M6:402 — قسمت حقست مه را روی نغز / دادهٔ بختست گل را بوی نغز

Translation: The pleasing face for the moon is God's allotment; the pleasing scent for the rose is the gift of fortune. Meaning: This verse expresses a deterministic perspective, suggesting that beauty and desirable qualities are divine gifts or predestined fortunes, unrelated to individual effort.

This verse is situated within the ancient and intricate debate of determinism (jabr) and free will (ikhtiyār) in the Masnavi, a debate to which Mowlana returns repeatedly, seeking to lessen the burden of jabr and amplify the weight of ikhtiyār. Here, the words are uttered by amirs (princes or nobles) who are defending their position against the Sultan. In explaining Ayaz’s sagacity and insight, they emphasize that these qualities are not the product of his own effort and diligence (ijtihād), but rather a manifestation of 'divine favor' (ʿenāyat-i elāhi) and a 'gift of fortune' (dādeh-ye bakht).

By invoking this verse, they draw parallels from the natural world to substantiate their claim: just as the moon possesses a beautiful and captivating face, and this beauty is 'God's allotment' (qismat-i ḥaqq); and just as the rose possesses a pleasing and fragrant scent, and this fragrance is a 'gift of fortune' (dādeh-ye bakht); so too is Ayaz’s cleverness a boon bestowed upon him by God and destiny, rather than arising from his personal endeavors. This is a viewpoint rooted in deterministic perspectives, emphasizing the role of predestination and primordial grace over human striving and action.

However, immediately following this assertion, the Sultan counters this deterministic argument. In the subsequent verse, he states: “The Sultan said: Rather, whatever springs from the soul / is either the fruit of neglect or the income of striving.” This means that every action originating from the human self is either the 'yield of shortcoming' (riʿ-i taqsīr)—a result of negligence and heedlessness—or the 'income of effort' (dakhl-i ijtihād)—the fruit of diligence and striving. To bolster his stance, the Sultan refers to the story of Adam’s repentance, asking: “Otherwise, would Adam ever have said to God, / 'Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves'?” If everything were determined, why would Adam have called himself a wrongdoer? Rather, he would have said: “He himself would have said: This sin was from fate; / Since this was the decree, what avail was our prudence?”

Thus, this verse, in essence, presents a deterministic stance that Mowlana introduces to depict an intellectual struggle. Mowlana himself, although acknowledging the grandeur and power of divine decree in his works, consistently underscores the importance of human 'effort' (jāhd), 'free will' (ikhtiyār), and 'responsibility' (mas'ūliyat). This perpetual tension between jabr and ikhtiyār is one of the central philosophical axes of the Masnavi, brilliantly showcased in this section.

Key takeaways

• This verse articulates the deterministic stance of the amirs in the debate on predestination and free will.
• The beauty of the moon and the fragrance of the rose are presented as innate, unearned gifts of destiny.
• This perspective emphasizes the role of fate and divine favor, rather than human effort.
• Mowlana presents this view only to then challenge it through the Sultan's response, asserting human agency.
• The tension between determinism and free will is a perennial and central theme in the Masnavi.