M6:3983 — یا چو اسمعیل صبار مجید / پیش عشق و خنجرش حلقی کشید

Translation: Or like Ismāʿīl (Ismail), the patient, the glorious, Who offered his throat before love and its dagger.

Meaning: This verse offers an example of ultimate self-sacrifice in the path of divine love, portraying Ismail's unquestioning submission to the divine command and the dagger of love as a symbol of absolute devotion.

In this verse and the preceding ones, Mawlana alludes to historical and mythical exemplars to illustrate the profound love that compels the princes in his story to abandon their thrones. These narratives are not merely tales from the past; rather, they are the practical embodiment of love, drawing the heart towards the hidden Beloved. Here, Mawlana recalls Prophet Ismail, who, before the dagger of love—not a dagger of coercion or force—offered his throat. He places this act alongside the story of Ibrahim Adham, the king who renounced his sovereignty in search of the Truth, and Prophet Abraham, who joyfully cast himself into Nimrod's fire.

Acrucially, Mawlana, in recounting this event, does not emphasize the name—whether Ismail or Isaac—but rather the courageous act itself. For him, the identity of the sacrifice was inconsequential; what mattered was the pure act of submission to love. This disregard for historical particulars and focus on the spiritual essence of the action underscores Mawlana's greater concern for 'meaning' over 'form.' Submission to love engenders 'patience' (ṣabr) and 'sincerity' (ṣidq), placing the individual among the 'truthful ones' (ṣiddiqīn).

This form of sacrifice demonstrates that the path to the Beloved is not blocked but is a continuous journey and progression. This stands in contrast to Hafez's experience, who spoke of having 'reached the sun' and finding the 'dust settled.' Mawlana, however, believes that 'our summit is our path' (ṣadr-i mā rāh-i māst); meaning our destination is the journeying itself, and this voyage is without end, rather it is perpetually unfolding and evolving. The lover, to attain this 'destination-as-path,' must divest themselves of everything: parents, kingship, and inheritance, and set foot on the hidden road of the Beloved. This detachment arises not from austere asceticism, but from the sheer exhilaration of love, which lightens the soul and draws it towards boundlessness.

Key takeaways

• Submission to the 'dagger of love' symbolizes absolute sacrifice and devotion in the path of the Divine Beloved.
• Mawlana emphasizes the spiritual essence of the act (courage and submission), rather than historical details or names.
• This sacrifice signifies the embrace of 'patience' (ṣabr) and the attainment of 'sincerity' (ṣidq), elevating one to the rank of the 'truthful ones' (ṣiddiqīn).
• True love necessitates abandoning worldly attachments, including thrones and inheritances.
• The Beloved's path is hidden, but the journey itself is the destination, a perpetual and dynamic process without end.