M1:417 — نی صفا می‌ماندش نی لطف و فَر / نی به سوی آسمان راهِ سفر

Translation: Neither purity remains for it, nor grace and glory / Nor a path of journey towards the sky. Meaning: When humanity becomes entangled in worldly preoccupations, thoughts, and illusions, the soul loses its inner clarity and vitality, thus forgetting its essential spiritual journey towards its celestial origin.

In this verse, which continues the preceding lines, Mowlana elaborates on the concept of 'sleep in wakefulness' – how a person, outwardly awake, is inwardly a captive of illusions and preoccupations that divert them from their true existential reality. He states that the soul, being constantly trampled by daily khayālāt (thoughts, worries, anxieties) – encompassing material gains and losses, fear of decay, aspirations, plans, and scattered notions – utterly loses its purity and transparency. Its spiritual grace and glory fade, and no path remains for it towards the heavens. This is a profound state of being lost, resulting from immersion in the realm of imagination.

I have frequently emphasized that in Mowlana’s view, humanity is a 'traveler'; a traveler severed from the 'reed-bed' of being and sent into this world, who must always remember their 'origin' and seek the 'time of their reunion.' This verse serves as a warning against forgetting this fundamental identity of being a sojourner. Worldly khayālāt, like a thick veil, interpose themselves between humans and their celestial destination, causing them to 'cling to the earth,' a notion also echoed in the Quran with 'أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ.' Such an approach – not clinging to the earth but turning towards the heavens – is a foundational principle of Mowlana's thought; a thought concerned with the 'human condition' or the authentic state of being, rather than the historical or political issues of his time.

Thus, this verse teaches us that becoming trapped in this vast expanse of 'khayālāt' leads humanity from true awakening into a deep slumber. In this slumber, the bewildered soul finds neither purity nor vitality, no manifestation of divine grace remains within it, nor even the strength and will to find its way back to its origin.

Key takeaways

• Entanglement in worldly thoughts and anxieties erodes the soul's purity and clarity.
• This verse describes 'sleep in wakefulness,' where one is outwardly conscious but spiritually oblivious.
• Being 'trampled by khayālāt' (illusions, desires, fears) is the primary obstacle to the soul's spiritual journey toward its origin.
• Mowlana views humans as travelers who must never forget their celestial destination; worldly thoughts obscure this path.
• The verse warns against clinging to the earth (أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ) and neglecting spiritual ascent.