M6:3516 — بی‌نهایت آمد این خوش سرگذشت / چون غریب از گور خواجه باز گشت

Translation: Endless became this pleasant tale, When the stranger returned from the master's grave. Meaning: This verse continues a story where an indebted stranger, having returned from the grave of his deceased benefactor, finds his path turning towards hope and ease through the kindness of a new guarantor. Rumi here points to the unending flow of divine mercy that accompanies every hardship with relief.

Mowlana, in this verse, refers to the continuation of a story in which an indebted stranger, following the death of his patron who had consistently paid his debts, returns from his grave. The critical insight lies in the phrases khosh sar-gozasht (pleasant tale) and bī-nehāyat āmad (became endless/boundless). This is a happy tale, not a tragedy; and this happiness, it is revealed, is boundless and never-ending. This perspective lies at the very core of Mowlana's view of the world and life.

I have repeatedly emphasized that the Masnavi is not a book of sorrow, but rather one of joy and exhilaration. Here, too, despite confronting the death of his financial supporter and mainstay, Mowlana speaks of a pleasant tale instead of lamentation and complaint. This narrative does not stem from destitution and loneliness but speaks of an unexpected opening. Another guarantor steps forward, pays his debt, and enlivens his heart with words of hope.

This is the very allusion Mowlana borrows from the Holy Quran: Inna ma'al-usri yusra (Verily, with hardship comes ease). After every difficulty, there is relief. After every sorrow, an opening appears. This is a divine promise given to the Prophet and to all believers. This ease, following hardship, makes the tale pleasant and renders its flow endless, for divine mercy knows no bounds and emerges from where it is least expected. Mowlana does not see the world as crooked or awry; rather, behind every appearance, he seeks a wisdom and a grace, and this story is a manifestation of that very wisdom.

The term gharīb (stranger) is also significant. Man in this world is a stranger, cut off and distanced from his original homeland. But this strangeness does not imply loneliness or abandonment. The difference between jodāyi (separation) and tanhāyi (loneliness) lies precisely here. The stranger is separated from someone he knew and to whom he will return, while the lonely person never had anyone in the first place. This stranger is never truly alone, for divine mercy, like a hidden guarantor, comes to his aid and instills hope in him. This is Mowlana's anti-existentialist stance; God is never absent, rather it is we who distance ourselves from Him. He is constantly at work, creating new openings in every moment.

Key takeaways

• The Masnavi is a book of joy; even when facing difficulties, the narrative progresses towards a 'pleasant tale.'
• The key to relief is Inna ma'al-usri yusra — after every hardship, there is divine ease and opening.
• Endless became (bī-nehāyat āmad) signifies the perpetual flow of divine mercy, appearing from unseen paths.
• Human estrangement in this world is 'separation' (jodāyi), not 'loneliness' (tanhāyi); one is separated from a familiar origin and will ultimately return to it.
• Mowlana's perspective is anti-existentialist; God is not absent, but constantly active, and it is we who distance ourselves from Him.