M6:3119 — نعره‌ای زد مرد و بیهوش اوفتاد / گوییا او نیز در پی جان بداد

Translation: The man let out a cry and fell unconscious, / As if he too gave up his soul in pursuit (of that vision/experience). Meaning: This verse describes the overwhelming intensity of a mystical experience, where a seeker is so overcome that he falls unconscious and seemingly offers his very life or soul in that profound moment.

Mowlana in this verse clearly speaks of those awe-inspiring yet glorious mystical experiences wherein the seeker is so submerged in divine light or presence that their entire being undergoes a profound transformation. This 'cry' (naʿra) is not one of pain, but a scream arising from the depths of the soul, incapable of bearing the light of truth; and the 'unconsciousness' (bīhūshī) is not a loss, but a complete presence in the unseen, a state of self-forgetfulness (bī-khudī).

Recall the story Mowlana narrates of Moses (PBUH), whose face became so luminous after divine epiphanies on Mount Sinai that people could not bear to look upon him. Even his wife Safura, by gazing at that divine radiance, lost her sight. In that account, Mowlana says: "Likewise, the striving man gives bread / When the light of obedience strikes him, he gives his soul." This is precisely what we observe in the verse under discussion. The seeker initially makes ordinary efforts, 'gives bread,' but when the 'light of obedience' and divine effulgence shine upon him, he gives his 'soul' (jān) instead of bread. That is to say, he reaches a station where no trace of his ego or contingent existence remains, and in that annihilation, he experiences a renewed union with his true origin.

This 'giving of the soul' should not be interpreted as physical death, but rather as an expression of effacement and annihilation in the Divine Essence. As I have often emphasized, the Masnavi is a book of muḥw (effacement), not naḥw (grammar). This 'giving of the soul' is precisely this effacement and dissolution of the self. When the seeker is so overwhelmed by the light of Divine Beauty or Majesty that they become oblivious to this temporal world, it is as if they are surrendering their soul; yet, this surrender is a rediscovery of the true, eternal soul. These are moments when the individual is liberated from the bonds of forms and determinations, uniting with the formless. Existence emerges from the formless, and the seeker, in these moments, returns to their formless origin.

This experience does not stem from despair or loneliness but is the zenith of union and a detachment from self to connect with God. Mowlana never speaks of existential loneliness (tanhāʾī), but always of the soul's separation (judāʾī) and alienation (ghurbat) from its origin; a separation whose ultimate purpose is reunion (waṣl). Thus, this 'cry,' 'unconsciousness,' and 'giving of the soul' do not signify helplessness, but rather represent the pinnacle of the soul's flight and liberation from attachments. Just as in samāʿ (spiritual audition), the fervor and ecstasy drive the mystic to dance and self-forgetfulness, the 'cry' here can also be an inner samāʿ resounding from the soul, tearing through the veils of heedlessness.

Key takeaways

• The Intensity of Divine Manifestation: The seeker sometimes reaches such a degree of light and presence in mystical experience that they cannot bear it and become self-oblivious.
• Giving up the soul (jān dadan) here signifies annihilation (fanāʾ) and effacement in the Divine Essence, not physical death.
• This experience is of the nature of muḥw (effacement); the self disappears for union to be achieved.
• This self-forgetfulness (bī-khudī) does not stem from separation, but is the pinnacle of union and oneness with the Beloved.
• The 'cry,' 'unconsciousness,' and 'giving of the soul' express the liberation of the spirit from the confines of forms and its joining with the formless.
• This verse emphasizes the Masnavi's promise of union (wuṣūl) and certainty (yaqīn), even if its path leads through annihilation.