M6:1777 — هر که شاگردیش کرد استاد شد / تو سپس‌تر رفته‌ای ای کور لد

Translation: Whoever apprenticed, became a master at last; But you, O blind wretch, have gone further back.

Meaning: This verse is a sharp reproach to an individual who, despite years of effort and ample opportunities for spiritual growth, has not only failed to progress but has regressed on their path. It likens such a person to a seeker who, despite extensive engagement with truth, remains uninitiated and far from genuine understanding.

This couplet appears amidst the sagacious counsels of the Masnavi, where Mowlana, in a tone of reproach, addresses a seeker who, despite years spent on the spiritual path, has regressed instead of advancing. I extend this not only to the Sufis of Mowlana's time but to anyone who perceives themselves to be on the path of knowledge and inner truth.

Mowlana labels this addressee as a 'qadīd'—dried, aged meat. Despite having 'boiled' (basking in effort and striving) for long years in this protracted era, he has not even become 'tork-joosh'—a type of half-cooked, raw meat. This metaphor implies that the individual's inner state remains entirely uncooked and untransformed. Many appear to be on the spiritual path, yet their inner essence retains the same rawness as on day one.

Mowlana laments that this disillusioned seeker has 'seen a lifetime of justice and judgment,' meaning they have observed the injustices and evident truths of this world, yet failed to draw lessons from them. Consequently, 'you are more unskilled than the unseen'—meaning you are rawer and more uninitiated than those who have no experience or knowledge at all. 'Nāshī' here signifies inexperienced and newly emergent.

The sting of Mowlana's words intensifies as he sarcastically states: 'Whoever apprenticed, became a master at last.' This is a universal principle: anyone who sincerely and diligently apprentices themselves to time and masters will eventually attain mastery. Yet, this specific addressee, contrary to this rule, 'has gone further back, O koor-i lad.' This means they have not only failed to advance but have retrogressed. The term 'koor-i lad,' which Mowlana uses for rhyme, is deeply cutting; 'lad' in Arabic means 'enemies,' and here it can be interpreted as 'O enemy of truth' or 'O blind-hearted.' This is the pinnacle of admonishment: that the individual, instead of drawing closer to truth, has distanced themselves from it.

Mowlana's counsel doesn't end with this verse; he immediately adds that this individual 'received no wisdom from your parents / nor any lesson from night and day.' This criticizes profound heedlessness and inattention to both overt and subtle signs. It’s a profound critique of neglecting both ancestral wisdom and the rhythmic teachings embedded in the cycles of existence.

He then recounts an anecdote from Manāqib al-ʿĀrifīn that serves as an explanatory commentary on this very verse: 'A sage asked that old monk / Are you, master, older or your beard?' Mowlana, during a journey to Konya, encounters an old monk and asks him whether he or his beard is older. The monk replies that he was born twenty years before his beard. Mowlana then states: Your beard, which sprouted after you, turned white and reached its full maturity, yet you remain in darkness, corruption, and rawness. He who was born after you has surpassed you, but 'your ugly disposition has not changed, nor become beautiful.' This comparison illustrates how the external can grow and mature while the internal remains stuck in its original rawness.

Addressing this type of seeker, he says: 'You are still sour buttermilk in a mine / You have not become pure butter from it.' Or, 'You are both raw dough and an earthen mold / Even though you have spent a lifetime in the furnace.' These are unparalleled expressions; you are still raw, kneaded dough, even though you have spent ages in the 'furnace of time' and the 'furnace of events,' yet you remain uncooked. This signifies that the mere passage of time and exposure to trials do not, in themselves, bring about maturity and transformation; true transformation requires inner will and insight. Just as the 'people of Moses,' though they wandered for 'forty years in the burning desert' and 'rushed' every day, made no progress because they had not cast out 'the love of that calf' from their hearts. As long as attachment to the golden calf (i.e., worldly attachments) remains in the heart, there will be no movement towards the true destination. This seeker, in Mowlana's words, is 'ox-natured,' having driven away 'vast blessings' (God's immense bounties) from their heart due to their love for this calf.

Key takeaways

• Mere passage of time and outward effort, without inner transformation, does not lead to spiritual progress; it can even cause regression.
• Mowlana attributes this stagnation to the 'rawness of the heart' and internal immaturity, despite being exposed to the 'furnace of time.'
• Attachment to the 'Golden Calf' (i.e., worldly and material attachments) is the primary obstacle to spiritual growth and movement towards truth.
• Failure to learn from history, the experiences of ancestors, and the signs in day and night is a core reason for remaining in rawness and heedlessness.
• Mowlana asserts that true apprenticeship inevitably leads to mastery; if this doesn't happen, it indicates a fundamental flaw in the seeker's approach.
• The role of 'blind-heartedness' (koor-i lad) in failing to perceive truths, even after years of experience, is a key point in this verse.