M6:902 — عشق قهارست و من مقهور عشق / چون شکر شیرین شدم از شور عشق

Translation: Love is the Dominator, and I am subdued by Love; Like sugar, I have become sweet from the ecstasy of Love. Meaning: This verse articulates how the lover, despite being entirely overcome by the formidable power of love, finds profound sweetness and delight rather than suffering. Love, in its overwhelming might, positively transforms the lover's very essence.

This verse stands as one of Mawlana's most exquisite and potent declarations, portraying the simultaneous experience of love's overwhelming power and its inherent sweetness. In Mawlana's view, love is a 'Qahhār,' meaning a dominant, sovereign, and all-conquering force. The lover, in the face of this immense power, becomes 'Maqhūr'—completely subdued by love, surrendering their own will to it. Yet, the luminous core of the verse lies precisely here: this subjugation is not bitter or destructive; rather, it is the source of profound delight and joy.

Mawlana employs a subtle lexical artistry. He juxtaposes 'shakar' (sugar) with 'shūr,' but the latter here signifies ecstasy, elation, intoxication, and excitement, rather than mere saltiness. This 'shūr' is the internal effervescence that arises within the lover's soul, bestowing upon them the taste of sugar. To be subjugated by love is not a bitter, imposed captivity that consumes one; on the contrary, Mawlana asserts that love cherishes, invigorates, 'fattens,' and helps one become more truly 'oneself.' This is genuine liberation: 'Become subdued by love, lest you be subdued by the ego.' When you are not under the ego's sway, your true self flourishes, grows richer, and purifies itself.

I have often stated that the lover's movement is neither volitional nor compulsory; it is a state between these two, which I have termed 'attracted movement' (harakat-e majdhūbāna). The lover, involuntarily and without pretension, is drawn hither and thither, much like a 'straw-leaf' caught in a 'stormy wind' (tundbād) of love: 'How should I know where I shall fall? / He pulls me; do I go by myself? He pulls me.' They run after love like the moon (hilal or badr) is compelled to follow the sun: 'Whether I am a crescent or a full moon, I run; / I become a follower of your sun.'

Love, for Mawlana, is the most enigmatic secret of the universe, even more profound and hidden than the mystery of human free will. He likens love to 'qaza' (divine decree) and 'qadar' (destiny). Can one truly make a pact with destiny or expect stability and tranquility from it? Destiny is blind, or we cannot perceive its ultimate aim. Thus, anyone who tries to make a pact with divine decree and bend it to their will 'ridicules their own mustache' (rīshkhand-e siblat-e khod mīkonad)—they mock themselves. Love, too, is like this: it plays new games every moment and casts new hues upon the world.

Ultimately, love's dominance is not destructive but regenerative. Just as Bilal of Ethiopia, each time he repented from uttering 'Ahad! Ahad!', returned to the love of Muhammad, love devoured his reprieves. This love is 'hayat-e khuld' or eternal life, from which one cannot repent. Love ignites a resurrection within the human soul, bestowing new life, and acts like a 'storm' that sweeps a person from one state to another—from anger to contentment, from avarice to generosity. In the tempest of love, human existence is like a tablet of erasure and affirmation (lawh-e mahw o isbat) upon which the Signless God inscribes new forms and erases old ones, moment by moment. This 'qahr' (domination) is, in fact, an essence of grace and life itself.

Key takeaways

• Love's dominance is not enslaving but liberating, leading the individual to their true self.
• Despite its overwhelming power, love brings sweetness and ecstasy rather than bitterness.
• The lover's movement in response to love is neither of free will nor compulsion; it is an 'attracted movement' (majdhūbāna).
• Love, like divine decree (qaza and qadar), is an irresistible and unpredictable force that creates new states in every moment.
• To be subdued by love means to flourish, become healthy, and purify one's very being.