M6:230 — لا نفوذ الا بسلطان الهدی / من تجاویف السموات العلی

Translation: No passage save by the Sultan (power) of Guidance, from the hollows of the lofty heavens. Meaning: One cannot transcend the material and spiritual confines of the cosmos, nor penetrate the deepest realms of the lofty heavens, except through the potent authority of divine guidance.

Mowlana here echoes a Quranic verse from Sura Ar-Rahman (55:33): "O company of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority [sultan]." The Quran issues a challenge to escape the physical confines of the cosmos; Mowlana, however, elevates this 'passage' or 'penetration' (nofuz) from the physical to the spiritual and existential plane.

As I have explained, human beings frequently flee from their own 'awareness' and 'free will'—which they perceive as an 'existence that is a snare' (hasti-ye fakh). They take refuge in 'intoxication' (masti) and 'busyness' (shoghl) to evade the four fundamental anxieties of existence: death, loneliness, meaninglessness, and the responsibility that accompanies freedom. Humanity attempts to 'forget itself' through these evasions, but Mowlana does not consider this a true solution.

The 'penetration' that Mowlana speaks of here is no longer a flight from existential anxieties, but rather a profound immersion into their very core. This verse indicates that one cannot transcend the apparent boundaries and limitations of the world, nor reach the 'hollows of the lofty heavens' (tājāvif al-samāvāt al-ʿulā)—meaning the deepest and most hidden layers of the elevated spiritual realms and mystical worlds—except through the 'Sultan of Guidance' (Sultān al-Hudā). This 'Sultan' is none other than 'divine power and guidance,' which does not spring from mere physical strength or intellectual prowess, but is a spiritual gift that unlocks the hidden dimensions.

Mowlana's path to overcoming anxieties is to surrender to the realities of life (such as death and suffering), not to flee from them. It also involves a reduction of one's 'self-power' and 'boasting of being' (achieved through contentment and simple living), so that the human soul becomes receptive to the 'Sultan of Guidance.' Only through such purification can one grasp Mowlana's 'subtle psychoanalysis' and, by means of this divine power of guidance, find their way into the true depths of the heavens within their own being and the cosmos.

Key takeaways

• Humanity flees from the anxiety of free will and responsibility into intoxication and obsessive work, but this is not a true solution.
• Mowlana's 'penetration' is not an escape from existence, but a deep immersion into its inner reality.
• The 'Sultan of Guidance' refers to spiritual power and divine direction, not worldly might or mere intellect.
• The 'hollows of the lofty heavens' signify the hidden and profound layers of the spiritual cosmos and inner being.
• The genuine path through anxieties is surrender to reality and the reduction of one's ego-driven 'self-assertion' to receive divine guidance.