M6:89 — چون جمادند و فسرده و تن‌شگرف / می‌جهد انفاسشان از تل برف

Translation: Since they are inanimate and frozen, with bulky bodies, Their breaths emerge from a mound of snow. Meaning: In this verse, Mowlana likens the adversaries of spirituality to inert, frozen, ponderous beings whose utterances lack any life-giving warmth, emitting only the chill of snow.

This verse describes and critiques those who have turned a blind eye to spiritual truths and religious experiences. I have often referred to these adversaries in my lectures as 'naturalists,' individuals who believe only in what is material and tangible, denying prophecy, walāyat (spiritual guardianship), and the fervor of love. Mowlana calls them 'frozen statues' – lifeless effigies devoid of the warmth of being. Their speech, 'their breaths,' is like 'a cold wind emanating from within a snow mountain'; a breath that not only lacks warmth but also tends to 'freeze and immobilize' the listener. This is a vivid portrayal of the absence of passion and ardor in souls that have distanced themselves from the fount of love and spirituality. Their words emerge 'from a mound of snow,' meaning they originate from a cold, spiritless source and disseminate that same frigidity and barrenness. This stands in stark contrast to the heat of the 'Sword of God' (Sayf-Allāh) and the 'Sun that is neither of the East nor of the West,' which Mowlana posits as the force that melts these snows and warms the spiritual threshold. What is presented in this verse is not merely a lack of spiritual understanding, but the active presence of a chilling and immobilizing force that seeks to congeal the passion and awareness of others into ice.

Key takeaways

• Opponents and deniers of spirituality are described as being in a frozen, passionless spiritual state.
• The discourse and thoughts of such individuals lack life-giving warmth and vitality.
• Mowlana contrasts the coldness of their words with the chill and lifelessness emanating from a snowdrift.
• This verse serves as a critique of naturalist and materialist worldviews that deny the transcendent dimensions of life.
• Disregard for spiritual truths leads to an inner state that is cold and barren.