M6:2453 — من شدم با او به چارم آسمان / مرکز و مثوای خورشید جهان

Translation: I ascended with him to the fourth heaven, / The center and abode of the world's sun. Meaning: This verse is spoken by a Christian character in the Masnavi who, in a dream, experiences an ascent with Jesus Christ to the fourth heaven, which is traditionally understood as the sun's celestial dwelling.

“I ascended with him to the fourth heaven, / The center and abode of the world's sun.” This verse is uttered by the Christian character in Rumi's story, who recounts his dream. In this dream, he ascends with Jesus Christ to the fourth heaven. According to ancient beliefs and religious narratives, the fourth heaven, or the fourth sphere (charkh-e chahārom), is where the sun resides, and it is to this realm that Jesus Christ ascended after his earthly mission. He is believed to reside there to this day, awaiting his Second Coming, when he will return to Earth, rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and all nations will believe in him.

Significantly, Rumi here alludes not only to Christian traditions but also implicitly to Shi'i narratives. According to Shi'i belief, in the End of Times, Jesus (pbuh) will also reappear and, alongside the Twelfth Imam, Mahdi (ajtf), will pray behind him. This is a convergence that is established at the culmination of the world among these three great monotheistic traditions, and Rumi subtly points to this eschatological harmony.

However, from a deeper perspective, this dream, although it speaks of ascension, remains 'form-bound' (surat-dār). I have often stated that genuine mystical experiences, when they reach 'formlessness' (bi-surati), become universal and all-encompassing. Yet in this dream, the Christian sees Christ, and earlier, the Jew saw Moses. These are not experiences that I would readily call 'mystical' in the purest sense, precisely because they are surat-dār; that is, the individual perceives what is revealed through the pre-existing mental images and beliefs he holds. In such a state, truth, even if it manifests, does so in a limited and specific form. Formless experiences, on the other hand, transcend the boundaries of schools and religions, reaching a truth beyond these constructs. Although this Christian speaks of the grandeur of the celestial fortresses and the unparalleled nature of what transpires in the higher heavens—deeming it far more significant than earthly events, and seemingly boasting over the Jew whose visions were rooted on Mount Sinai (a part of the earth)—he too remains confined within the images of his own mind. This is Rumi's nuanced perspective on the varying degrees of spiritual experience: until an experience is emptied of mental forms, it will not reach its ultimate zenith.

Key takeaways

• The verse recounts a Christian's dream ascent with Jesus Christ to the fourth heaven, traditionally the abode of the sun.
• It reflects the Christian belief in Jesus' celestial dwelling until his awaited Second Coming.
• Rumi's narrative subtly highlights the eschatological convergence of Christian and Shi'i traditions, where Jesus returns alongside Imam Mahdi.
• The Christian narrator emphasizes the profound grandeur of celestial experiences over earthly visions (like the Jewish dream on Mount Sinai).
• Despite its grandeur, Soroush interprets this experience as 'form-bound' (surat-dār), limited by the narrator's pre-existing beliefs, rather than 'formless' and universally transcendent.