M1:2652 — در وجود تو شوم من منعدم / چون محبم حب یعمی و یصم

This couplet comes at a pivotal moment in the story of the Arab and his beloved. The Arab, after initially resisting his beloved's request to give away his prized camel, has just declared his surrender. He tells her that he will obey her command, 'whether for good or ill.'

His declaration in this beyt is a profound statement of fana (annihilation of self) in love, a central Sufi concept. He says, 'In your being, I shall become naught' (در وجود تو شوم من منعدم), signifying that his individual existence and will are dissolved into hers. This is not mere obedience but a complete absorption. The second hemistich, 'For a lover, love makes blind and deaf' (چون محبم حب یعمی و یصم), is an Arabic proverb often quoted in Persian, emphasizing the all-consuming nature of true love. It means that a lover is so focused on the beloved that they are oblivious to anything else—advice, warnings, or even their own self-interest. In this context, it explains why he is willing to become naught in her being: his love is so absolute it overrides all other faculties.

However, the woman's immediate response (in the following beyt) shows her skepticism. She asks if he is truly sincere or merely trying to trick her. This highlights a recurring theme in Rumi: the difficulty of discerning true, selfless love from calculated pretense, especially when one's own desires are involved. The Arab's subsequent vehement oath underscores the gravity of his claim of effacement.