M6:457 — نی شنیدی انما الدنیا لعب / باد دادی رخت و گشتی مرتعب

Translation: Did you not hear that 'indeed, the world is play'? / You gave your clothes to the wind and became terrified. Meaning: Alluding to a divine saying, this verse portrays the world as a transient game, warning that heedlessness in this play leaves one spiritually stripped and fearful for the return to one's true home.

This verse emerges within the tale of a hunter disguised as an ascetic, who, while advising a clever bird to entrap it, nonetheless speaks a profound truth through Mowlana. The hunter's deceptive counsel becomes a conduit for Mowlana's insights into the world's playful nature. “Did you not hear that 'indeed, the world is play'?” is a direct echo of numerous Quranic verses that describe worldly life as laʿb wa lahw (play and amusement). This 'play' does not inherently denote futility or evil but rather highlights the temporary and non-ultimate nature of this world in contrast to the eternal and ultimate reality. The world is a game with its own rules, but it is not the ultimate purpose. Just as a child engrossed in play loses sight of essentials, humans can become so captivated by this game that they forget their true home and authentic identity. “You gave your clothes to the wind and became terrified” paints a vivid and potent image. Mowlana elaborates on this point by invoking the image of a child playing, shedding their clothes in the process. When night falls, the game ends, and the child, naked and unclothed, is ashamed and terrified to return home. Here, 'clothes' symbolize our spiritual readiness, our moral virtues, good deeds, and self-knowledge – the 'garments' essential for the soul's dignified return journey to its origin. One who squanders these inner garments in the heedless pursuits of the world will, at the game's end (i.e., at the moment of death and return to the realm of the soul), face profound 'terror' (raʿb). This terror stems not from divine punishment, but from the shame of arriving empty-handed and having squandered precious opportunities. This verse, like much of Mowlana’s counsel, is not meant to induce despair or sorrow, but rather to awaken and alert. Mowlana’s message is consistently a call to return to one's origin, as he states at the Masnavi’s outset: “Everyone who is left far from their origin / Seeks the time of union once again.” This verse serves as a reminder to gather one’s 'garments' before the irreversible night descends, and not to waste the 'day' in heedlessness and fruitless discourse. It is a call to be ibn al-waqt (child of the moment) and to seize the present, so that we may return to that eternal abode with a full hand and a well-adorned soul.

Key takeaways

• The world is a transient game, and one must not be heedless of its temporary nature.
• Our 'garments' in this game symbolize our spiritual preparedness and virtues for returning to our origin.
• Heedlessness in worldly play leads to the loss of spiritual capital and a sense of shame and terror upon return.
• Mowlana's warning is not meant to induce despair but to awaken and prompt action in the 'now'.
• One must gather their spiritual 'clothes' before 'night' falls and not squander the 'day'.