M6:3982 — یا چو ابراهیم مرسل سرخوشی / خویش را افکند اندر آتشی

Translation: Or like Abraham, the joyful messenger, / He cast himself into the fire. Meaning: This verse portrays Abraham as a symbol of one who, driven by ecstatic love, fearlessly throws himself into mortal danger.

In this verse, Rumi points to one of the most sublime examples of a lover: Abraham, who "joyfully" cast himself into the fire. The pivotal term here is sarkhoshī (joyful abandon, ecstasy). This joy is not born of heedlessness or naivety, but rather from a profound rapture and intoxication of love that eradicates all fear. Abraham, in this narrative, embodies the seeker who, not out of despair or desperation, but from an abundance of certainty and union, surrenders himself to danger. This act, in Rumi's view, is the ultimate manifestation of courage that springs from the heart of love. He not only renounces worldly kingship and wealth (as seen in the story of Ibrahim Adham), but also sacrifices his very life for the Beloved. This surrender of life is not accompanied by lamentation or wailing, but by dance and ecstasy, for the lover casts himself into the secure embrace of the Beloved, knowing that no harm can truly befall him. This is the very essence of the "light-souled" spirit (sabuk-rūḥī) that Rumi references throughout the Masnavi; a liberation from material burdens and an ascent to a state where the fire of the world becomes a rose garden for the lover's soul.

Key takeaways

• The term sarkhoshī (joyful abandon) is key: Abraham cast himself into the fire out of ecstatic love and certainty in God, not out of fear.
• This act symbolizes the courage born of love, which transcends earthly logic and self-preservation.
• The true lover, in surrendering life for the Beloved, is not sorrowful but intoxicated with joy and certainty.
• Abraham's story is another example of renouncing all worldly attachments, even life itself, in pursuit of divine union.