M6:1843 — گاه بدظن می‌شدی اندر دعا / از پی تاخیر پاداش و جزا

Translation: At times you would become ill-willed in prayer, / Due to the delay of reward and recompense. Meaning: This verse describes a common human predicament where, faced with delayed answers to prayers, one might develop a sense of suspicion or ill-will towards God's promised rewards.

This verse is uttered within a story recounted by Mowlana in the Masnavi, depicting an individual who persistently sought lawful sustenance. This 'matim' or lover, pleaded and implored, but as the answer to his prayers was delayed, he would occasionally succumb to suspicion and ill-will towards the Creator. This captures a profoundly authentic facet of the human experience: we, as human beings, when we harbor a wish and plead for a need without receiving an immediate response, are quick to lose hope and even grow pessimistic regarding divine justice and generosity.

Mowlana, however, immediately corrects this ill-will, offering us a profound lesson on the nature of divine action. He indicates that the Gracious Lord, despite these delays, continues to 'irjāʾ'—to inspire hope and console the heart with His tidings and guardianship. These delays do not signify neglect or inattention; rather, they are an intrinsic part of the order of creation and divine providence. Mowlana illuminates this point by introducing the concepts of Khafiz (The Abaser) and Rafi' (The Exalter): "Khafiz is He, and Rafi' is He, this Creator; / Without these two, no work can proceed." God is continuously abasing and exalting. These two attributes, akin to 'qabz' (contraction) and 'bast' (expansion), signify a constant state of transformation and upheaval in the world. The cosmos's operation is intertwined with khifz and rafʿ, and nothing remains static.

Mowlana demonstrates this khifz and rafʿ in every corner of the universe: the sky is exalted, the earth abased. The earth itself is at times barren and dry, at others verdant and moist. Time, too, is in a constant state of flux; half is day, half is night, sometimes filled with sorrow and anguish, other times peaceful and joyous. Human temperament is not exempt from this transformation; it experiences periods of health and periods of ailment. Even global conditions, from famine and abundance to peace and war, all emanate from iftitān—divine testing. This implies that these fluctuations and delays are neither accidental nor purposeless; rather, they are part of the divine assessment and trial of creation.

The crucial point here is that these transformations, these winds of 'shamāl' (favorable) and 'samūm' (unfavorable) that shake leaves and souls, do not signify God's absence nor His injustice. On the contrary, this is the very continuous divine action, as expressed in the Quran: "Every day He is in a [new] manifestation" (kullu yawmin huwa fī shaʾn). The world is constantly trembling and moving, and this tremor is not a sign of existential meaninglessness but rather a testament to its vitality and dynamism. Our hearts, in this context, are continuously exposed to 'khawf' (fear) and 'rajāʾ' (hope). This experience of delay and anticipation matures us and deepens our relationship with the Creator. Harboring ill-will stems from a lack of understanding of this constant wisdom and dynamism; it arises from our desire for a static world, whereas the world is perpetually changing and diverse.

Key takeaways

• Ill-will towards God is a sign of human haste in grasping divine wisdom within delay.
• Delayed answers to prayers are not divine neglect but part of the dynamic system of khifz and rafʿ (abasing and exalting) in the world.
• Mowlana's concept of khifz and rafʿ manifests continuous change and flux across all dimensions of existence (cosmos, time, human temperament).
• Fluctuations in world affairs (famine, peace, war) occur for iftitān, or the testing and trial of humanity.
• Ill-will stems from a failure to understand that God is perpetually 'in a new manifestation' and the world is never static.