M6:246 — گرچه مؤمن را سقر ندهد ضرر / لیک هم بهتر بود زانجا گذر

Translation: Although the Fire of Hell (Saqar) causes no harm to the believer, Yet it is still better to pass swiftly by it.

Meaning: This verse suggests that while a true believer's essence might be impervious to the ultimate harm of Hell, it is nevertheless preferable to avoid its direct experience or to pass through it quickly.

This verse from Mawlana, on the surface, presents a theological point: that Hell, with all its burning, does not ultimately harm the true believer. However, I see this as far more than a mere theological statement; it is profoundly connected to one of Mawlana’s most crucial teachings, his very psychoanalysis of the mystic: humanity's flight from self-awareness and responsibility, and the necessity of 'surrendering to reality' for liberation.

Mawlana explicitly states elsewhere that 'The whole world flees from its free will and selfhood / Into its own intoxicated head.' Humans escape from their volition, from their awareness, and from their very being, seeking refuge in 'intoxication' (sarmasti) and 'heedlessness' (bī-khabarī). Why? Because 'Everyone knows that this existence is a snare / And conscious thought and remembrance are Hell.' Through experience, man realizes that this 'being,' this 'boastful and assertive selfhood,' is nothing but a trap; and as long as he consciously thinks and remembers, carrying the burden of self-awareness, he is as if in a hell of anxiety and apprehension. These are the four fundamental human anxieties that contemporary psychoanalysts also address: the anxiety of death, loneliness, meaninglessness, and, of course, the anxiety of freedom and responsibility. To escape this self-made hell, man takes refuge in 'intoxication' (musti), whether it be the intoxication of wine and music, or the intoxication of being immersed in endless busywork (mashghala). He seeks to flee 'from self-awareness into self-forgetfulness.'

Now, what does this verse tell us? It says: 'Although the Fire of Hell (Saqar) causes no harm to the believer / Yet it is still better to pass swiftly by it.' This 'Saqar' can be a symbol of precisely these unpleasant realities that man tries to flee: suffering, death, transience, or the burden of responsibility that comes with free will. Mawlana here offers a subtle guidance: fleeing from these realities is not the solution. The believer is one who knows that these truths can never truly harm their essence, their true core. As we know, for Mawlana, death itself is life, and 'Die, O friend, before death, if you wish for life.' Therefore, physical hell or existential worries cannot shatter the believer's spirit. Yet, even for the believer, 'it is still better to pass swiftly by it.' What does this mean? It means that although fear of it is misplaced, it is still better to pass through it quickly and not get entangled. This is not about escape and forgetting, but about a conscious 'surrender to reality' (taslīm-e vāqe'īyat). It is the acceptance that this 'Saqar,' or these sufferings, or these responsibilities, are an unavoidable reality in this world; yet, at the same time, to live in such a way as to have the least friction and lingering with them. This differs from taking refuge in sheer heedlessness or constructing a false meaning. This is a form of practical wisdom that, while fully confronting reality, also finds a way to exit it, or at least, avoids dwelling and lingering within it.

Key takeaways

• Here, 'Saqar' (Hell) symbolizes the unpleasant existential realities—such as suffering, death, or responsibility—from which humans often try to escape.
• Mawlana argues that people flee from their free will and self-awareness into heedlessness, perceiving existence as a trap and conscious thought as hell.
• The true believer, even when encountering 'Saqar,' is not fundamentally harmed, as their spirit transcends these superficial pains.
• The 'swift passing' through 'Saqar' does not imply mere escape, but rather practical wisdom in accepting reality without undue lingering.
• This verse is an injunction for conscious 'surrender to reality,' meaning to accept what is, without unwarranted fear and without getting submerged in it.