M1:609 — ما همه شیران ولی شیر عَلم / حمله‌شان از باد باشد دم‌به‌دم

Translation: We are all lions, but lions on a banner; their charge is from the wind, moment by moment. Meaning: This verse illustrates that our actions and movements, though seemingly originating from us, are in reality driven by an unseen force beyond our individual existence, just as a lion depicted on a flag (shīr-i ʿalam) is moved by the wind.

This verse resides at the heart of Rumi's concept of tawḥīd-i afʿālī (the unity of acts), a foundational notion in Islamic mysticism. It posits that every act in the cosmos, even those seemingly originating from contingent beings, ultimately traces back to the will and action of God. Rumi articulates this idea lucidly through the metaphor of the shīr-i ʿalam (lion on a banner).

A shīr-i ʿalam is a lion depicted on a flag, a potent symbol of majesty and charge, yet this lion possesses no inherent power of movement. Its attacks and motions, moment by moment, emanate from the 'wind' (bād), which remains unseen. This wind, in Rumi's discerning gaze, symbolizes Absolute Existence and the Divine Force, which, though invisible, bestows motion and being. Just as I earlier spoke of the ney (reed) and its melody — 'We are like the reed, and the melody within us is from You' — and the mountain and its echo — 'We are like the mountain, and the sound within us is from You' — here too, Mawlana expands upon the same profound meaning.

We, as human beings, like the hollow reed into which the breath of the player is poured, or the mountain that merely reflects an external sound, are existentially empty. This 'existential hollowness' (tūkhālī būdan-i wujūdī) signifies our non-being and lack of independence in the face of the Necessary Existent (wājib al-wujūd). We are mumkin al-wujūd (possible existents) and, to exist and manifest in the world, we are in dire need of someone or something to grant us being. We do not exist autonomously; our being, our movement, and even our will stem from an invisible source.

Rumi further states: 'Our charge is manifest, yet the wind is unseen; may life be sacrificed for that which is unseen.' This expression beautifully illustrates that true power resides in the invisible agent, not in the apparent form of the lion on the banner. Our very soul, our existence, and all that emanates from us are a gift from that 'wind' – that Absolute and unseen Existence which keeps all creation in motion. Thus, though our actions are manifest, their true agent remains hidden; and this is precisely tawḥīd-i afʿālī, which elevates the mystic to a station of essential annihilation (fanā-yi dhātī) and absolute dependence on the Real.

Key takeaways

• Every action and movement originates from an unseen, divine force (tawḥīd-i afʿālī).
• Human beings inherently lack independent, self-subsistent existence before God.
• Like the lion on a banner, we are incapable of self-movement; it is the 'wind' (Absolute Existence) that moves us.
• Recognizing this dependence leads to essential annihilation (fanā-yi dhātī) and utter surrender.
• Accepting our 'existential hollowness' (tūkhālī būdan-i wujūdī) is a crucial step towards gnosis and connection with Absolute Existence.