M1:235 — گر نبودی کارش الهامِ اِله / او سگی بودی دراننده نه شاه

Translation: Were his deed not a divine inspiration, / He would be a tearing dog, not a king. Meaning: This verse explains that actions of mystics, which may outwardly appear harsh, are acts of wisdom and mercy if they stem from divine inspiration; otherwise, they would be deemed cruel.

This verse from the Masnavi eloquently invokes the profound and often counter-intuitive narrative of Khidr and Moses. As narrated in the Quran, Khidr’s actions—be it the scuttling of a ship or the slaying of a youth—appeared, to an external observer, to be destructive or cruel. Yet, Mowlana, drawing upon the Quranic metaphor of zabad (foam) that represents falsehood and impurity, teaches us that the outward appearance of deeds, particularly those of mystics and divine friends, can be deeply deceptive.

I have consistently emphasized that the purpose of the world’s trials is to separate truth from dross: بهره آن است امتحان نیک و بد / تا بجوشد بر سر آرد زر زبد (The purpose of the trial of good and bad / Is for the dross to boil up and the gold to rise). Here, Mowlana asserts that if Khidr’s act – which to Moses’s eyes was an act of destruction – had not been الهامِ اِله (divine inspiration), he would indeed be likened to a سگی دراننده (a tearing dog), rather than a discerning شاه (king). A king in this context symbolizes one who acts with divine wisdom and insight, even if the action itself appears harsh or unpleasant. Indeed, as I noted, Khidr “did a good deed, but a good deed whose appearance was bad, but its essence was good and moral.”

Just as Khidr, in essence, “repaired the ship, not ruined it,” to save it from a tyrannical king, so too must we view many of the actions of saints from the vantage point of divine wisdom. The central point is that superficial judgment, even by a prophet like Moses, can obscure the truth. Mowlana warns us: وهم موسی با همه نور و هنر / شد از آن محجوب، تو بی پر مپر (Moses’s perception, with all its light and skill / Became veiled by it; do not you fly without wings). If Moses, with all his understanding and acumen, remained veiled from this secret and protested, then we, who are but مرغ پرنارسته (fledgling birds), must exercise the utmost caution in our judgments. Rash protest will only make us طعمه هر گربه دران (prey for any tearing cat).

Mowlana’s overarching message here is: if you fail to comprehend something, do not dismiss it as false; rather, acknowledge that it may contain a hidden wisdom beyond your current grasp. This verse is an invitation to epistemic humility and to a deeper contemplation of actions that flow from the wellsprings of divine inspiration and revelation; a contemplation that moves beyond harsh and unappealing appearances to discern their inherent goodness and mercy.

Key takeaways

• The outward appearance of mystics' actions can be deceptive; one must look to their divinely inspired essence.
• An act that, without inspiration, is malice and savagery, becomes wisdom and sovereignty with divine guidance.
• The story of Khidr and Moses serves as a prime example of superficial judgment versus divine insight.
• Mowlana calls the reader to epistemic humility and to refrain from hasty judgments.
• True understanding requires flying with the wings of spiritual maturity, not attempting to soar without them.
• This verse emphasizes that truth and falsehood, like gold and dross, are separated in the 'trial of good and bad'.