M6:376 — در عدم بودی نرستی از کفش / از کف او چون رهی ای دست‌خوش

Translation: Even in non-existence (ʿadam), you could not escape His grip; / From His hand, how will you escape, O pliable one (dast-khosh)? Meaning: This verse asserts that from the very beginning of creation, whether in the realm of non-being or being, humanity has been entirely under the absolute will of God, leaving no possibility of escape from His dominion.

Mowlana, in this couplet, articulates a profoundly foundational point, almost an essence of his mystical ontology: humanity, in every state and condition, remains within the grasp of divine power. I invoked this idea when explaining the tale of the thief extinguishing the spark of fire – an allegory for fleeting insights or good intentions. There, I argued that our intentions sometimes falter, not from an inherent lack of ability, but because an unseen hand intervenes – be it angelic affirmation, satanic deception, or an overpowering divine force. This intervention, this qahr-i qahhārī (overpowering wrath/force), demonstrates that we are not abandoned to ourselves.

This divine or cosmic intervention began even before our existence. Mowlana asks, "Dar ʿadam būdī narastī az kafash," meaning, O human, even in that phase where you literally 'were not,' in the realm of non-existence (ʿadam), you were already a captive in His hand. It was He who drew you from non-being into existence. What escape could you possibly have had from that hand then? Now that you have appeared in the world of being, clothed in body and soul, and have become 'dast-khosh' – pliable, subject to His will, like dough kneaded by a baker – how can you possibly escape from this grasp? The implied answer is, unequivocally, 'you cannot.'

This perspective, in a sense, critiques all forms of human hubris and arrogance. When humans try to override divine destiny with their own will, or even to wage war against it, Mowlana, in an assertive tone, asks: Are you stronger than Nimrod or the Mongols? Nimrod, who in his delusion, shot arrows at the sky to kill God. Or the Mongols, who, during the death throes of their loved ones, shot arrows skyward to repel the Angel of Death. These are all manifestations of a futile struggle against a force far greater than oneself. Mowlana states that this overpowering force is upon us, and we have no choice but surrender and acceptance.

This thought deeply resonates with Buddhist and Sufi teachings of 'detachment' (bī-tavaqqoʿī) and 'freedom from desires' (bī-ārezūʾī). Immediately following this couplet, Mowlana says, "Ārezū justan bovad bogrīkhtan / pīsh-i ʿadlash khūn-i taqvā rīkhtan" (To seek desires is to flee; before His justice, it is to shed the blood of piety). And then: "īn jahān dām ast va dāna-sh ārezū" (This world is a trap, and its bait is desire). This world, with all its attachments, is a snare, and its lure is our own desires. If we wish to escape this trap, we must set aside our desires. The true Sufi, he says, is one who 'was not,' meaning they have no desires, they perceive themselves as nothingness. This is the very liberation and openness that lightens the soul and enables it to soar. As long as the threads of attachments and desires bind us, we cannot escape the grip of that 'overpowering hand.' True freedom lies in relinquishing desires, not in contending with the eternal divine will.

Key takeaways

• Humanity, in both non-existence and existence, is perpetually within the grasp of Divine will and power.
• Our actions are not solely the result of our independent will; unseen forces are always at play.
• Any attempt to escape or contend with Divine power is futile and a sign of human arrogance.
• True freedom lies in surrender to Divine destiny and in detachment from worldly desires and attachments.
• The world is a trap whose bait is our desires; liberation from the trap comes through abandoning desires.