M6:449 — سالها هم‌صحبتی و هم‌دمی / با عناصر داشت جسم آدمی

Translation: For many years, the human body held companionship and intimacy / With the (four) elements. Meaning: This verse signifies the profound, long-standing connection of the human physical form with the material world and its constituent elements.

Mowlana, in this verse, addresses the physical origins of humanity, contrasting it sharply with our spiritual essence. He states that our body, this earthly vessel we inhabit, has for many years been a companion and intimate friend to the elements of nature—to earth, water, air, and fire. These 'many years' can be interpreted as the duration before our full spiritual awakening, or as the entire span of our physical existence on this planet, a period during which the divine spirit had not yet fully asserted its dominion over the body, or as Soroush puts it, 'when we had not yet become human' in the spiritual sense (d6-s10 [01:04:47]).

This elemental kinship of our body with the four primary constituents of the world is, for Mowlana, akin to our 'ancient kin,' to which our physical form will ultimately return. Yet, Mowlana immediately juxtaposes this ancient elemental kinship with the soul's more profound and original connection to the higher realms. Our soul originates 'from the pure souls and intellects' (d6-s10 [01:05:07]), descending from that exalted realm to this world of dust.

Indeed, this verse is a foundational piece in Mowlana's grand tapestry of meaning, painting a picture of the soul's forgetfulness. From the realm of intellects and pure souls, messages continuously arrive for the soul, a gentle reprimand and reminder: 'Have you found companions for merely five days? Have you turned away from your ancient friends?' (d6-s10 [01:05:43]). It is as if the soul, in this earthly domain, has found new, temporary companions and has forgotten those old friends, those ancient comrades of the intellectual realm.

Mowlana's subsequent metaphor in this narrative is profound: our soul is like a child playing in the street—this earthly world—with other children. But as night falls, 'night pulls them towards home' (d6-s10 [01:06:50]). This game is not eternal; the time for returning to the true home inevitably arrives. This world, as the Quran asserts, is but 'play' (laʿib), and one should not spend an entire lifetime engrossed in this game (d6-s10 [01:07:37]). The soul must, before the night of heedlessness and death descends, find its true garments and prepare for its return to its original homeland, lest it 'has no face to go home' (d6-s10 [01:07:37]), returning to its origin with shame and empty-handed.

Thus, this verse is not merely a description of the body; it is a fundamental call to remembrance from Mowlana: be aware that this companionship of the body with the elements is temporary, and your true kin await you in a higher realm. It is an invitation to awaken from heedlessness and to recall the spiritual essence of humanity.

Key takeaways

• The human body has deep roots in the material elements of this world, intricately woven with nature.
• The body's companionship with the elements signifies a temporary, 'five-day' kinship and friendship.
• This verse highlights the contrast between our physical origin (from elements) and our spiritual origin (from the realm of Intellects).
• The soul's heedlessness in this world means forgetting its ancient companions and its true homeland.
• The transient world is likened to a child's game that must eventually be abandoned for a return home.
• Mowlana, through this reminder, warns against becoming ensnared by fleeting friendships and worldly attachments.