M6:1078 — که مرا از بندگیت آزادیست / بی‌تو بر من محنت و بیدادیست

Translation: For in my servitude to You, there is my freedom; without You, anguish and tyranny befall me. Meaning: To be Your servant and companion is my true liberation, for without You, I am afflicted by sorrow and injustice, and my being becomes meaningless.

This verse is spoken by Abu Bakr the Righteous, in a loving response to the Prophet's gentle reproach in the story of Bilal. Abu Bakr asks why he should free Bilal in the Prophet's name when he himself desires no freedom from the Prophet's service.

Bandagi (servitude) here does not imply slavery or abjection, but rather connection and devotion. This servitude is freedom itself; this bond is liberation. True freedom is for a person to be authentically themselves—not under the oppression of a tyrannical power, not deceived by cunning schemes, nor brainwashed. Rather, it is to be free to exist in a condition that fosters growth and allows one to become more oneself; not to stagnate or remain idle. If one attains such growth and flourishing in the companionship of a superior being, why would one ever seek freedom from them? One should rather say: I am your servant for life; take me under your wing, nurture me, and help me become more myself. This is what the poet means: Dwell in my eyes, O you who are more myself than I am.

Hāfez, too, expressed this understanding of freedom in servitude when he declared: May Hāfez never be free from those curling locks / For those bound by your snare are the truly saved. They are bound, yet they are free; they are your slaves, yet they are liberated. This is the very servitude of love that draws lovers closer to their Beloved, who is superior to them. Call it servitude, worship, devotion, or love—whatever its name, when its essence is growth and transcendence, it is desirable, indeed there is nothing superior to it.

The second half of the verse, without You, anguish and tyranny befall me, conveys that the absence of the Beloved is the most painful anguish and injustice that can be inflicted upon the lover. This is not a complaint against fate or destiny, but an affirmation of an existential truth. This suffering is of the kind of jodāyi (separation), not tanhāyi (loneliness); separation from someone who was present and whose absence is felt, yet whose presence is never forgotten. This differs from the existential loneliness of modern philosophers, where no companion was ever envisioned, and humanity is left in a complete absence of meaning or purpose. For Mowlana, the suffering of being without the Beloved is a green sorrow that leads neither to despair nor to lamentation against the world, but rather ignites the longing for return and union.

Although Mowlana attributes these words to Abu Bakr, it is his characteristic style to articulate the secrets of others in the narrative of others. In essence, these are Mowlana's own naqd-i hāl (report of present state), expressing his inner condition through the medium of story and dialogue with the Prophet. In this way, he conveys his deepest insights into the relationship between servant and Beloved, and the true freedom found in the loving servitude.

Key takeaways

• Loving servitude to a higher being is the path to true freedom and self-realization.
• True freedom means growth and becoming a more complete version of oneself, not liberation from all constraints.
• The anguish of separation from the Beloved is the deepest suffering, highlighting the value of union.
• This servitude is an act of free will and a choice that leads to the pursuit of perfection.
• Mowlana articulates his mystical truths through the voices of story characters, considering it his 'report of present state.'