M6:2905 — چون لسان وجان او بود آن او / آن او با او بود گستاخ‌گو

Translation: When his (the mystic's) tongue and soul became identical with His (God's), He (the mystic) spoke with Him audaciously. Meaning: This couplet articulates how a spiritual seeker, having attained profound proximity to God, finds their tongue and soul aligned with the Divine essence, granting them the audacity to speak with God boldly and unreservedly.

Here, Mowlana pauses the historical narrative of Sultan Mahmud and the astute thief to illuminate a profound mystical truth. This couplet, without a doubt, stands as one of the Masnavi's cardinal verses on the station of divine proximity and humanity's existential unity with God.

I believe Mowlana, in stating 'When his tongue and soul became identical with His,' alludes directly to the renowned Hadith Qudsi: 'My servant continues to draw near to Me... until I become his ear, his eye, his hand, and... his tongue.' This 'becoming the tongue' and 'becoming the soul' signifies the manifestation of God within the servant's being. It does not mean the servant becomes God, but rather becomes so utterly immersed in God that their actions and words emanate from the divine light. This aligns perfectly with the profound meaning expressed by Imam Khomeini in his verse: 'Through worship, one can become Allah, but one cannot become Moses, the interlocutor of Allah.' This implies that while union with the formless, absolute God is attainable, one cannot assume the distinct, individuated personality of a prophet like Moses; for the latter is a specific determination, while this station is one of indeterminate oneness.

The thief, having recognized the Sultan by night and grown intimate with him, now, during the public audience, speaks as if he is the Sultan's tongue. His words are no longer mere requests or intercessions but transform into commands emanating from the Sultan himself. 'He spoke with Him audaciously' means that when the servant reaches this station of becoming the tongue and soul of God, the veils of conventional humility and outward deference are lifted. He can then speak boldly and audaciously with the Divine. This audacity is not born of disrespect but of the utmost reverence, the extreme proximity, and the absolute oneness. If God Himself becomes the servant's tongue, how can God speak disrespectfully to Himself? This speaks to the zenith of intimacy and familiarity.

The supplications and demands of such a servant are no longer mere pleas; they are tantamount to the imposition of God's will upon Himself. The servant presents their desires as if issuing a decree to the Sultan (who has become their soul and tongue). This is a profound explication of the mystical journey, whose ultimate destination is resonance with the Divine in word and spirit, to the extent that 'I' and 'He' are indistinguishable in utterance, and audacity transforms into the pinnacle of humility and proximity. This station transcends gratitude and complaint, where the servant neither laments to God nor merely praises Him, but rather their very existence becomes a divine act.

Key takeaways

• Divine proximity can lead to an existential unity of the servant's tongue and soul with the Divine essence.
• The mystic's audacity before God signifies the ultimate intimacy and extreme proximity, not disrespect.
• This station reflects the Hadith Qudsi 'I become his hearing, sight, and tongue,' where God identifies with the servant's faculties.
• At this elevated stage, the servant's requests to God assume the form of authoritative commands.
• Mowlana elucidates this concept by generalizing the insightful thief's situation from the Sultan Mahmud story.
• The ultimate goal of spiritual journey is connection to the formless and absolute Oneness of God, not embodiment as specific prophets.