M6:1749 — چون بگفتی ای صبور و ای حلیم / چون بگفتی ای شجاع و ای حکیم

Translation: How would You have called [Your servants], "O Patient One, O Forbearing One"? How would You have called, "O Courageous One, O Wise One"? Meaning: This couplet answers that without trials and adversity in the world, God would have no occasion to call His servants by noble human attributes such as patience, forbearance, courage, and wisdom, as these qualities would not manifest.

This beyt, "How would You have called [Your servants], 'O Patient One, O Forbearing One'? How would You have called, 'O Courageous One, O Wise One'?", is part of a pivotal discussion in the Masnavi where Rumi, through the voice of the Qazi (judge), responds to a Sufi's profound theological query: "What if there were no Satan, no temptations, no difficulties in the world?" The Sufi implicitly questions the divine wisdom behind the creation of evil and suffering, which seem to lead humanity astray.

Here, Mowlana, with his characteristic decisive and deep tone, addresses one of the most fundamental theological and philosophical problems. He tells the Sufi, and indeed all of us, that if there were no polarities and struggles, no inciting self (nafs-e ammara), no Satan, no wounds, and no challenges in the world, then how could God manifest His names and attributes in the mirror of His servants? How would the attribute of "Patience" gain meaning if there were no adversities and bitterness to endure? What manifestation would "Forbearance" have if anger and aggression never arose? Who would be "Courageous" if there were no battlefield, no danger, no "vaghā" (war)? And how would "Wisdom" reveal itself if there were no complexity or ambiguity to resolve?

I contend that this is a radical yet realistic view of evil and suffering in the cosmos. Mowlana does not view suffering merely as affliction or punishment, but rather as a stage and a context for the flourishing of hidden human potentials. Humans are free agents, and free will only emerges where there are two opposing poles, two contradictory pulls – one towards good and one towards evil. Without this internal struggle, humans would act purely by instinct, just like animals that have no two paths before them. Satan and the inciting self, though seemingly highwaymen, in essence serve us; they awaken our dormant free will and compel us to choose. It is this act of choosing that makes us human and brings our perfections to fruition.

In other words, this world is not a realm of torment, but a stage for examination and purification of the soul. Just as an exam in a school differentiates the diligent student from the lazy one, in this world, good is sifted from evil, the patient from the panicky, the courageous from the fearful. If these challenges were absent, a Rustam or Hamza (symbols of courage) would be indistinguishable from a mukhannath (a symbol of fear and weakness). Knowledge and wisdom would become "void and dissolved"; for wisdom is for discerning the "path" from the "misguided way," and if all were a single path, wisdom would be empty. Sufferings are the crucible of trial, a polish for the soul. This is a Quranic teaching, "And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger," and it is in such situations that the truly patient, who say "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return," are recognized. Thus, worldly sufferings are not merely sufferings; rather, they are catalysts that reveal our essential nature and actualize our capacities for attaining perfection. These sufferings allow us to know and make our own qualities such as patience, courage, and wisdom, not merely as abstract concepts, but as lived experiences and realized attributes in our being.

Key takeaways

• Evil and suffering in this world are not merely punishments, but opportunities for human perfections to blossom.
• Human free will gains meaning only when confronted with oppositions and conflicting pulls.
• Satan and the inciting self, by awakening dormant free will, act as apparent highwaymen but are internal servants.
• The world is a stage for the soul's examination and purification, where noble attributes like patience, courage, and wisdom are manifested.
• Without challenges, the hero would be indistinguishable from the coward, and the wise from the ignorant.