M6:1743 — آنک تن را جان دهد تا حی شود / گر نمیراند زیانش کی شود

Translation: That One who bestows life upon the body, so it may become alive, If He does not let it die, what harm would that be to Him? Meaning: This verse poses a question from a seeker: why does God, who has the power to give life, ordain death for us? What would be lost from His power if He simply made us immortal?

This verse is precisely a continuation of the persistent, repeated questions of a seeker struggling to comprehend the 'why' of suffering and deficiency in the world. Earlier, he had asked why God cannot render our transactions profit-only, turn fire into a rose garden, winter into spring, and sorrows into joys. But this particular verse represents the zenith of this Sufi's inquiry, as he confronts the greatest suffering of all: death. I assert, unequivocally, that death is, in the human perspective, the greatest of evils and calamities. It is an eternal preoccupation, deeply embedded in the psyche of all of us, whether we consciously ponder it or choose to ignore it.

This fear of death and the urge for survival also possess evolutionary roots; a mechanism for the preservation of species and the continuation of life. Yet, beyond our own demise, the death of loved ones, the loss of wealth, reputation, health, youth, and even the mere passage of time that constantly diminishes our lifespan, are all manifestations of 'loss' (khosrān). The Holy Quran explicitly states: 'Indeed, mankind is in loss' (Inna al-insāna lafī khusr). Humanity is perpetually in a state of detriment. The late Muhammad Abduh, the great exegete, illustrated this loss with the analogy of an ice vendor crying out: 'Buy my ice! Otherwise, all its capital will melt away.' Life, like snow in the summer sun, melts away moment by moment, irretrievably lost.

Now, this seeker asks: if there is a God who gives life to the body and makes it alive, what would happen if He simply did not let it die? What if we remained immortal, immune to decay and annihilation? Would such an act diminish God's dominion or sovereignty in any way? The argument here is that a God capable of bestowing life is, a fortiori, capable of bestowing immortality, and if He were to do so, nothing of His grandeur would be diminished. This question, in essence, reflects humanity's hidden yearning for a life without death, without suffering, without hardship, and without loss; a world akin to the angelic realm, devoid of death, change, or pain.

Mowlana, at this juncture, has not yet offered a response to these inquiries; rather, these are the demands of a seeker who views the world with a scrutinizing gaze, seeking to unravel the enigma of death and loss. He desires a world where 'the soul's aim is achieved without striving'—that is, attaining treasure without effort or suffering. This verse, and those preceding it, articulate a profound and universal demand: why is this world created in such a way that death, annihilation, and suffering prevail over it?

Key takeaways

• The Question of Mortality: This verse articulates humanity's fundamental preoccupation with finitude and non-existence.
• Divine Omnipotence: The seeker queries why an all-powerful God has instituted death in the world.
• Aspiration for Immortality: The beyt reflects the hidden human longing for an eternal, unblemished life.
• The Angelic Ideal: Here, the Sufi implicitly demands a world devoid of death and suffering, akin to the angelic realm.
• No Divine Diminishment: The argument posits that preserving all beings from death would in no way diminish God's dominion.