M1:3766 — راز بگشا ای علی مرتضی / ای پس سؤ القضا حسن القضا

Translation: O ʿAlī, the Chosen One, unveil the secret; O you who transform ill fate into good fate. Meaning: This verse is a heartfelt plea from Mowlana, addressed to Imam ʿAlī, asking him to reveal his inner mysteries and praising him as the one capable of turning adverse destinies into propitious outcomes.

As I commenced these lectures, on the auspicious birth anniversary of Imam ʿAlī, I chose to open the Masnavi with a verse in his honor, aiming to consecrate the discourse and sweeten the hearts of the listeners. These lines are narrated within the famous tale of ʿAlī's battle with ʿAmr ibn ʿAbd Wudd, ostensibly spoken by the pagan warrior. However, it is beyond doubt that these are not the words of the ignorant ʿAmr; rather, they emanate from Mowlana's own pure and profound consciousness. Here, Mowlana expresses his complete understanding and profound love for ʿAlī, the Chosen One.

It is at the moment when the warrior spits on ʿAlī, and ʿAlī, swallowing his wrath, rises from him to slay him with the sword of forbearance – not with an iron blade – that Mowlana, speaking through this warrior, utters: "O ʿAlī, the Chosen One, unveil the secret; O you who transform ill fate into good fate.". These are not the words of a polytheist, but the عارفانه murmurings of Mowlana himself. He sees himself as a mirror, receiving and reflecting the light of ʿAlī's sun-like personality.

"Unveil the secret" is both an address and a plea for ʿAlī to reveal his essential being, the secret of that ḥilm (forbearance) and wisdom that distinguishes him from ordinary mortals; the secret of his ability to transcend wrath, the secret of that meaningful silence after insult. This secret is the very essence of his wilāyat (spiritual guardianship) and his spiritual station.

As for "O you who transform ill fate into good fate," this phrase represents the pinnacle of Mowlana's insight into ʿAlī's مقام. Qaḍā refers to decreed destiny; sometimes it is favorable, sometimes adverse. Yet, from Mowlana's perspective, ʿAlī is one who, in the wake of an unfavorable qaḍā, possesses the power to transform it into a propitious one. This does not imply an absolute change in divine destiny, but rather the manifestation of the highest aspect of divine qaḍā through his being; he is that manifestation of God's will which renders the impossible possible and illuminates darkness. In this sense, ʿAlī symbolizes the spiritual force that, through ḥilm and insight, can turn even the bitterest destinies into sweetness and untie the knots along the path of human perfection. This underscores Mowlana's deep faith in the role of perfect human beings in the management of worldly affairs.

Key takeaways

• Mowlana, though attributing the verse to a character, expresses his own profound reverence and gnosis concerning Imam ʿAlī.
• Imam ʿAlī symbolizes the power to transform adverse fate into propitious destiny, achieved through divine forbearance (ḥilm) and spiritual insight.
• The plea to "unveil the secret" is a call for the manifestation of ʿAlī's essential ḥilm and spiritual wilāyat, which transcends wrath and insult.