M6:723 — جان بسی کندی و اندر پرده‌ای / زانک مردن اصل بد ناورده‌ای

Translation: You toiled much, yet remain behind a veil; For you brought not forth that which was the essence: to die (to oneself).

Meaning: This verse argues that despite immense spiritual striving and suffering, one remains veiled because the fundamental inner transformation, which is the mystical 'dying to oneself,' has not yet occurred.

In this verse, and others surrounding it which I have discussed previously, Mawlana reminds us of a pivotal mystical truth: the reality of 'dying' (mordan). This is, of course, not a physical death. Mawlana himself clarifies elsewhere, saying, "Not such a death as leads you to the grave; rather, a transformative death that leads you to light." This death is a death of transformation, one that carries the human being from one state to another, from darkness to light, and from a lower to a more exalted station.

I contend that what Shams did to Mawlana was precisely this. He 'emptied' him, not 'filled' him. The spiritual purgation (tazkiyeh) Shams initiated in Mawlana was the extraction and removal of all that had accumulated within him. As Imam Ali (AS) says in the Nahj al-Balaghah, "Knowledge descends upon them with the reality of insight." This very 'emptying' prepares the ground for being 'filled' with wisdom and insight. Until this emptying and the death of the lower self occur, a veil remains between humanity and the truths of existence.

This verse tells us that you have "toiled much" (jān basī kandī), meaning you have endured hardships, performed devotions, and exerted effort, yet you "remain behind a veil" (andar pardeʾī). Why? Because "you brought not forth that which was the essence: to die" (zānk mordan aṣl buʾd nāvardaʾī). The very essence and foundation of this path was to die to what you are, so that you may be born into what you ought to be. This concept closely resonates with Plato's idea that "philosophy is a training for death"; with the distinction that in mysticism, this training for death is for the realization of an 'other existence,' not merely a theoretical understanding of it. One learns how to die to one's current self to be born into a new, realized existence.

This death is akin to "a grown man becoming an adult, his childhood died." Childhood dies, and adulthood is born. This is an existential transformation that negates one state and affirms another. As long as this fundamental change does not occur, efforts and austerities, no matter how immense, will not draw the human being out of their 'previous milieu.' Only this 'dying' can lift these veils and open the way for a rebirth and a deeper apprehension of being.

Key takeaways

• True death in mysticism is not the end of physical life, but a radical transformation and spiritual rebirth.
• Neglecting the principle of 'dying' (annihilation of the ego) is the main reason for remaining veiled, despite much spiritual effort.
• This death signifies exiting one's old self and entering a realm of light and profound insight.
• Both Platonic philosophy and Mawlana's mysticism emphasize 'training for death' to attain a higher truth.
• Just as a vessel must be emptied to be filled, purgation and self-negation are prerequisites for being imbued with wisdom.