M6:758 — عقل گردی عقل را دانی کمال / عشق گردی عشق را دانی ذبال

Translation: If you become intellect, you will know the perfection of intellect; and if you become love, you will see the flames (sparks) of love. Meaning: This verse asserts that true understanding of any phenomenon, be it intellect or love, is only attainable by experiencing and embodying it, rather than merely contemplating it.

This verse is one of those instances where Rumi unequivocally expresses the profound depth of his epistemology. The prevailing assumption for many of us is that to understand something, it suffices to ponder it, memorize definitions, and review theories. However, Rumi decisively deems this approach incomplete. He insists that for true comprehension, one must become that very thing. This is where the distinction between ʿilm-i ḥuẓūrī (presential knowledge) and ʿilm-i ḥuṣūlī (conceptual knowledge) emerges. ʿIlm-i ḥuṣūlī is knowledge acquired through concepts and mental forms; but ʿilm-i ḥuẓūrī is knowledge gained through direct existence and experience. Rumi invites us to 'pre-theoretical thought,' to switch off the 'mind's engine' and enter into an 'existential connection.'

When he states, 'If you become intellect, you will know the perfection of intellect,' this is a clear and acceptable logic. How can one speak of intellect and discern its perfections if one is not intelligent oneself or lacks experience of it? This is achieved only through 'becoming.' Yet, this principle becomes far more intricate and profound concerning love. 'And if you become love, you will see the zobāl of love.' Zobāl here means 'flame' or 'spark,' not refuse. That is, until you become a lover, until you burn in the fire of love, how can you speak of its flames? How can you truly know its ardent passion? This cannot be grasped by reading books or hearing stories; it can only be realized by being consumed in the furnace of love.

This teaching has deep roots in our mystical heritage. It echoes the Prophet's saying, 'Die before you die' (mūtū qabla an tamūtū). To die before physical death means to die to the conceptual self, to attachments, to the conceptual mind, so that a new 'self' may be born, capable of direct experience and the 'becoming' of truths. Rumi even goes further, stating regarding the prophetic understanding of realities like the Resurrection: 'He does not say the Prophet saw the Resurrection; he says he became the Resurrection.' This demonstrates that for him, the apex of understanding and perception lies in existential transformation and annihilation in the perceived.

Therefore, the message of this verse is not merely a moral admonition; it is a fundamental epistemology. To understand anything, be it light or darkness, intellect or love, one must remove the veil between oneself and it, move beyond conceptual questioning, and grasp it through an 'existential connection.' This hidden truth is revealed only to those whose 'taste' of being has been transformed; just as Rumi says, 'Many figs are strewn here, but it awaits a fig-eating bird to come.'

Key takeaways

• True understanding is attained only through direct experience and 'becoming' the phenomenon, not mere intellectual contemplation.
• To comprehend the perfection of intellect and the flames of love, one must become intellectual or a lover.
• This approach exemplifies ʿilm-i ḥuẓūrī (presential knowledge) as opposed to ʿilm-i ḥuṣūlī (conceptual knowledge), a central tenet for Rumi.
• To grasp existential truths, one must 'turn off the mind's engine' and engage in 'pre-theoretical thought.'
• Rumi extends this 'becoming' to prophetic perception, viewing it as a state of 'being' rather than merely 'seeing'.