M6:482 — خیر ناس آن ینفع الناس ای پدر / گر نه سنگی چه حریفی با مدر

Translation: The best of people are those who benefit people, O father! / If you are not a stone, how can you be a companion to a clod (and remain in isolation)? Meaning: Citing a Prophetic tradition, this verse asserts that the most benevolent individuals are those who actively serve others, equating social disengagement and inaction with the inertness of stone.

This verse appears in the midst of a remarkable debate between the bird and the hunter, a debate centered on the perennial question of 'monasticism' versus 'social engagement.' Here, the bird articulates Rumi's perspective, which emphatically stresses active, beneficial presence within society, cautioning against withdrawal and isolation.

In this verse, and indeed through the bird's speech, Rumi alludes to a famous Prophetic Hadith: "Khayr al-Nās anfa'uhum li al-nās" (The best of people are those most beneficial to people). Or, as elaborated in another tradition, "Al-khalq 'iyāl Allāh wa khayruhum aw aqrabuhum ilayh anfa'uhum li 'iyālih," which considers all of humanity God's dependents, deeming service to creation as a sign of divine proximity. How can one adhere to this Hadith and this ethical stance while living in seclusion? It is evident that benefiting people is impossible outside of society; sitting idly in a corner and remaining passive is inconsistent with this spiritual and ethical mission.

Following this exposition of ethical principle, Rumi employs an eloquent rhetorical question to denounce isolation: "Gar na sangī che harīfī bā mudar?" The word "mudar" means a clod of earth. This translates to: "O human being, possessing consciousness, conscience, and life, if your nature is not inert and motionless like stone and clod, why do you equate yourself with them and cease from movement, activity, and impact?" This is a clear reproach for those who shirk participation in communal life and sit in a corner like inanimate objects. This statement is a call to dynamism, responsibility, and social vitality.

In Islam, monasticism and seclusion in the Christian-monastic sense – which sometimes led to excesses like neglecting bodily hygiene or marriage – has been explicitly forbidden. Although the Quran in Surah al-Hadid mentions that the followers of Jesus innovated monasticism "illa ibtighā'a riḍwān Allāh" (only seeking God's pleasure), they fell short in observing it ("fa-mā ra'awhā ḥaqqa ri'āyatihā"). Rumi constructively translates this prohibition: the path to salvation is not in withdrawal, but in service to creation. Even enduring the "hardship of the ill-tempered," which Rumi refers to in earlier verses, is a virtue; however, it is crucial to note that this endurance applies only to "minor" injustices and those "from inferiors" that lead to the purification of the soul. In contrast, injustices "from superiors" and oppressive rulers should never be tolerated and must be resisted. This demonstrates that Rumi's perspective is not an invitation to passive submission, but a summons to intelligent and ethical activism.

Thus, "Khayr-i nās ān yanfa' al-nās" is not merely an ethical slogan, but a practical guideline for the mystical path, guiding humanity from a state of inertness and passivity to the realm of life and active social and spiritual engagement.

Key takeaways

• Beneficence to others is the primary criterion for virtue and divine proximity in Rumi's view.
• Social isolation and withdrawal are condemned by Rumi, likened to inertness and stagnation.
• A virtuous and truth-seeking individual is necessarily active and impactful within society.
• This verse is founded on a Prophetic Hadith: "The best of people are those most beneficial to people."
• Enduring social hardships for spiritual purification is conditional on the nature of the injustice, and does not include accepting oppression.