M6:360 — خواجه می‌پنداشت کز خود می‌مرد / این نمی‌دید او که دزدش می‌کشد

Translation: The master thought he was dying of his own accord; / He did not see that a thief was killing him. Meaning: This verse teaches us that when our inner resolve or spiritual light diminishes, we often assume it's a natural decay, unaware that an alien, destructive force within us is actively extinguishing it.

This profound couplet from the Masnavi unveils a crucial secret concerning human will and self-knowledge. Rumi, through a vivid allegory, illuminates the nature of our inner struggle. He recounts the story of a man in the dead of night attempting to strike a spark from flint, hoping to transfer it to a piece of tinder (what Rumi calls sōkhte, 'burnt material') to maintain a stable flame. Yet, in the utter darkness, a hidden thief stealthily places his finger on the tinder, extinguishing each nascent flame as it appears. The master, unaware of this thief, assumes the tinder is merely 'damp' (nam) and that the spark is dying of its own accord. Due to the profound darkness, he fails to perceive this 'fire-extinguisher' right before him.

Rumi presents this anecdote not merely as a tale, but as an allegory for the human condition. The 'spark' or 'star' that leaps forth in our hearts can be our resolve to abandon sin, our decision to perform a good deed, or even a flash of spiritual insight that illuminates our soul. However, within us, a 'hidden thief' has made its home. Who is this thief? Rumi refers to it as 'strangers' (bīgānegān), those impure and contaminated forces within us that are in perpetual conflict with our 'pure self'. These strangers can manifest as unchecked desires, undesirable habits, carnal temptations, or even erroneous thoughts that, like masks, obscure the truth of the soul. It is due to this internal 'darkness' (zulmat) that we suffer from 'blindness' ('amash), failing to recognize these saboteurs and distinguish them from our 'true self'. This is akin to philosophical 'alienation' (ālyānāsiyūn): mistaking oneself for another, confusing the physical body for the totality of one's being. Rumi explicitly states: 'O father, you have lost your battle / You have not known others from yourself / In whatever form you appear, you assert, / 'This is I,' but by God, this is not you.'

This inner thief is what shatters our resolve ('azm). Rumi recalls the Quranic verse regarding Prophet Adam: 'And verily We had made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found not in him resolve' (20:115). Even a prophet like Adam suffered 'forgetfulness' (nisyān) due due to a lack of firm resolve and 'sincerity' (sidq). When no 'seed of sincerity' has been sown, meaning there's no integrity or wholeness in our intention, God ordains 'forgetfulness' upon us, allowing the thief to extinguish the sparks of our good intentions. This illustrates the mediation of 'angelic' (malakī) and 'satanic' (shayṭānī) forces; angels affirm good, while devils tempt towards evil. Only by expelling this thief, by 'emptying' the house of the soul from these strangers, and by uniting with the pure self, can the path to unwavering resolve and the enduring light of inner wisdom be opened. For Rumi, the sole path to achieving this oneness with oneself is through 'love' ('āshiqī).

It is for this reason that Rumi, in subsequent verses, speaks of a 'conquering Omnipotence' (qahr-e Qahhārī) that looms over us—a divine force that sometimes defeats us to demonstrate our 'subjugated' (maghlūb) nature, compelling us to relinquish 'arrogance and selfishness.' We cannot escape His grasp; even in non-existence, we were not free from His hold. Ultimately, Rumi identifies the root of these snares as 'desire' (ārezū): 'This world is a trap, and its bait is desire / Flee from traps by abandoning desire.' Freedom from attachments and desires is what enables lightness and the flight of the soul. This Buddhist-Sufi insight of Rumi stands in stark contrast to any form of 'desire-seeking' and perceives the path to liberation in 'desiring nothing.'

Key takeaways

• Many of our failures stem from internal saboteurs or 'hidden thieves' within us, rather than natural weakness.
• What Rumi calls the 'thief' refers to our inner 'strangers': the contaminated self, undesirable habits, and erroneous thoughts that usurp our true identity.
• This 'mistaking oneself' or 'alienation' is the fundamental cause of our inability to recognize inner thieves and sustain our resolves.
• Rumi emphasizes that the inability to maintain good intentions is due to a lack of 'sincerity' (sidq) and complete devotion in our will.
• To expel these thieves and achieve the 'pure self,' the path of love ('āshiqī) and emptying the soul's abode of attachments is essential.