M6:239 — او مهذب گشته بود و آمده / کبر را و نفس را گردن زده

Translation: He had become refined and arrived, Having beheaded (subdued) his ego and lower self. Meaning: This verse describes a perfected human being who, through spiritual purification and a decisive struggle against pride and the lower self, has attained a high station of spiritual evolution.

This verse paints a portrait of the perfected and purified human being who has attained an elevated station. How? Mowlana here uses a strikingly decisive idiom: 'Having beheaded his ego and lower self.' This is a symbol, a symbol of the definitive annihilation of pride (kibr) and the rebellious lower self (nafs), not merely their control or taming. Undoubtedly, until one eliminates the self and self-centeredness, one will not reach this stage of refinement and purity.

As you well know, human beings suffer from four fundamental anxieties: the anxiety of death, loneliness, meaninglessness, and responsibility/freedom. Mowlana beautifully explains how man flees from his 'existence' (hasti), from this 'selfhood' (khodi) that is the source of responsibility and the hell of conscious, willed thought and remembrance. He flees from the 'self' to escape awareness and consciousness for a moment, so as not to carry this heavy burden. How does he flee? Either through 'intoxication' (masti) – wine-drinking, or mind-numbing samāʿ – or through 'busyness' (shoghl), excessive work that distracts him from himself. In Mowlana's words, 'The entire world, from its free will and selfhood / Flees into its own intoxicated head.' These are the paths ordinary people choose to escape the 'prison' of their responsible existence. This is a flight from 'selfhood' to 'no-selfhood' (bī-khodi), but not the true bī-khodi that results from annihilation, rather a false bī-khodi that comes through heedlessness and self-distraction.

However, the path described in this verse is entirely different. This path is not one of flight, but of confrontation and struggle. The one who 'had become refined and arrived' is someone who has found the real solution. He has not sought refuge in intoxication nor in a multitude of occupations. Rather, he has 'beheaded' his nafs and kibr. This signifies 'dying before dying' – meaning, voluntarily killing and annihilating the self that is a source of anxiety and a prison, in order to be liberated from its fetters. This is Mowlana's characteristic 'light-souledness' (sabuk-rūḥī), which I have always emphasized. When a person diminishes their desires and self-centeredness, and liberates themselves from the dominion of pride and the lower self, the circle of their choices and responsibilities also shrinks, and consequently, the burden of anxiety arising from freedom is lifted. This is the path of 'contentment' (qanāʿat) and 'simple living' (sādeh-zīstī) that Mowlana and true mystics advocate; a path in which one reduces one's power to reduce the anxiety of responsibility stemming from it. This way, unlike temporary and false escapes, leads to lasting happiness and true 'no-selfhood'.

Key takeaways

• "Becoming refined" implies the complete purification of the soul from pride and the commanding self, not mere control.
• The taming of the nafs and ego is the true path to liberation from fundamental human anxieties (death, loneliness, meaninglessness, responsibility).
• Mowlana contrasts the path described in this verse with false escapes from the self (such as intoxication or futile busyness).
• This internal struggle leads to genuine 'light-souledness' and 'no-selfhood,' achievable through 'dying before dying.'
• By reducing desires and self-centeredness, the burden of responsibility and the anxiety arising from freedom and choice are also diminished.
• "Contentment" and "simple living" are crucial tools on this path of purification and liberation.