M6:53 — موج لشکرهای احوالم ببین / هر یکی با دیگری در جنگ و کین

Translation: Behold the waves of armies, these states of my soul, Each one with the other in war and enmity. Meaning: This verse describes the inner turmoil and contradictions within a person, where various emotions and conditions are in constant conflict and strife.

Mowlana, in this verse and the ones preceding it, first presents a grand cosmic vision where the very foundation of existence is built upon contradiction and opposition. The war of temperaments, the war of actions, the war of words – all are rooted in the principle that “the creation’s foundation was on opposites.” This world, built on such paradoxes, inevitably makes us, as parts of it, “belligerent.” However, Mowlana’s central point here is a fundamental leap from cosmology to moral psychology: this strife and conflict are not just external to nature or society but permeate our inner lives.

Mowlana, with profound elegance and certainty, summons the reader to look within: “Behold such a great war within yourself; / So why are you preoccupied with the wars of others?” He emphasizes that within ourselves, we face “waves of armies of states” – states that are “contrary to one another.” Joy battles sorrow, anger clashes with calm; all are engaged in an internal war. This inner “war and enmity” is, I contend, the primary root of many of our external conflicts. It is no accident that a person at odds with himself cannot be at peace with others. Our quarrels with others are often projections of our own internal struggles, a tragic “farafkaneh” in modern psychological terms. We attribute our inner issues to the external world and other people, and this is catastrophic.

From Mowlana’s perspective, liberation from this inner war is one of the most crucial manifestations of “human evolution” and the pursuit of perfection. These internal conflicts are an “energy drain” – an energy that ought to be directed towards battling vices and resolving personal imperfections is squandered in this futile battle. The ultimate goal is to achieve “homogeneous peace” (solh-e yekrang), whether this peace is attained through individual struggle or through divine grace for the fortunate (“Haqqet va kharad”). That is, whether you achieve liberation through your own striving, or fortune favors you and God delivers you from this contention. Thus, this verse is an explicit and decisive invitation to introspection and to address the authentic roots of our turmoil, rather than merely its superficial manifestations.

Key takeaways

• The foundation of existence is built on opposites and contradiction; this world is sustained by internal conflict.
• Human existence is a battleground of conflicting states and emotions, constantly at war with each other.
• External conflicts with others are often projections of a person's own inner struggles.
• Liberation from this internal war signifies human evolution and spiritual perfection.
• The ultimate goal is to achieve 'homogeneous peace,' whether through individual striving or divine grace.