M6:2885 — عارف از معروف بس درخواست کرد / کای رقیب ما تو اندر گرم و سرد

Translation: The Gnostic pleaded intensely with the Known One, saying: O our Guardian, You are with us in all heat and cold (all circumstances).

Meaning: The mystic intensely petitions God, the Known One, affirming His constant and watchful presence through every condition, whether easy or arduous.

In this verse, Rumi unveils one of the deepest mystical insights. The ʿĀrif (Gnostic), the keen-sighted beholder of truth, addresses the Maʿrūf (the Known One, God) and refers to Him as his Raqīb. However, Raqīb here does not signify a rival or a competitor in love; it unequivocally means 'Observer' or 'Guardian.' The Gnostic perceives God as his constant guardian, present 'in all heat and cold,' that is, in every circumstance of life—in hardship and ease, in joy and sorrow.

Rumi immediately proceeds to elaborate on the nature of this divine presence and our unawareness of it, stating: 'O You who sees us, but whom we do not see day and night / Our eye is blinded by seeing causes.' We fail to perceive Him, not because of His absence, but because our vision is entangled in the apparent causes and effects of the world. The material world, for us, is like a glove on God's hand. We see only the glove and remain oblivious to the hidden hand behind it. This analogy, previously employed by Ghazali, is beautifully adapted by Rumi to explain different levels of perception: an ant that sees only the tip of a pen and believes it to be the sole agent of writing, while a hand and a mind are behind it. The levels of vision vary; the sharper the eye and the higher the vantage point, the more we transcend nature and realize that 'above causes are other causes,' a chain leading back to the primordial Cause, the Source of all causes.

Thus, the ʿĀrif is one whose eye is liberated from 'cause-seeing' and perceives beyond mere appearances. He has left Plato's cave and emerged to apprehend pure reality. This is not merely an individual faculty, but sometimes a divine expediency that keeps the general populace confined within the veil of causes, for if this veil were torn, 'the order of the world would be disrupted.' Yet, there are 'sharp-eyed' individuals who pierce this veil and 'see the sun at night'; they are like certain characters in the story of Sultan Mahmud and the thieves, possessing the ability to recognize the king (truth) even in darkness. These sharp-eyed ones, who are the prophets and saints, are in essence God's eyes among us. They will one day bear witness and intercede for us, and their judgment holds sway with the Judge. This verse demonstrates that the Gnostic is never alone in this world; rather, he is under the perpetual guardianship of the Raqīb, who is absolute existence and infinite beauty.

Key takeaways

• God is our 'Raqīb,' not as a rival, but as our eternal Guardian and Observer in all circumstances.
• Our perception is often veiled by the apparent causes of the world, hindering our recognition of constant divine presence.
• Nature acts as God's 'glove'; we perceive the action but fail to recognize the hidden divine hand behind it.
• The true Gnostic (ʿĀrif) possesses 'sharp sight' that can penetrate beyond causes to perceive the hidden 'hand' of the Ultimate Causer.
• The veil of causes that covers our eyes is sometimes an 'expediency' to maintain cosmic order and prevent its disruption.
• Prophets and saints are 'sharp-eyed' individuals who, even in the world's darkness, perceive hidden truth and can serve as witnesses and intercessors for us.