M6:3041 — کی به پیش آیند موشان ای فلان / نیست جمعیت درون جانشان

Translation: Oh, such-and-such, how could mice ever come forward? / There is no collectedness (jam'iyyat) within their souls. Meaning: This verse highlights the inherent weakness and fear of mice, explaining that due to their lack of inner unity and resolve (jam'iyyat), they can never stand against a single enemy like a cat, regardless of their sheer numbers.

This verse appears in the continuation of the story of Ja'far Tayyar, where Mawlana speaks of his jam'iyyat-e khater—the composure and collectedness of mind that allowed him to stand alone against a multitude. Here, Mawlana illuminates the concept of jam'iyyat by exploring its inverse: its absence. He states that mice, no matter their vast numbers, possess no jam'iyyat within their souls. This jam'iyyat signifies inner unity, steadfastness of spirit, and integrity of will. They are fearful and trembling, unable to gather and resist a single cat; how then can they 'come forward,' meaning to take the initiative in battle?

Mawlana emphasizes that true jam'iyyat and power reside not in mere quantity, but in the unity of hearts. He dismisses superficial, outward numbers as feshār, meaning nonsense or vanity. 'To imagine collectedness based on outward appearance is nothing but futility.' A multitude of bodies and vast numbers, without inner cohesion and unity, lack any foundation. Mawlana illustrates this by saying that bodies, like names, are 'on the wind'—ephemeral and conventional. Just as names are not inherently real, bodies, if not sustained by a unifying soul and jam'iyyat, are weak and baseless.

I see this as echoing Mawlana's other teaching about Mount Sinai, which 'crumbled' and dissolved before the divine manifestation; that is, material multiplicity is annihilated before spiritual unity. If mice possessed jam'iyyat, along with the zeal and honor it entails, they would unite and, like the fada'iyan—with their spirit of self-sacrifice and inner solidarity—assault the cat, destroying it without delay. But the mouse never possesses this jam'iyyat-e jan; at a single meow from the cat, consciousness flees its soul, and it falls into a daze. This is the fundamental difference between power born of true collectedness and the weakness stemming from its absence; a vast flock of sheep never intimidates the butcher, for it lacks the jam'iyyat of hearts and souls.

Key takeaways

• The superiority of inner 'collectedness' (jam'iyyat-e khater) over outward multiplicity and sheer numbers.
• True power originates from the soul's integrity and inner resolve, not from the quantity of bodies.
• Weakness, fear, and inability to confront an enemy result from the absence of jam'iyyat and inner unity.
• Mawlana considers numbers and physical bodies, without spiritual unity, to be baseless, like names, and ultimately futile.
• Courage and the capacity for struggle are the fruits of inner solidarity and zeal, which can overcome apparent numerical disadvantage.