M6:3860 — ور گریزم من روم سوی زنان / هم‌چو یوسف افتم اندر افتتان

Translation: And if I flee and go towards women, Like Joseph, I shall fall into temptation (eftitān).

Meaning: Spoken by a beardless youth, this verse expresses his profound despair and vulnerability, indicating that even by avoiding lustful men and seeking refuge with women, he, like Joseph, will inevitably fall into the snare of temptation and strife.

This verse emerges from a dialogue between a ruffian (lowṭī) and a beardless youth (amrad) who is lamenting his travails and insecurity in the society of his time. It speaks of a young man surrounded by the impure and lustful gazes of men, finding no sanctuary. In the depths of his desperation, he portrays his predicament: he has no recourse from men, and if he were to flee this predicament and seek refuge among women, his situation would only worsen, as he would encounter a temptation of a different kind.

The simile to Joseph (pbuh) in this verse is, without a doubt, profoundly significant and loaded with meaning. The Joseph of the Quran stands as a sublime example of one who faced an immense temptation – the allure of Zulaikha and the women of Egypt – and, by steadfastly upholding his chastity, was cast into prison. However, this young amrad, by invoking Joseph's story, predicts that he, too, among women, will be ensnared by a similar, if not worse, temptation. This temptation might arise from his own desire for women, or from women's desire for him, or a combination of both. The outcome of this iftitān, as he himself puts it, is to be 'distributed onto fifty gallows' (توزیع بر پنجاه دار); that is, to be torn into pieces and crucified, symbolizing absolute disgrace and destruction. Through this simile, he conveys the intensity and breadth of the calamity and its dire consequences.

Mowlana, who consistently emphasizes a transcendent and love-infused worldview, reveals in this section of the Masnavi a side that is not indifferent to social corruption. The youth's complaint is, in fact, Mowlana's direct and unvarnished critique of the 'corrupt culture of the era' (farhang-e fāsed-e zamāneh). Even within this very conversation, he points to the corruption within khanqahs – which ought to be places of purity – referring to them as 'bachelor houses' (azab-khāneh) where even young people find no safety. This demonstrates that Mowlana, despite his focus on the spiritual and existential dimensions of humanity, does not avert his gaze from bitter realities and social harms, portraying them with courage. This verse paints a picture of humanity's existential and moral homelessness in a world full of temptations, from which no escape is conceived.

Key takeaways

• Mowlana, in this verse, narrates human vulnerability to social and moral temptations (fitnah).
• The Josephic simile highlights the intensity and pervasiveness of temptation; even the virtuous are at risk.
• This verse serves as Mowlana's explicit critique of cultural corruption and the lack of sanctuary in his contemporary society, including within khanqahs.
• The verse reflects the zenith of despair and the absence of any safe haven against the onslaught of desires.