M6:348 — بار دیگر بر گمان طمع سود / خویش زد بر آتش آن شمع زود

Translation: Once again, on the assumption of a profitable gain, it quickly threw itself onto the fire of that candle. Meaning: This verse describes the moth's repeated error, how after each burning by the candle's flame, it again, driven by a false hope of gain and forgetfulness of past pain, casts itself back into the fire.

This verse portrays the behavior of a moth that, despite having experienced the candle's fire, repeatedly returns to it. This tale is an allegory for those individuals on the spiritual path who still lack 'sincere resolve' (قدم صدق) and 'decisive commitment' (تصمیم قاطع), constantly oscillating between repentance and breaking their vows. They are perpetually stuck halfway, taking one step forward and one step back, ultimately making no true progress.

Mowlana suggests that the moth, due to 'forgetfulness' (nisyān), fails to recall past pain. This amnesia, coupled with 'greed for profit' (ṭamaʿ-i sūd), draws the moth back to the flame once more. From a distance, the moth perceives the fire as 'light' (nūr) and, driven by the desire for union, casts itself upon it. But upon being burned, it flees, weeping 'like children' (باز چون طفلان ملح ریخت, a metaphor for shedding salty tears). This vicious cycle persists: it burns, retreats, but its 'greedy, forgetful, and intoxicated heart' (حرص دل ناسی و مست) inexorably pulls it back to the same fire.

This wavering between repentance and its violation signifies a failure to deeply grasp the truth of the matter. The moth only after repeated burnings and 'by good fortune' escaping, finally realizes that what it mistook for light was, in fact, 'fire' (nār). It is then that its intellect catches up, and it 'rejects' (deh mīdihād, literally 'gives ten,' meaning to push away with all ten fingers) the fire, declaring, 'At last, I have recognized you.' This delay in recognition and action is a poignant image of those who come to wisdom late, repeatedly casting themselves into ruin due to heedlessness and avarice. The story also prompts an evolutionary/biological query as to why such a creature strives for its own destruction; however, Mowlana's purpose in this parable is its metaphorical meaning within human spiritual journey, not a biological explanation.

Key takeaways

• Forgetfulness (nisyān) and the illusion of profit (ṭamaʿ-i sūd) are key drivers of broken repentance and repeated errors.
• What appears as light from afar can be scorching fire up close; discerning light from fire requires experience and insight.
• The path of spiritual journey demands firm steps and resolve in repentance, otherwise one remains stagnant.
• Humans lacking spiritual memory, much like the moth, are condemned to repeat past mistakes.
• True recognition and wisdom are only attained after enduring repeated suffering and passing through difficult trials.