M6:2917 — هین ز بدنامان نباید ننگ داشت / هوش بر اسرارشان باید گماشت

Translation: Hark! One should not feel shame regarding those with ill repute. Rather, one must direct one's awareness to their secrets.

Meaning: Mawlana warns us that external appearances, especially of those deemed notorious by society, can be deceptive; we should not shun them based on superficial judgments. Instead, we must apply deeper insight to discern the hidden truths and inner realities of such individuals.

This couplet from Mawlana, without a doubt, speaks from the stance of Malamatiyya, which I have explained extensively before. The Malamatis were a faction of Sufis who consciously engaged in actions that would earn them a bad name in the eyes of the public, thereby keeping them away from human praise and admiration. Their aim was to turn their hearts entirely towards God, freeing themselves from attachment to public acceptance. Ghazali, in his Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din, explicitly states that a Malamati might drink water from a wine cup, leading people to believe he was a drinker, and thus causing them to turn away. This was a radical path to escape the perils of human adulation and avoid the hypocrisy of outward piety.

Here, Mawlana goes further, stating that one should not feel 'shame' from the 'ill-reputed' (bad-nāmān). This applies not only to those who deliberately seek a bad name but to anyone who appears 'wicked' or 'disreputable' in our eyes or in society's view, and thus should not be definitively judged. While it is our duty in life to avoid associating with wrongdoers and to shun evil acts, this does not imply a definitive judgment on their standing with God. I strongly believe the telescope of divine judgment differs vastly from our own. God is aware of secrets and intentions, while we perceive only externalities. Perhaps within the guise of 'rascals' or 'outcasts,' worthy servants of God lie hidden, as Mawlana himself says: "Do not deem every jungle empty / Perhaps a sleeping leopard lies within." No one should be looked upon with contempt, for the inner secrets of individuals are hidden from us.

Mawlana expands on this idea with a captivating allegory. He says: "Many a golden coin is blackened / So it may be safe from plunder and harm." Sometimes precious gold is darkened, like counterfeit coins, to keep it hidden from greedy eyes and protect it from theft and plunder. This is for the preservation of that treasure. Similarly, a saint of God, or someone sincerely close to the Divine, might don a cloak of disrepute to remain far from human envy and greed, finding an opportunity in solitude to cultivate their inner self and reach perfection. They deliberately conceal themselves in the attire of sinners so as not to be recognized. Mawlana illustrates this very point with great beauty in the story of the "Sea-Cow" (gāv-e baḥrī). The sea-cow brings the precious royal gem (gowhar-e kāviyān) from the ocean depths to the shore, grazing in its radiant light. Merchants, aware of this phenomenon, lie in wait to cover the gem with mud and dirt, hiding it from the cow's sight, and then claiming it for themselves. This gem hidden in the mud is a symbol of that 'blackened gold' or 'saint of God' concealed amidst infamy, protected from the heedless. Thus, the duty of the seeker is not to judge by appearances but to direct their awareness to inner secrets, for a gem may be hidden beneath the mud.

Key takeaways

• Outward appearances, especially of the ill-reputed, are deceptive; judging solely based on them is unjust.
• Ultimate judgment of individuals belongs to God; we are not privy to the secrets of hearts.
• Sometimes spiritual seekers deliberately court ill repute to escape human praise and turn wholeheartedly to God (Malamatiyya).
• Inner virtues may be hidden under an unpleasant guise, like blackened gold or a gem in mud, to protect them from greedy eyes.
• No one should be looked down upon with contempt, for every 'jungle' may conceal a 'sleeping leopard'.