M6:1082 — گفتم این ماخولیا بود و محال / هیچ گردد مستحیلی وصف حال

Translation: I said this was mākhūliyā (melancholy/madness) and impossible; / Could an impossible thing ever become a description of one's present state? Meaning: The speaker expresses initial doubt, considering a magnificent dream to be mere madness or impossibility, never imagining such an outlandish vision could one day manifest as reality.

This verse is uttered by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, as he recounts a dream to the Prophet. However, as I have emphasized numerous times – and it is a consistent method of Mawlana – these are not Abu Bakr's words; rather, they are Mawlana's own sentiments, articulated through another's voice to narrate a profound, inner experience.

Here, the speaker describes a dream from his youth where the sun saluted him and elevated him to the heavens. This experience is so extraordinary and contrary to conventional reality that the speaker dismisses it as mākhūliyā and mahāl. Mākhūliyā, in the terminology of the ancients (derived from the Greeks), referred to the dominance of black bile in the brain, leading to a form of madness or delusion, not merely the modern sense of depression. Thus, the speaker implies that this dream was nothing but madness or an impossible fantasy.

He then poses a rhetorical question: “How can an impossible thing become a description of one’s present state?” That is, can an utterly impossible matter ever come to define one's lived reality? This question underscores his intense initial disbelief. He never imagined that such a dream, which appeared fundamentally impossible and unrealizable, could one day materialize and become an undeniable external reality.

However, the pivotal point is that this initial disbelief is shattered in the subsequent verses. The presence and grace of the Prophet (who, within the context of this narrative, represents Mawlana's Beloved and spiritual guide) transform that 'impossible' into 'reality.' The youthful dream, once deemed unattainable, is actualized through encountering and accompanying the Prophet. This demonstrates that in Mawlana's world, with the presence of a 'Soul of the City' (rūḥ al-bilād), an 'Insān-e Kāmil' (Perfect Human), impossibilities become possible. What initially seemed like mere madness or delusion transforms into the clarity and self-evidence of everyday reality. This is not just praise for the Prophet, but an expression of the fundamental transformation that occurs in the seeker's soul upon confronting the light of truth.

Key takeaways

• Mawlana articulates his own profound experiences through the voice of another (Abu Bakr).
• The speaker's extraordinary dream is initially dismissed as mākhūliyā (madness) and 'impossible.'
• This verse highlights the initial disbelief in the possibility of profound spiritual experiences.
• The rhetorical question “How can an impossible thing become a description of one's state?” shows the depth of the speaker's doubt before confronting truth.
• The actualization of the impossible becomes possible only through the presence and grace of a spiritual guide or Perfect Human.