M6:3682 — سوی آهویی به صیدی تاختی / خویش را تو صید خوکی ساختی

Translation: You charged towards a deer, intending to hunt it, But found yourself the quarry of a pig instead. Meaning: This verse speaks to the unpredictable nature of outcomes, where one's earnest efforts towards a noble goal can paradoxically lead to an unintended, often undesirable, reverse situation. It highlights the fallibility of human planning against unforeseen circumstances.

Here, in this verse, we are presented with a vivid illustration of Rumi's worldview, one which, I can assert with absolute certainty, stands in staunch opposition to all forms of determinism and certitude. Rumi confronts us with a paradoxical situation: one sets out to hunt a deer, a symbol of grace and nobility, but ultimately finds oneself snared by a pig, an emblem of baseness and ignominy. This is not merely an anecdote; it is a deeply rooted parable for a foundational principle in Rumi's ontology, and indeed, in Islamic mysticism.

In my interpretation, this narrative embodies the concept of "annulment of intentions and breaking of resolutions" (fasḵ al-ʿazāʾem va naqż al-hemam). A phrase from Nahj al-Balaghah states: "I came to know God by the annulment of intentions and the breaking of resolutions." This means I recognized God's presence when our precise plans and aspirations crumbled, and our resolute efforts came to naught. This is a sign that the world does not stand on its own feet; rather, a "hidden operator" (ḵafiya-kār), a concealed "rider" (savār), holds the reins of affairs, occasionally disrupting the seemingly natural order to awaken us.

Rumi wishes to convey that one should never rely absolutely on outward means and causes. While the world undoubtedly operates on the principle of causality – to allow the "era of heedlessness to continue for a while" – the possibility of exception always exists. This echoes Kant's reflections on causality and continuity in nature, though Kant attributed it to a mental construct imposed by the mind, while Rumi ascribes it to continuous divine creation and an unseen hand. The arrow you shot to the right might veer left. The profit you sought might lead to imprisonment. The pit you dug for another might be where you yourself fall.

This profound insight has significant ramifications. In the realm of epistemology, it leads to epistemic humility (tavāżoʿ-e ʿelmi). It means acknowledging that our knowledge of natural and historical laws is limited and fragile, and that there is no certainty in our predictions. History is neither subject to determinism nor can its future be predicted with certainty. Philosophers like Marx and Fukuyama, each in their own way, fell victim to this illusion of certainty, oblivious to the fact that a "small pebble under the wheels of the train of history" can alter everything. This was the "poverty of imagination" that prevented them from seeing other possibilities.

In the realm of action, we arrive at practical humility (tavāżoʿ-e ʿamali). We should not consider ourselves the "masters" or "teachers" of this world. The reins of affairs are not entirely in our hands. We plan, but always with "inshallah" (God willing) in the back of our minds. This prudence and caution, this acceptance of exceptions, is crucial. Sometimes, divine decree makes a "donkey appear as a goat," especially when one, driven by passion and desire, seeks a particular outcome. This very ardor can cause the donkey to appear as a goat and the goat as a donkey. This is the "reversal by God" (taqlīb-e ḵodā) that sometimes distorts realities to awaken heedless eyes.

In this and subsequent verses, Rumi beautifully alludes to the Sophists, who believed that truth was conventional and could be constructed. But Rumi's response is that the denial of truth is itself an illusion. Just as Descartes stated he could not doubt his own doubting, one cannot escape acknowledging the existence of a truth. This world, despite the multiplicity of apparent causes, has its single thread in the hand of one "rider." Causes and effects are like the "donkey's tail"; the donkey's tail moves things, but the donkey itself has a rider. Relying on the donkey's tail without knowing the rider is pure heedlessness. All this is for our awakening, so that we may know the world is not absolutely subjugated to our plans as we perceive it.

Key takeaways

• Uncertainty of outcomes despite human planning, with potential for inverse results.
• Critique of absolute reliance on apparent causes and determinism in nature and history.
• The manifestation of a "hidden hand" or divine will during moments of "annulment of intentions" as a means of awakening.
• The necessity of epistemic and practical humility before the world, rejecting claims of "end of history" or absolute predictive power.
• The distortion of perception (donkey instead of goat) due to desires and egoistic aspirations.