M6:1368 — گفته شد که هر صناعت‌گر که رست / در صناعت جایگاه نیست جست

Translation: It was said that every artisan who thrived, / in their craft, sought a place of 'is not'. Meaning: Any successful artisan or entrepreneur instinctively seeks out what is absent or non-existent, making this void the very starting point for their creative endeavors.

Mawlana, in this couplet and the subsequent verses, points to a remarkable truth about creation and the dynamism of life—a truth that often eludes our perception. He states that every artisan and every creator, first and foremost, seeks 'non-existence' (nīstī). This assertion might seem paradoxical at first glance, but it is clarified through vivid examples: a builder seeks unbuilt land or a ruined house to reconstruct it; a water-carrier looks for an empty pitcher; a carpenter searches for a house without a door to craft one for it. A hunter lies in wait in the 'ambush of non-existence' ('adam) to seize their prey. It is as if for every 'existence' (hastī) and every 'creation' (ījad), there must first be a 'non-existence' and a 'lack' (faqdān). Craftsmanship and creation are always the product of an effort to alleviate an 'absence' and fill a 'void.' Human generosity, in this sense, requires a beggar to manifest itself.

Here, Mawlana employs a 'subtle ruse' (ḥīle-ye laṭīf). With great skill, he guides us from the tangible, everyday 'non-existences' that we actively pursue in our lives—the lacks that drive our economic, scientific, and artistic endeavors—towards the spiritual 'non-existence' or 'annihilation' ('adam) of the Sufi path. He poses a piercing question: If you are constantly striving to transform 'what is not' into 'what is,' and to hunt from 'non-existence,' then why do you recoil so vehemently when 'non-existence' is spoken of in the context of Sufi fanā (annihilation) and faqr (spiritual poverty)? This is an existential paradox that Mawlana brings to our conscious awareness. Indeed, we have all cast our 'fishing hook of the heart' (shast-e dil) into the 'Sea of Nothingness' (Bahr-e Lā) to capture countless prey. Why, then, do we fear this 'sea of desires' (bahr-e murād), which has bestowed so much upon us? This fundamental question forms the cornerstone for a deeper understanding of the relationship between being and non-being, and crucially, humanity's relationship with annihilation and selflessness.

Key takeaways

• The origin of all craftsmanship and creation is the search for 'non-existence' and 'lack'.
• Human striving for 'having' and 'building' arises from the need to fill 'not-having'.
• Mawlana, through a 'subtle ruse,' connects worldly lacks to Sufi annihilation (fanā).
• The fundamental paradox: we constantly seek non-existence in practice, yet flee it in concept.
• The 'Sea of Nothingness' (Bahr-e Lā) is the boundless source of creation and all 'prey'.