / You radiate light like the moon without speech" (Az to bar man tāft chūn dārī nihān / Mīfashānī nūr bī-mah chūn mah bī-zabān). Mowlana's statement that "the world is full of blind people, full of sighted people whose vision is weak, and sighted people whose vision is strong" is in fact a reference to the varying levels of perceiving truth. Some see Ali as dark, some see him as the moon, and some see three moons. This difference in perception stems not from Ali's light, but from the capacity of the beholder's eye.

As Mowlana recounts it, this story was found by the late Gholamhossein Yousefi in Ghazali's Kimiya-yi Sa'ādat, though Ghazali himself did not cite its source. But this demonstrates that Mowlana, in narrating stories, was not seeking mere historical facts, but rather used them to articulate "spiritual truths," enriching them "with the branches and leaves that he himself gave to the stories" to extract profound lessons from them.

Key takeaways

• The story of Ali and the champion in the Masnavi is an allegory for sincerity in action (ikhlāṣ-i ʿamal) and the avoidance of ego-driven motives in worship and spiritual struggle.
• Ali's basis in ghazā is divine command, not personal wrath; once personal anger intervenes, he abandons the fight.
• Mowlana extols Ali as "the pride of every prophet and saint" and "all intellect and sight," highlighting Ali's exalted gnostic status in Mowlana's view.
• Contrary to popular narratives, in the Masnavi's version, Ali's forbearance (ḥilm) leads to the champion's conversion to Islam and that of his relatives; "the sword of forbearance is sharper than the sword of iron."
• This story underscores the primacy of "forbearance" and "spiritual transformation" over "physical punishment."
• Mowlana uses historical stories as vehicles for unveiling spiritual truths, adapting them to serve his mystical insights.