M6:1770 — ور نگوید کت نه آن فهم و فن است / لیک آن ذوق تو پرسش کردنست

Translation: And if He does not speak to you, for you lack that understanding and skill, Yet your very yearning to question is His questioning. Meaning: This verse suggests that even if God does not openly converse with a suffering individual due to their limited capacity, the inner delight and impulse to seek and question is itself a subtle form of divine inquiry or communication.

I have often said that the Masnavi is a book of passionate love (ʿishq), not a ledger of complaint. This particular verse continues that deep current of Rumi's thought, positing that suffering, when viewed with the inner eye, not only brings proximity to the divine but also serves as a portal to divine grace. The Sufi’s questions and the pains he laments ultimately lead to this very truth. Here, Rumi gently reproaches the questioning Sufi who laments the hardships of the world and the difficulty of abandoning carnal desires. Rumi's response is that these sufferings, though bitter, are easier to bear than "remoteness from God and heedlessness." Pains pass, but separation from God is eternal, and blessed is the soul that, aware of this truth, turns back to Him. Suffering that makes us aware of our own weakness and perishability, that unveils the reality of our true existential vulnerability, is a pure gift. Just as death is the low threshold of this world, compelling everyone to bow their heads and acknowledge their inherent humility, so too do sufferings perform this function; they remind humanity of God and guide them towards His path. The pinnacle of this mystical perspective is when Rumi asks: "How long will suffering last, the moment the Lord of Bounties / Says to you, 'How are you, My ailing one?'" A thousand offenses from the Beloved vanish before a single "glance" or "kindness." Hafez, too, expressed this sentiment: "Bear with the loving reproach of the fairy-faced Beloved, / For one glance can compensate for a hundred cruelties." If the Beloved inquires about our state, all pains are forgotten, and the suffering soul takes flight. However, the verse in question precisely complements and culminates this idea: "And if He does not speak to you, for you lack that understanding and skill, / Yet your very yearning to question is His questioning." Rumi knows that we, as humans, lack the "fahm o fann" (understanding and spiritual capacity) to hear God's overt speech, nor does He, like earthly lovers, come to our bedside to ask, "O my grief-stricken lover, are you asleep?" This level of direct perception is not available to everyone. But this does not imply God's unawareness of our condition. The central point is this: that inner "dhawq" (taste, delight, yearning), that intense urge to question the divine, that sweetness that settles in the heart of the suffering person and draws them towards truth—this itself is God's "questioning." It is as if God, in a hidden language, through this very inner yearning and pull, inquires about our state. Earthly lovers, too, if they fear "shame and reputation" and cannot openly visit their beloved, will "devise a way and send a message." This inner yearning for questioning within us is that hidden message from God. Ultimately, "no Beloved is unaware of their lover." Even if He does not outwardly inquire about our state, our memory resides in His heart, and this very yearning within us is proof of His presence and connection. This verse invites a deeper look at suffering: pain is not merely agony, but a messenger and a conduit for hidden union.

Key takeaways

• Earthly sufferings, though bitter, are ultimately easier to bear than remoteness and heedlessness from God.
• The ultimate purpose of suffering is to awaken humanity to its own weakness and mortality, guiding it back to God.
• The inner yearning and impulse to question the Divine is itself a subtle form of inquiry and hidden attention from God.
• Hidden divine kindness can obliterate immense suffering in an instant, much like a Beloved's single glance can compensate for a hundred cruelties.
• Even if one lacks the capacity to comprehend God's explicit speech, His presence and attention are always sustained through inner spiritual attractions.