M6:1822 — حال رفت و ماند جزوت یادگار / یا ازو واپرس یا خود یاد آر

Translation: The (blessed) state has passed, yet a part of it remained as your keepsake. Either inquire about it, or recall it yourself. Meaning: This verse encourages us, when moments of joy and grace have departed, not to fall into despair. Instead, one should actively seek out or recall the enduring remnants and sweet memories of those times to rekindle hope and vitality.

In my view, Mowlana, in this verse, offers a profound and unparalleled strategy for confronting grief and despair. He declares: "The (blessed) state has passed, yet a part of it remained as your keepsake." This 'state' (hāl), as Mowlana refers to it, encompasses those deep experiences, spiritual bounties, and even material blessings that, in their time, brought us joy and delight. Yet, in the very nature of temporal existence, such joyous states inevitably recede, giving way to the dust of sorrow.

However, Mowlana's crucial point is that one must not assume that with the departure of the hāl, all is lost. No, "a part of it remained as your keepsake"; that is, a fragment, a trace, a memory, or a blessing from that joyous state endures. This 'part' (juzv), as we observed in the preceding analogies of the Mathnawi (ice from winter, fruit from summer), serves as a reminder of a greater grace and a more fundamental truth. Just as fruit in winter, with every bite, recounts the "tale of God's favor," the "smiles of the sun," and the "lovemaking of light with leaf," so too does a past hāl.

I have often stated that if Mowlana had been aware of the phenomenon of photosynthesis, what wonders he would have uttered! That profound lovemaking of sunlight with green leaves, where photons not only touch but permeate and transform into the sweetness of sugar, itself testifies to these "smiles of the sun." These are moments of nature's impregnation by divine light, whose fruit is harvested in winter. Thus, the sorrow of the present cannot, and should not, deny that prior record of divine bounty.

Mowlana continues: "Either inquire about it, or recall it yourself." This is a conscious and astute choice. Mowlana does not expect humans to be passive in the face of grief; rather, he advises an active pursuit of that keepsake. To "inquire" (vā-pors) means to ask, to search. From whom does one ask? Perhaps from others who remember that good state, or from the very signs of the remaining blessing. And if there is no one to ask, then "recall it yourself" (khud yād ār); that is, with the aid of memory and introspection, revive those past memories and blessings. This is precisely what a "shrewd" (chust) and discerning individual does when submerged in grief: instead of surrendering to "despair-inducing whispers" (vasvaseh-hā-ye nā-omīd-kon), they look to the "precedents" (sābeqeh-hā) and "regular stipends of divine blessings" (rātebeh-ye an'ām-hā). In this way, the "grief that denies the present state" (ghamm-e monker-e hāl), which seeks to erase past joys from our sight, fails to take hold, and one can escape the snare of despair. This is a profound practical and philosophical lesson in spiritual psychology.

Key takeaways

• Joys and blessings are fleeting, but their traces and keepsakes endure.
• In times of grief and despair, one must actively seek out the remnants of past good states.
• Mowlana emphasizes 'recalling' as a strategy to break free from despair-inducing whispers.
• Referring to 'regular stipends of divine blessings' (rātebeh-ye an'ām-hā) prevents the denial of past boons.
• This verse is an invitation to spiritual sagacity, urging individuals to rekindle hope by remembering past felicities.