M6:2402 — چون نماز شام آن حلوا رسید / بود مؤمن مانده در جوع شدید

Translation: When, at the time of the evening prayer, that ḥalwā arrived, The believer remained in extreme hunger. Meaning: This verse begins a story about three travelers; it describes a believer who, despite the ḥalwā being ready at dusk, remained in a state of severe hunger.

This verse marks the beginning of a narrative that Mawlana adopted from Shams Tabrizi and expanded with his incomparable artistry. It tells the story of three travelers—a Jew, a Christian, and a Muslim—who find some halva and decide to eat it the following day, after whoever has the best dream. However, the Muslim of the story, who, in Mawlana's words, remained in a state of jū‘-i shadīd (extreme hunger) and was a sā’im (fasting person), rises in the middle of the night due to the intensity of his hunger and consumes all the halva.

Mawlana, in this and subsequent verses, meticulously portrays the condition of this believer. He is maghlūb—overpowered by the collective decision that left him hungry, and overwhelmed by his own formidable hunger. However, Dr. Soroush emphasizes that this state of being maghlūb does not merely signify weakness or determinism. Rather, within Mawlana's theological framework, severe and seemingly subjugated circumstances can sometimes open a window for unseen aid and divine grace. This intense hunger is not a flaw, but a prelude to an event that, by the story's end, justifies the believer's action. This precisely aligns with the naturalness we find in the Masnavi: God sometimes extends help to humanity through their deepest and most natural needs. This jū‘-i shadīd is the very ḥāl (spiritual state) that can lead to unexpected, yet ultimately justified, action. This verse thus sets the stage to demonstrate how urgent and self-effacing needs can become a path to wuṣūl (union) and salvation.

Key takeaways

• The believer's action, driven by extreme hunger (jū‘-i shadīd) and his 'overpowered' state, is unconventional but ultimately justified by the story's outcome.
• This intense hunger symbolizes a profound ḥāl (spiritual state) or fundamental need that can steer one's will towards a specific path.
• Divine aid and grace sometimes manifest through deep, seemingly overpowering human needs, rather than solely through rigid rational actions.
• Mawlana transforms a simple anecdote from Shams into an opportunity to explore profound spiritual and theological conditions, where physical need leads to a spiritual event.