M6:2357 — جاهدوا فینا بگفت آن شهریار / جاهدوا عنا نگفت ای بی‌قرار

Translation: The Sovereign (God) said, "Strive in Us" (jāhidū fīnā), He did not say, "Strive away from Us" (jāhidū ʿannā), O restless one. Meaning: God commands that our efforts should lead us closer to Him, not that we should, through misguided endeavors or wrong paths, distance ourselves from our ultimate destination.

I have often said that Mawlana urges us to be an ear, not a tongue, and to learn to swim in his sea of knowledge, not to parse its grammar. This verse stands precisely in that vein, offering a fundamental critique of efforts that distance humanity from its true destination. The Sovereign, who is God Himself, said: "Strive in Us" (jāhidū fīnā), meaning "exert yourselves in Our path" or "attend to Us." But He did not say, "Strive away from Us" (jāhidū ʿannā), meaning "turn away from Us while striving" or "neglect Us by striving." The difference between fīnā and ʿannā is precisely analogous to the distinction in Persian between pardākhtan be (to attend to) and pardākhtan az (to turn away from). To attend to something means to engage with it and turn towards it; to turn away from something means to set it aside and distance oneself. Thus, the mere act of striving is not what matters; what matters is the direction of that effort. Does it guide us towards the Truth or alienate us from it?

Mawlana repeatedly warns that purely intellectual efforts or rational shrewdness, if turned away from the true goal, bring nothing but alienation and ruin. Like the philosopher who "killed himself with thought" but, having his back to the treasure, the more he ran, the further he became from his heart's desire. This is the very story of Canaan, who, instead of boarding Noah's ark of salvation, relied on his own cunning and intellect and fled to the mountain peak. Yet, the more he sought refuge, the further he moved from true sanctuary and was ultimately annihilated.

Therefore, this jihād and striving must be "in the way of" and "towards" the Truth. Many mystics and even early scholars, long before Western philosophers like Kant, concluded that in discerning divine realities, one should not push the vehicle of thought beyond the limits set by the prophets. For in that valley, there are hundreds of thorns for every single rose. "Do not strain yourself to uncover the divine secret," for the deeper you delve into such thought, the further you move from truth, rather than closer. The Masnavi teaches us that the paper wings of philosophy awaken the desire to fly, but ultimately cast us to the ground. The truth is that the path is one of love and effacement (maḥw), not grammar (naḥw).

Key takeaways

• True striving (jihād) is an effort directed towards and within the Divine path, not merely aimless activity.
• The distinction between fīnā (in Us) and ʿannā (away from Us) highlights the crucial directionality of all human effort.
• Mawlana critiques purely intellectual or rational endeavors that can, paradoxically, distance one from the true treasure.
• The story of Canaan illustrates that relying solely on one's own cleverness and intellect, without divine guidance, leads to ruin.
• The ultimate goal of spiritual striving must be closeness to the Divine Source, not alienation through misleading preoccupations.