M6:1125 — چونک کردی دم او را آن طرف / گر رود پس پس رود تا مکتنف

Translation: When you turn its tail towards that direction (the goal), / Even if it goes backward, it will move backward until it reaches the destination (maktanaf). Meaning: This verse illustrates a profound strategy: forces or desires that seem to pull us away from our goal can be reoriented and utilized to reach that very destination by simply changing their intended direction.

This verse concludes the parable of the backward-going horse, which Mowlana narrates in the Masnavi. The story unfolds as a man requests a horse from an Amir. The Amir offers an ashhab horse (one with black and white markings). The man refuses, stating that the horse is unruly (harūn) and only moves backward. The Amir's profound reply is: "Point its tail towards the house (your destination)." This means if its inherent inclination is to move backward, then turn it around so its backward motion actually propels you towards your desired goal. The current beyt, M6:1125, encapsulates the ultimate solution and strategic insight: if you orient its tail toward your destination, even if it moves backward, it will carry you all the way to that very maktanaf (the intended sanctuary or goal).

I consider this story a key to understanding one of Mowlana's deepest insights. Many Sufis and ascetics believed that carnal desires and appetites must be eradicated; that one should completely uproot lust, anger, and other animalistic instincts from their being. However, Mowlana strongly dissents from this approach. He does not suggest killing the backward-going horse, severing its head, discarding it, or selling it cheaply. On the contrary, he advises utilizing it! Even this rebellious, backward-moving horse can be employed to reach one's destination, provided one knows how to use it.

This philosophy stands in stark contrast to the Buddhist teaching of the negation of desire. Buddhists believe that the root of all suffering and pain lies in wanting, and the path to liberation is through "not wanting." Sa'di, in his Gulistan, recounts: "A dervish was asked, 'What does your heart desire?' He replied, 'That it desires nothing at all.'" This is precisely the Buddhist instruction. Mowlana, however, considers this both impossible and unnecessary. He argues that negating desire is neither feasible nor required; instead, one must change the object of desire. If you possess a shahwat (desire or appetite), redirect it from base and ephemeral worldly cravings towards the 'hereafter' (ʿoqba)—towards lasting and spiritual aspirations. Shahwat in itself is not inherently bad, but an 'otherworldly shahwat' is a precious gem.

This insight of Mowlana bears an undeniable resemblance to Freud's theory of "sublimation" in psychoanalysis. Freud posited that libidinal (instinctual) energies cannot be merely suppressed; rather, they can be guided and "sublimated" towards higher, more socially acceptable activities. Centuries earlier, Mowlana articulated this very point through the analogy of pruning a tree to channel vitality to other branches, or curbing one's appetite for bread (raghīf) so that shahwat might emerge from the noble intellect (ʿaql-i sharīf). This act of pruning and reforming is nothing less than the elevation and reorientation of energy.

Of course, Mowlana distinguishes between this backward-moving horse and those inherently forward-moving horses of the soul: "Blessed are the docile, forward-moving horses / Neither backward-moving, nor rebellious." He cites the example of Moses, who, in his journey of love (sīrān-i ḥub), traversed a seven-hundred-year path as if crossing the width of a carpet. Yet, even if our own horse of the nafs is not inherently so, Mowlana does not permit despair. Instead, through wisdom and reorientation, he shows us the path to the destination. It is here that we see Mowlana, the mystic, not only as a teacher of gnosis but also as a profound psychologist and educator, who, with subtlety and deep understanding of the human soul, imparts the way of reform and transcendence.

Key takeaways

• Eradicating negative instincts and emotions is not the solution; reforming and reorienting them is.
• Every part of human existence, even what seems undesirable, can be put to the service of higher ends.
• Shahwat (desire), though it may incline towards worldly things, can be transformed into 'otherworldly shahwat'—a yearning for the eternal.
• Mowlana's wisdom in this verse anticipates Freud's theory of 'sublimation,' elevating lower energies to higher planes.
• The key to controlling the nafs is not to kill it, but to turn its tail towards the destination, so its backward motion becomes forward progress.