M6:3468 — گر تو اول بنگری چون آخرش / فارغ آیی از فریب فاترش

Translation: If you see its end at its beginning, You will be free from its weak deception. Meaning: This verse calls for foresight, suggesting that if one contemplates the ultimate outcome of any matter from its inception, they will be liberated from its ephemeral deceptions and superficial allure.

You know, in Mawlana's view, liberation from deceptions and temptations—which he sometimes refers to as demonic brokers (div-i dallal)—requires a profound and fundamental insight: possessing an “eye for the outcome” (chashm-i ma’al). This particular verse, M6:3468, precisely emphasizes this point. Mawlana recounts the story of Khwarazmshah and his horse to illuminate this distinction between the “eye for the present” (chashm-i hāl) and the “eye for the outcome.” Khwarazmshah is initially captivated by the horse's beauty, but Imad al-Mulk, with his “foresightful eye,” reveals a small but significant flaw: the horse's head resembles that of an ox. This revelation immediately cools the king's affection for the horse.

Here, Mawlana offers us a universal and timeless lesson. He declares: “Foresight, in essence, is intellect itself” ('aql ya'ni dur-andishi). This is not merely a moral recommendation but a foundational epistemology. Most people are prisoners of their “present-seeing eye”; they look at the surface of things and judge based on momentary emotions. But the wise person, the mystic, is one who “sees the end at the beginning” (avval bangari chon akharash). Such a person considers the consequences, the ultimate conclusion of an action, the hidden truth behind the veil of appearance.

Satan, that “demonic broker,” precisely exploits this weakness. In moments of dire straits, particularly at the hour of death, he offers to buy a person's “faith” for a “cup of water” (yik abriq-i āb) or a “sweet drink”—a drink that, of course, “is but an illusion, not a real cup” (v-ān khayāl-i bāshad u abriq nay). This parable extends beyond the physical moment of death; this temptation lurks in every moment of our lives. In this world, which Mawlana calls a “rotten nut” (jowz-i pusida), we are constantly trading our “gem of faith” (gowhar-i imān) and “precious life” ('omr-i 'aziz) for worthless “walnuts” (gurdukān). The trifling price for which Joseph was sold in the market of this world (thamanin bakhsin darāhima ma'dūda) also illustrates this condition; people sometimes sell the Joseph of their soul for three yards of coarse canvas (seh gaz-i karbās).

Therefore, the path to liberation from this “weak deception” (farīb-i fātar) is to transform from an “immediate-seer” (ākhurbin) to an “end-seer” (ākharbin). One who merely looks at the manger (the place of food) is content with immediate and superficial pleasures. But the “end-seer” perceives the conclusion. Mawlana states that many “worldly sciences” are also like “rotten nuts”; initially captivating, but ultimately hollow at their core. The solution is clear: “Test it less; see it from afar” (imtahān-ash kam kun az dur-ash bibin). One should not even engage with these deceptions; it is enough to see their truth from a distance and move past them.

This kind of perception, with which prophets and saints are endowed, is what sees the world as “carrion” (jifa) and its seekers as “dogs” (kilāb). This is a vision that sees the truth “from behind a hundred veils” (az pas-i sad parda). We must not sell our “own eye” (chashm-i khwod) to the “vision of the ignoble” (did-i khasān) and the “vultures” (karkasān), who drag us towards “carrion.” This is the essence of vigilance and insight, for if it is not achieved, it is highly probable that “the staff-bearer you chose for the journey / you yourself will find to be blinder than you” (v-ān 'asākash ke gozīdi dar safar / khwod bibini bāshad az to kūrtar). This verse, without doubt, is an invitation to a radical rationality that transcends appearances and considers depths and consequences.

Key takeaways

• Foresight (chashm-i ma’al) is the essence of intellect and the path to freedom from deception.
• The appearances of the world, and even some worldly sciences, are like “rotten nuts” (jowz-i pusida) with no kernel.
• Deceptions often target a person's faith and essential being during moments of weakness and need.
• Satan tempts humans with illusory and baseless promises to trade their inherent values.
• The truly wise person sees the end of everything at its beginning, thus avoiding the deception of appearances.
• Prophets and saints, with their “eye for the outcome,” perceived the world as “carrion” (jifa) and were free from its temptations.