M6:496 — چون نباشد قوتی پرهیز به / در فرار لا یطاق آسان بجه

Translation: When there is no power, avoidance is better; / in fleeing the unbearable (lā yuṭāq), leap with ease.

Meaning: When facing an overwhelming evil or an unbearable situation, if you lack the power to fight it, the wisest course of action is to retreat and preserve yourself.

In this story, the hunter affirms the principle of jihad—the struggle against evil—but immediately attaches a crucial condition: it requires power and support (yārī va zūr). This beyt is the logical consequence of that condition. When there is no power (qūwatī), the strategy must change. Prudence dictates that parhīz, avoidance, is the better course, not futile confrontation.

The second hemistich makes this strategy explicit: dar farār-i lā yuṭāq āsān bijah—in fleeing from the unbearable, leap with ease. This is not a reluctant, shame-filled retreat. It is an āsān leap—light, decisive, and unburdened by guilt. It is a legitimate and necessary tactical maneuver when facing a situation beyond one's capacity.

To elevate this principle beyond mere pragmatism, Mowlana anchors it in prophetic tradition. There is a saying, Al-firāru mimmā lā yuṭāqu min sunan al-mursalīn: “Fleeing from that which is unbearable is a tradition of the Messengers.” This is a profound reframing. Strategic retreat is not a failure of courage or a deficiency of faith, but a sunnah—a sanctioned path trodden by the prophets themselves.

The quintessential example is the Hijra of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina. After thirteen years of steadfast endurance, when the opposition became absolute and plotted his assassination, he did not engage in a final, suicidal battle. He fled by night. This was not cowardice but a calculated retreat that ultimately secured the survival and eventual triumph of his mission.

Thus, the beyt teaches a profound lesson in spiritual and political realism. The obligation to confront evil is not an absolute command to seek martyrdom under all circumstances. It is conditioned by a clear-eyed assessment of one's power. When faced with overwhelming force—a situation that is lā yuṭāq, unbearable—the priority becomes self-preservation. One must know when to stand and fight and, just as importantly, when to flee.

Key takeaways

• The duty to fight evil is conditional on having the power to do so; without it, avoidance is the wiser virtue.
• Fleeing an unbearable situation is not cowardice but a rational, and even prophetic, strategy.
• Practical wisdom requires tempering idealism with a realistic assessment of one's capabilities.
• The tradition of the prophets (sunan al-mursalīn) includes strategic retreat from overwhelming danger.