M6:3121 — تا به شب بی‌خویش بود و بعد از آن / نیم مرده بازگشت از غیب جان

Translation: Until night he was beside himself, and after that, From the unseen realm of the soul, he returned half-dead. Meaning: After hearing of the tax collector's death, the indebted man lost consciousness, experiencing a profound, death-like state where his soul journeyed beyond the physical world and returned with a glimpse of the unseen, fundamentally transformed.

This verse presents Mowlana's pinnacle description of a deep mystical experience, a profound state of ecstasy and self-transcendence. The indebted man, upon hearing the news that liberates him from a grave burden, becomes so utterly "beside himself" that he seems to take flight from this earthly realm to the celestial. His soul embarks on a soaring journey into the unseen. This state of being "beside himself" until nightfall signifies a spiritual intoxication, a transcendence of conventional consciousness, and an immersion in another realm. The crucial point here is his return "half-dead" from this journey. He has not fully died, yet the experience of death and a glimpse of the unseen have so profoundly altered him that he is no longer the same person. This "half-death" signifies tasting both annihilation (fanā) and subsistence (baqāʾ) simultaneously; it is seeing beyond the veils and returning to the world of forms with a deeper comprehension of the formless. Here, Mowlana clearly demonstrates the powerful imprint of a Neoplatonic worldview, where the essential soul originates from a higher realm and possesses the capacity for temporary return to its origin. This spiritual journey and voyage affirm that the unseen world is not a distant fantasy but an immediate and experienceable reality to which an individual can, in special moments, gain access and from which they return with a transformative experience. This experience, veiled in stories and parables, in reality speaks to the unity with the Creator and the unity of being.

Key takeaways

• The soul possesses the capacity to soar beyond the physical realm.
• Mystical ecstasy is a form of 'temporary death' and return from the unseen.
• Mowlana, in this verse, articulates a robust Neoplatonic worldview.
• The 'half-dead' experience signifies tasting the truth of the unseen without full severance from life.
• A journey to the unseen returns an individual to the world with a deeper understanding of unity with the Creator.