M6:132 — گفت اگر رویش به شهر و دم به ده / روی او از دم او می‌دان که به

Translation: He said, 'If its head faces the city and its tail faces the village, / Know that its head is superior to its tail.' Meaning: The intrinsic worth of a being or phenomenon is not determined by its inherent form or physical part, but by its orientation and the direction it faces. Human intention and will infuse meaning and hierarchy into phenomena.

Mowlana, through a deceptively simple yet profound story, articulates one of his most fundamental teachings: the primacy of orientation and purpose over inherent form or essence. He recounts the tale of a preacher asked which part of a bird, sitting on a city wall—its head or its tail—is nobler. The preacher's response instantly shifts the criterion of judgment.

The sage's answer is Mowlana's core insight: 'The head, the tail, the face—none of these matter. Look at their direction (جهت). See what they are aligned with.' If the bird's tail faces the city and prosperity, while its head turns towards ruin and the wilderness, then the tail, by virtue of its orientation, is far superior. The worth of any part of existence is contingent upon the direction it takes. This principle unequivocally places intention and alignment above inherent form and essence.

This idea reverberates throughout the Masnavi. Mowlana famously declares: 'The rope has no fault, O stubborn one, if your ambition wasn't to ascend.' The rope itself is neutral; it is your sowdā (ambition or passion) that determines whether it pulls you upwards to the heavens or lowers you into the depths of a well. The Quran, or any sacred text, operates similarly: it is neither inherently good nor bad, but a neutral instrument that acquires meaning and direction based on the sowdā of its reader. If one has an ambition for ascent, one will derive lofty teachings; otherwise, something else entirely. This is why I have often stressed that 'the prerequisite for religion is the ambition for religiosity.' Whatever one seeks from religion, that is what one will find within it—whether it be a pretext for murder or a path to human kindness.

These texts and books are silent entities. They gain zabān (voice) and come alive only when they engage with a human being. We, as humans, are wāhib al-ṣuwar (givers of forms); we imbue formless things with form and lifeless things with life. Nature, too, falls into this category: it can be used to create bombs or medicine, depending entirely on human intention. Therefore, in this act of giving form, we must exercise utmost care and attention towards truth and beauty.

To further cement this meaning, Mowlana offers other illuminating examples: 'A bird flies to its nest with wings; the wings of humans, O people, are himmat (aspiration).' Human aspiration is the very wing of flight. He advises: 'If a lover is steeped in good and evil (i.e., hardships), do not look at these good and evil, but look at their himmat.' Do not observe the sufferings and travails of the lover, but rather their unwavering aspiration in pursuit of the Beloved.

Ultimately, it is the ceiling of one's ideals that determines one's stature. A magnificent falcon that stoops to hunt a mouse, no matter how beautiful or peerless, becomes ḥaqīr (base) and falls from its station. Conversely, an owl whose mayl (inclination) is towards the King (the ultimate truth), meaning it harbors lofty aspirations, is itself a 'chief of falcons,' and one should look to its azm (resolve) and āhang (cadence), not its outward appearance. This is akin to the counsel: 'Seek a fellow pilgrim for the Hajj, whether Turk or Kurd or Arab; do not look at their temperament or color, but look at their resolve and cadence.' It is this azm, āhang, himmat, sowdā, and ārmān (ideal) that define human worth, not their race, color, or outward form.

Key takeaways

• The true value of anything is determined not by its inherent nature or appearance, but by its orientation and ultimate direction.
• Human intention and will imbue neutral phenomena with meaning, validity, and purpose.
• Books, sacred texts, and even nature itself are inert until human will gives them life and voice.
• The soul's flight towards its ideals is powered by the 'wings' of its aspiration (himmat) and ambition (sowdā).
• Mowlana teaches that humans should be judged not by race, class, or outward form, but by their inner resolve and determination.