M1:395 — نه غم و اندیشهٔ سود و زیان / نه خیالِ این فلان و آن فلان

Translation: Neither sorrow nor thought of profit and loss, Neither fancy of this one or that one. Meaning: This verse describes a state of profound unawareness and peace, free from worldly anxieties and social distinctions, a state experienced by all in sleep and by the gnostic (arif) even while awake.

This profound verse from the Masnavi eloquently portrays a state where the human being is liberated from all worldly attachments and concerns. Mowlana initially speaks of the human condition in sleep—a precise and potent image indeed. When one falls asleep, the prisoner becomes unaware of his dungeon, the king of his realm, and the merchant of his profit or loss. All, in that state of slumber, become equal and unburdened. Neither the sorrow of worldly gain nor the thought of harm weighs on their hearts, nor the illusion of the status or position of this or that person occupies their minds. This unawareness of the external world is a temporary release, a universal experience shared by all humanity. Yet, Mowlana takes this a step further, extending this very state to the gnostics, the arifs, even in their waking hours. He declares, "The state of the gnostic is thus, even without sleep." This means that the arif, even while awake, attains a condition where they are, as it were, absent from the world and its attachments. The material world and its social conventions become for them like dream-scenes perceived in sleep. Such an individual is neither bound by worldly "profit and loss" nor troubled by the "fancy of this one or that one." The arif perceives the "invisible hands" that turn the world, recognizing themselves as a "pen in the hand of the Lord's turning" (qalam dar panjeh-ye taqlīb-e Rabb), a reed on the lips of the Divine flutist. They make no movement independent of these hands, nor do they manifest a self-originating will. This deep insight of Mowlana not only sets aside conventional human anxieties but also invites a form of independence from the material and conventional world. In this state, the arif, though present in the world, is detached from it; just as the Companions of the Cave in the Quran were ruqūd (sleeping) despite appearing awake. This is the very state of formlessness (bī-ṣūratī) from which the world of forms has emerged. The arif, in this unawareness of profit and loss and social distinctions, actually attains a deeper consciousness of the flow of events—a consciousness that frees them from any particular or material will, dissolving them into the universal Will of the Truth. This liberation stems not from irresponsibility, but from union with the primordial source of all happenings.

Key takeaways

• Freedom from the anxiety of worldly profit and loss is a peak experience, momentarily attained by all in sleep, but sustained by the gnostic (arif) in wakefulness.
• Mowlana speaks of "equality in unawareness": all human beings, regardless of their status or rank, are liberated from material and social concerns in sleep.
• The arif's state is to perceive the world and its conventions as a dream-scene, seeing themselves as a pen in the hand of Divine Providence, not an independent agent.
• This gnostic unawareness is not born of heedlessness, but of profound awareness of the unseen hands governing the world; a deep surrender to the Divine Will.
• Attaining this state brings liberation from "the fancy of this one or that one," meaning freedom from comparisons, envy, and concerns about social class or status.
• The verse is an invitation to release attachment to worldly forms and appearances, moving towards formlessness (bī-ṣūratī), the unified truth hidden behind multiplicities.