M6:1336 — خلق رنجور دق و بیچاره‌اند / وز خداع دیو سیلی باره‌اند

Translation: The people are afflicted by consumption (daq) and helplessness, And from the devil's deceit (khadāʿ-i dīv), they are prone to striking others (siylī-bāra).

Meaning: This verse describes humanity as inherently weak and spiritually ailing, prone to lashing out and harming others due to the devil's insidious deceptions, manifesting as anger, self-indulgence, or a perverse pleasure in causing pain.

This verse presents a profound and unsettling depiction of the human condition. Mawlana, with the precision of a gnostic physician, first delineates the illness. Daq, literally meaning consumption or tuberculosis, describes a wasting away of the body. Here, however, it unequivocally refers not merely to a physical ailment, but to a spiritual debility and an inner desiccation — a pervasive malady that saps the human soul, rendering it bīchāra (helpless) and depriving it of its true capacities. This weakness, I believe, originates from a lack of self-knowledge and an oblivion to one's authentic existence.

Next, Mawlana addresses the cause and manifestation of this illness: "wa-z khadāʿ-i dīv siylī-bāra-and". This phrase, "prone to slapping others (siylī-bāra)", is crucial. Just as zan-bāra (woman-lover, implying excess) or ghulām-bāra (boy-lover) describe one habitually inclined to something, siylī-bāra denotes someone habitually given to striking, harming, or attacking others. This is an ingrained moral vice. These afflicted individuals, in Mawlana's words, are all inclined to strike out at others; they are angered by them, wish to hit them, pursue their own desires (havā), and seem to possess a sadism in causing pain to others. Mawlana attributes this tendency to harm, this hidden or overt hostility, entirely to the khadāʿ-i dīv – satanic deceit. Satan, in this context, acts as a false physician.

I contend that this false physician tells these patients, whose souls are withered from within, that their illness is incurable, so they should simply do whatever they desire! This deception causes humans, instead of turning inward to treat their inner pain, to project it outward. Striking others, backbiting them, and seeking out their faults (as Mawlana immediately describes in the subsequent verses) all stem from this internal malady. These are the ones who are "jumla dar īdhā-yi bī-jurmān ḥarīṣ / dar qafā-yi hamdīgar jūyān-i naqīṣ" (all eager to harm the innocent / seeking faults behind each other's backs). Hence, Mawlana rightly addresses them in the following verses: "Ey zananda bī-gunāhān-rā qafā / dar qafā-yi khod namī-bīnī chirā?" (O you who strike the innocent in the neck / why do you not see your own neck's rear?). This points to the truth that we are often blind to ourselves and keen-sighted regarding others, a point echoed in Imam Ali's saying: "Ṭūbā man shaghala-hu ʿaybu-hu ʿan ʿuyūb-i ghayrih" (Blessed is he whose own faults keep him from seeing the faults of others).

This havā-yi nafs (carnal desire), which has become the physician of these ailing souls, is the very devil that guided Adam to the forbidden fruit in paradise and deceived him. The devil laughed and struck Adam a blow to his neck, causing him to stumble. It is this same khadāʿ-i dīv that today, in various forms, still instills in us the belief that by projecting our issues and harming others, we can alleviate our inner suffering. But this is merely chāh-namā’ī (pointing to a pit), not rāh-namā’ī (guidance). The core aim of this verse, I submit, is to awaken us from this satanic deception, so that instead of striking others, we turn back to our true selves, discern our inner weakness and consumption, and embark upon its cure.

Key takeaways

• Most humans suffer from a deep spiritual illness, not merely physical ailments.
• This 'consumption' (daq) stems from the devil's deceit, alienating us from our true selves.
• Harming others, striking out, and fault-finding are projections of our inner spiritual malady.
• Satan, as the 'physician of desire' (ṭabīb-i havā), urges us to indulge our carnal whims for a false cure.
• The path to salvation lies in introspection and healing inner suffering, not external aggression.
• We are often blind to our own faults but keen-sighted to those of others; self-reflection must precede judgment.