M6:444 — رو بخواهم کرد آخر در لحد / آن به آید که کنم خو با احد

Translation: Ultimately, I shall enter the grave, / It is better that I cultivate intimacy with the One (Ahad) from now.

This verse in the Mathnawi is uttered by a deceptive hunter who has assumed the guise of an ascetic to trap birds. Through these words, he attempts to conceal his true intentions behind a veil of spiritual discourse. The hunter, by referring to the ultimate truth of death and humanity's eventual solitude in the grave, argues that it is appropriate to detach from worldly attachments and human companionship from now, and to cultivate intimacy with "Ahad" (the One God). This represents a superficial and self-serving form of asceticism that Mowlana implicitly critiques.

I have repeatedly emphasized that Mowlana himself is a stern critic of "khanqahi Sufism" (monastic Sufism) and "sustenance-seeking asceticism." He distinguishes between two main types of poverty: faqr-i luqma (poverty of sustenance) and faqr-i haqq (poverty of Truth). Faqr-i luqma is the outward destitution that stems from material deprivation and often leads one to greed, covetousness, and even kufr (disbelief), as the Prophet stated: "Poverty almost leads to kufr." This kind of poverty can drive a person to deception and falsehood to secure a livelihood. In contrast, faqr-i haqq is the emptying of oneself of everything but God, an absolute need for Truth, and an inner richness. The hunter in this tale speaks of "Ahad" with spiritual language, but it stems not from faqr-i haqq but from faqr-i luqma, in pursuit of prey for his stomach. In doing so, he weaponizes the noble ideals of asceticism and monotheism for worldly ends, and Mowlana, with his characteristic shrewdness, exposes this hypocrisy.

Another crucial point is the profound distinction in Mowlana's thought between tanhā'i (loneliness) and judā'i (separation). The hunter says, "Ultimately, I shall enter the grave; / It is better that I cultivate intimacy with the One from now," based on the premise that a person will ultimately remain "alone" (fard). However, in Mowlana's philosophy, the believer is never "alone" in the existentialist sense; rather, they are in a state of "separation." Tanhā'i signifies the absence of any companionship in a meaningless world without origin or destination, as explored by philosophers like Hans Jonas or Martin Buber in their reflections on the "Eclipse of Deity." But judā'i in mysticism is the parting from one's "origin" (asl), a reminder of an unbreakable bond with a source and a Beloved who is ever-present, even if we feel distant. The believer is not "alone" even in the grave, but accompanied by the remembrance and presence of the Beloved. Thus, although this verse ostensibly advocates for solitude and intimacy with God, within the narrative context of the Mathnawi, it serves as a warning against any "unaware asceticism" and any "abandonment of creation" that stems from hypocrisy or worldly greed, rather than from true love and faqr-i haqq.

Key takeaways

• This verse is spoken by a deceptive hunter who adopts an ascetic guise to ensnare prey.
• Mowlana critiques "sustenance-seeking asceticism" and hypocrisy, where spirituality is instrumentalized for worldly gains.
• "Poverty of sustenance" (material destitution) can lead to greed and even kufr, while "poverty of Truth" is the path to salvation.
• In Mowlana's view, humans are never truly "alone"; rather, they are in a state of "separation" from an ever-present Beloved. This is a fundamental distinction from existentialist philosophies.