M6:4130 — آنچنان که عارف از راه نهان / خوش نشسته می‌رود در صد جهان

Translation: Just as the gnostic, by a hidden path, / Sits content and travels through a hundred worlds. Meaning: This verse describes the mystic's ability to journey through innumerable spiritual realms without physical movement, traversing vast existential landscapes through an inner, unseen route.

This verse continues Mowlana's discussion of spiritual travel, following his earlier examples of how imagination and dreams journey. Just as the heart and mind of a person traverse from east to west and back without any provisions or mounts, and just as people's consciousness travels in dreams, so too does the gnostic wander through a hundred worlds. But this is not a journey undertaken by the physical body or by material means. It is an inner, hidden journey, peculiar to the masters of the heart and the custodians of gnosis.

I strongly contend that this beyt is the supreme emblem of rejecting materialism and the primacy of sensory perception in understanding humanity and the cosmos. Here, we encounter a gnostic and a spiritual wayfarer who 'sits content' (khosh neshasteh), meaning they journey through hundreds of worlds without the need for physical movement or outward exertion. These 'hundred worlds' refer to the multiplicity and diversity of spiritual, intuitive, and esoteric realms revealed to the gnostic. These are not worlds that Yuri Gagarin could reach with a rocket, nor realms that a surgeon might uncover beneath a scalpel; these are the worlds of the heart and soul.

As I have said before, our body is our 'stranger' (bīgāneh) and our 'mount' (markab); it is not our true self. If one perceives oneself solely as this earthy body, as mere neurons and flesh, they fall into 'self-alienation' (aghtirāb). The gnostic, however, liberates themselves from this confinement. They know that the soul is the essence and the body merely an adjunct. They understand that the spirit does not reside in the body as an object in a container, but rather their relationship transcends space, just as time has no location in the universe. Therefore, the gnostic's journey is placeless, unmounted, and effortless; a journey along a 'hidden path' (rāh-e nahān) known only to its practitioners.

In contrast, recall the tale of Nimrod who rode on vultures to ascend to the heavens in search of God. Mowlana and Abraham tell him that this is not the way, and that vultures cannot reach the celestial spheres. The path to God and to journey through spiritual realms is not one to be trodden with material tools or physical might. This journey requires a 'guide to righteousness' (pīr-e rashād), not merely an 'aged mentor' (pīr-e gardūn); a master who has himself completed the path and who can take the seeker by the hand, leading them up the ladder to the heavens. The gnostic's 'sitting content' is itself a sign of this surrender and guidance. It is a journey that begins with submission to the guide and the liberation of oneself from the shackles of the body, leading to an boundless exploration of divine realms.

Key takeaways

• The mystic's journey is an inner, spiritual expedition, devoid of physical movement.
• "A hundred worlds" refers to the vast and boundless spiritual realms, not material planets.
• This journey is undertaken by the mystic while "sitting content" (khosh neshasteh), implying ease, grace, and inner guidance.
• The verse emphasizes the profound distinction between the 'soul' and the 'body', rejecting materialist views of human existence.
• For this journey, the gnostic requires a spiritual guide (pir-e rashād), not material tools or self-reliance.
• It alludes to the soul's capacity to transcend the limitations of time and space.