M6:1771 — آن ملیحان که طبیبان دل‌اند / سوی رنجوران به پرسش مایل‌اند

Translation: Those sweet ones who are physicians of the heart, Are inclined to visit the ailing ones (their suffering lovers). Meaning: This verse suggests that true beloveds, who are healers of the heart, are always aware of and inclined to inquire about the condition of their suffering devotees.

Mowlana introduces this verse following an anecdote where a husband tells his wife that the hardship of enduring rough clothing is lesser than the pain of separation and divorce. This serves as an allegory for the seeker, who must endure the difficulties of forsaking carnal desires to avoid separation from the Divine. Building on this theme, Mowlana shifts the listener's attention to the conduct of the true Beloved.

Here, the Maliḥān (sweet ones/charmers) are not merely earthly beloveds but signify the Divine Beloved or its manifestations, serving as the 'physicians of the heart.' These physicians are aware of the heart's ailments and pains, which stem from separation from the Beloved. The Ranjūrān (ailing ones) are the lovers and seekers who burn with the pain of firaq (separation) from the Divine, their hearts sick with this distance.

The key point of the verse is the inclination (māyil-and) of these Maliḥān; meaning the Beloved is always inclined to inquire about the state of its lover. Even if this inquiry is not overtly apparent, or if the Beloved (in an analogy to human relationships, which carries over metaphorically to the divine realm, as suggested by the subsequent verse's 'fearing ignominy or reputation'), devises another means and 'sends messages' (payghām mī-konand). In other words, a subtle message, perhaps through inspiration or inner manifestation, reaches the lover.

Crucially, this inclination and awareness of the Beloved regarding the lover's state is never severed. Mowlana emphasizes that 'no beloved is unaware of their lover' (nīst maʿshūqī zi ʿāshiq bī-khabar). This core mystical insight draws a definitive line between judāʾī (separation) and tanhāʾī (loneliness). Although the lover may be separated from the Beloved, they are never truly alone or forgotten. The Beloved's perpetual awareness rescues them from the realm of existential loneliness. Their pain is one of estrangement and distance, not of being utterly forsaken.

As I have often pointed out, sometimes the very 'delight in being inquired about' (dhawq-e to porsish kardan ast) within the lover is itself the Beloved's inquiry. That is, even if the Beloved does not explicitly ask, the joy the lover experiences in their suffering, and their desire to converse with the Beloved, serves as the divine inquiry and attention. This echoes Hafez's verse: 'Endure the loving reproach of the fairy-faced beloved, for a single glance can atone for a hundred cruelties.' A single glance or moment of attention from the Beloved can erase all bitterness and cruelty from the lover's memory. This verse beautifully portrays the same mystical understanding of the relationship between lover and Beloved in the divine sphere: the ailing ones are not forgotten by the physicians of the heart and are never left alone, even if the response comes through a hidden message or an inner delight.

Key takeaways

• In Mowlana's mysticism, the true Beloved (God) is always aware of the lover's state and suffering, never abandoning them.
• Though lovers endure the pain of separation, they are never alone; the Beloved continually signals its presence through hidden messages or inspiration.
• The lover's very yearning to be inquired about is itself a form of divine query and a sign of the Beloved's constant attention.
• Heartache and suffering, in Mowlana's view, lead to healing and tranquility through the Beloved's awareness and compassion.
• The 'physicians of the heart,' representing divine manifestations, offer the most potent balm for the pain of separation.
• This verse underscores God's ceaseless and infinite presence in all states of the lover, even at the peak of separation.