M6:1332 — سیلیش اندر برم در معرکه / زانک لا تلقوا بایدی تهلکه

Translation: I must slap him here in this fray, For (He said) 'do not cast yourselves into destruction by your own hands'. Meaning: This verse recounts the justification of a contemplative Sufi who rationalizes his urge to slap another Sufi by citing a Quranic injunction against casting oneself into destruction.

Mowlana, within this seemingly simple couplet and its accompanying anecdote, unveils one of his deepest and most fundamental principles of hermeneutics and theology. The Sufi in the story, gripped by the urge to slap another, justifies his internal impulse by citing the Quranic verse, "And do not cast yourselves into destruction by your own hands" (Q 2:195). He argues, in essence, that if he were to suppress this urge and not act upon it, he would fall into a state of spiritual malaise or tahluka (destruction); thus, to escape this 'destruction,' he must act.

However, Mowlana, in the subsequent unfolding of the narrative, uncovers a far greater truth. He demonstrates that the meaning of tahluka in this verse is not a fixed and universal concept for all human beings. Tahluka is relative to each person's spiritual state and station. It is here that Mowlana, through an allegorical tale of Hamza (whose historical veracity is not the point), elucidates this profound insight.

Mowlana recounts that Hamza, in his youth, who perceived death as tahluka, would go to battle clad in armor. Yet, when he grew old and his spiritual state transformed, death for him became not tahluka, but fath-i bāb (an opening to another realm). In this altered state, Hamza would enter the battlefield without armor. Mowlana posits: "He whose soul views death as tahluka / Will grasp the prohibition of 'do not cast yourselves.'" That is, for one who sees death as destruction and annihilation, the verse la tulqu is addressed to him, urging caution against death. But for one "whose death became fath-i bāb," that verse no longer addresses him. Instead, another verse is his addressee: "Sāriʿū comes to him in address" – meaning, "Hasten towards forgiveness from your Lord" (Q 3:133).

This is a radical theology, radical in the sense of going to the roots. Mowlana teaches that religious utterances, encompassing both the Quran and tradition, do not have uniform addressees. Different verses, depending on the hāl (spiritual state) and maqām (spiritual station) of individuals, address them accordingly. Not every verse is addressed to everyone. To the one still bound by the world and its pleasures, who sees death as the end of all things, the injunction la tulqu is addressed, urging him not to endanger himself. But to the one who perceives the world as a prison and death as liberation and union, the injunction sāriʿū is addressed, urging him to hasten with eagerness towards the divine encounter. This distinction in the perception of death utterly transforms the meaning of tahluka and reveals that the apparent, literal meaning of verses is merely one layer of religion's multi-layered reality.

Key takeaways

• The meaning of 'destruction' (tahluka) in the Quran is not fixed and absolute; it varies according to each individual's spiritual state.
• Mowlana teaches an audience-centric theology, where Quranic verses address individuals based on their spiritual station and inner condition (hāl).
• For one who perceives death as an 'opening to a new door' (fath-i bāb), the very path that constitutes 'destruction' for another becomes a path to salvation.
• This insight reveals that a superficial understanding of verses captures only one dimension of their profound truth.
• Inner intention and spiritual disposition play a pivotal role in the correct apprehension and application of religious teachings.