M6:1337 — جمله در ایذای بی‌جرمان حریص / در قفای همدگر جویان نقیص

Translation: All are greedy in harming the innocent; Behind each other, seeking faults.

Meaning: The verse describes humanity's widespread tendency to inflict suffering upon the blameless and to backbite, constantly seeking out one another's imperfections.

Mowlana, in this verse and the surrounding ones, abruptly pauses a simple tale about a sick man slapping a Sufi to offer a profound diagnosis of widespread human failing. He describes it as a fundamental pathology of the human spirit. Most people, he states, are afflicted with 'daq' (consumption, a wasting disease) and are thus helpless. This inner debility manifests as 'si-li-bāre' (prone to slapping), meaning a habitual tendency to inflict harm on others, like someone whose profession is slapping. This condition, Mowlana asserts, is the outcome of 'khadʿ-i dīv'—the devil's deceit, which presents base desires (havā) as one's true physician and guide, rather than divine wisdom.

The salient features of these spiritually sick individuals are two-fold: First, 'all are greedy in harming the innocent.' There is an intrinsic craving and voracity for tormenting those who are blameless. This is a hidden or overt sadism, stemming from anger, a lack of self-restraint, or merely pleasure derived from inflicting suffering upon others, all of which Mowlana identifies as demonic cunning. Second, 'behind each other, seeking faults.' They constantly search for flaws and defects in others, engaging in backbiting and slander. This behavior is akin to slapping someone on the back of the neck from behind.

Mowlana then sternly admonishes this state, asking, 'O you who strike the innocent from behind / Why do you not see your own backside?' Backbiting and fault-finding in others are like a physical blow, yet the perpetrator remains blind to their own shortcomings. Here, Mowlana echoes the luminous words of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who stated, 'Blessed is he whose own faults keep him busy from the faults of others.' Many of us are blind to our own deficiencies, yet sharp-sighted regarding others', so engrossed in seeking others' imperfections that we neglect the abysses and voids within ourselves. The person afflicted by this spiritual disease mistakes their own desires as their physician and acts upon its commands, leading to cruelty against the weak.

The devil who presents these desires as a cure is the same one who guided Adam to the forbidden wheat, leading to his expulsion from paradise. Through the deception of eternal life, he made Adam's intellect stumble and 'slapped' him from behind. However, that 'slap' eventually rebounded onto the devil himself, causing his expulsion from the divine presence. God, however, was Adam's supporter and prevented his utter ruin. This offers a profound lesson: the root of much human evil lies in this internal deception and the pursuit of 'havā' (desire) instead of divine guidance.

Key takeaways

• Much of human suffering stems from satanic deceit and the allure of base desires.
• Greed in harming the innocent and seeking faults in others are symptoms of spiritual illness.
• Mowlana likens backbiting to a 'slap to the back of the neck,' where the individual remains blind to their own flaws.
• Following one's desires is a deception akin to Satan's trick that expelled Adam from paradise.
• Self-introspection and acknowledging one's own faults are the path to healing from these maladies.