M1:1479 — اختیار و جبر در تو بد خیال / چون دریشان رفت شد نور جلال

Translation: Free will and determinism are but a vain fancy for you; but when they entered into them [the mystics], they became the Light of Glory. Meaning: This verse suggests that for ordinary individuals, the concepts of free will and determinism remain a bewildering illusion. Yet, for those who have traversed the mystical path, this very dilemma transforms into a radiant truth—the Light of Divine Glory—through direct spiritual experience.

The age-old enigma of free will and determinism, in Mawlana's profound view, is not a problem to be resolved by the analytical intellect or logical discourse. This verse, with its subtle and deeply mystical language, offers Mawlana's ultimate solution.

I have pondered this matter for many years, and I remain convinced that this knot is not of the kind that can be untied by the philosophical and logical grasp. As Mawlana himself states: "Between the determinist and the free-will advocate / The debate continues till Resurrection, O father." It is as if this discussion will persist eternally, a stance remarkably Kantian. Kant, too, spoke of the four antinomies of pure reason, which human intellect cannot resolve, and free will versus determinism was one of them. Mawlana, four centuries before Kant, arrived at the same conclusion through intuitive insight: reason reaches an impasse in this domain.

Mawlana's famous dictum is: "That which resolves the debate is Love, and nothing else / For it becomes the succor beyond all discourse." This means the key to this enigma lies not in the realm of argumentation and intellectual contention, but in the sphere of lived experience, of ardent love (ʿishq) and gnostic (irfanic) insight. This is an existential problem, not merely an intellectual or theoretical one.

The verse declares: "Free will and determinism are but a vain fancy for you." This means that for you, O uninitiated seeker or O human entangled in mental rationalizations, these two concepts are merely a "bad fancy"—a perplexing illusion, a mental entanglement with no end. On the level of your perception, they are nothing but a plaything for the mind, drowning one in the fruitless whirlpool of debate.

However, this verse then opens up a new horizon: "but when they entered into them [the mystics], they became the Light of Glory." "Them" refers to the mystics, the saints, and those endowed with direct, experiential knowledge. When this issue transcends the level of "fancy" and "debate" and takes root in the very core of these men of truth, it is no longer an illusion, no longer confusion. Instead, it transforms into the "Light of Glory." "Light of Glory" signifies a manifestation of divine majesty and splendor that becomes evident in their being. This experience is so comprehensive and all-encompassing that it resolves every duality and conflict between free will and determinism. In that station, this duality vanishes, and a higher unity manifests itself. Mawlana, in another verse alluding to this meaning, says: "Their free will and determinism are otherwise / Drops become pearls in shells." These drops of water (representing free will and determinism on the level of fancy) transform into pearls within the shell of the mystic's being. Their very essence changes; they elevate from the level of contradictory concepts to that of a sublime and unified truth. This is neither determinism nor free will in the conventional sense, but rather something absorbed into the divine light, becoming an aspect of absolute unity.

Therefore, Mawlana does not suggest that this problem should be solved through intellect; rather, he asserts that it is fundamentally insoluble at the level of reason. The lock can only be opened by love and gnosis, where the Light of Divine Glory dispels every fancy and ambiguity, drawing them into its own unity.

Key takeaways

• The enigma of free will and determinism cannot be solved by intellect or philosophical debate.
• Mawlana, four centuries before Kant, identified this problem as an 'antinomy' of reason.
• The key to unlocking this knot is 'Love' (ʿishq) and 'mystical experience' (irfan), not logic.
• For ordinary people, free will and determinism are merely a 'vain fancy' and mental confusion.
• For mystics, this duality transforms into the 'Light of Divine Glory' through direct, experiential realization.
• At the mystical station, free will and determinism transcend into a higher unity, and their duality dissolves.