قَالُوا لَا ضَيْرَ ۖ إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا مُنْقَلِبُونَ
Qālū lā dayra, innā ilā rabbinā munqalibūn
They said: No harm [in it]; surely to our Lord we shall return (Sūratush Shu‘arā, No. 26, Āyat 50)
When the human heart is enlightened with the Truth, all else fades into obscurity. That which mattered so much before becomes irrelevant. It is as if every part of the human being is focused on the Truth, and has no time or desire to see anything else. This is the ‘Ishq – passionate love, which takes over man’s heart, flooding it with waves of serenity. Drop what you want in it, it continues to flow peacefully.
The words in the verse above emanate from hearts overtaken by ‘Ishq. They are spoken by the magicians in the court of Fir‘awn( Pharaoh), after they witness the miracle of Nabī Mūsā’s stick turning into a serpent. Their knowledge of magic makes them realize that this act is more than just magic. Overcome by the truth of the miracle they have seen, they fall into prostration and announce their belief in Allah. Fir‘awn in his anger at their perceived disobedience rails at them and threatens them with an unseemly death. To that the magicians calmly reply that it doesn’t matter, they look forward to returning to their Lord and being forgiven for the past.
The quick reversal in loyalties was hard to understand for Fir‘awn, and those like him whose hearts were sealed from the rays of Truth. These were the very magicians who had entered the court professing their loyalty, asking Fir‘wan for a reward, and swearing by his honor as they threw the sticks. All it took was one act of Mūsā (a) to change them. The miracle conveyed evidence of a God who controls all things. The magicians accepted the Truth and submitted completely to it. This is the effect of true enlightenment.
In life, we must open our hearts for the rays of Truth to enter. ‘Ishq of Allah must so dominate the heart that all else pales in comparison. True enlightenment can thus transform our lives. Then we too can say that nothing matters, since we are looking forward to returning to our Lord. What a strong armor against the complexities of life!
Source: Āytaullāh Nāsir Makārim Shirāzī (ed), Tafsīr-e Namūneh