M6:4295 — چون ز دکان و مکاس و قیل و قال / در فریب مردمت ناید ملال

Translation: How is it that from shops, dealings, and clamor, In deceiving people, weariness never comes to you?

Meaning: Mowlana, through a rhetorical question, challenges those who claim boredom from spiritual truths, asking why they never tire of worldly deceptions and trivial pursuits.

This beyt holds particular significance as Mowlana engages in a direct and profound dialogue with his audience. Here, with a critical yet illuminating tone, he questions the listener who claims to be weary and bored by the repetition of spiritual truths. Mowlana's response to this complaint of malāl (boredom or weariness) itself constitutes a comprehensive theory in mystical anthropology and epistemology.

I have often emphasized that malāl is a sign of stagnation and oldness. It is stagnant water that gathers dust, not flowing water. If a person constantly renews himself ('نو شود'), he will also perceive the world as new ('نو می‌بیند') and will never suffer from malāl. This 'self-renewal' in Mowlana's school of thought is not a superficial refurbishment, but a fundamental transformation—a state of perpetual spiritual renewal where one finds oneself freshly discovered and freshly understood at every moment. Even Paradise, as the Quran states, is never boring: 'They seek no change from it' (lā yabghūna ʿanhā hawlan), and this is because of the perfection within that environment, which manifests a fresh aspect every moment.

But Mowlana asks: 'How is it that from shops, dealings, and clamor / In deceiving people, weariness never comes to you?' That is, O you who grow weary of truth, how is it that you never tire of going to the market, of deceitful haggling (makās), of meaningless clamor (qīl o qāl), and of deceiving people? How is it that backbiting, idle chatter, and coquetry for base purposes never bring weariness to your heart, but rather you even find pleasure in them? This is a profound taunt Mowlana directs at the state of most people.

What is the secret behind this? Mowlana explains: weariness from truths is not due to the truths themselves being old, but due to 'lack of hunger' (bī-jūʿī) and 'spiritual indigestion' (tukhma, a spiritual satiety from trivialities). A satiated person finds every food stale. But a hunger that constantly renews itself makes even barley bread palatable. In Mowlana's words, 'A new hunger comes to you from illness / Which burns away indigestion and weariness.' This fresh hunger is what re-creates pleasure. If you are hungry for truth, you can read the Masnavi not once, but a thousand times, and it will still be fresh and delightful to you. But if you are satiated and your heart is bogged down by trivialities, even the loftiest words will not resonate and will appear boring.

Thus, this beyt is not merely a reproof, but an invitation to self-reflection. An invitation to rediscover the genuine 'hunger' (jūʿ) for truth, so that one can perceive new and fresh manifestations in the world and within oneself at every moment, and never grow weary of anything, not even of Truth itself.

Key takeaways

• Boredom or weariness from truths is a sign of 'lack of hunger' (bī-jūʿī) and 'spiritual indigestion' (tukhma), not the oldness of truth itself.
• If a person constantly 'renews' themselves, they perceive the world as 'new' and never grow weary of anything.
• Worldly deception and idle pursuits, despite their repetition, do not bore those engaged in them; this itself warrants deep reflection.
• Mowlana invites the listener to self-reflection: the problem lies within, not in the divine word.
• Genuine hunger (jūʿ) is the source of pleasure and the constant renewal of perception.