M6:1628 — عقل گوید کین نه آن حیرت سراست / که سزا گستاخ‌تر از ناسزاست

Translation: The intellect says: this is not that abode of wonder / Where the worthy is more audacious than the unworthy. Meaning: The intellect asserts that this world is a perplexing realm where what is truly deserving often appears less dominant or bold than what is undeserving, contrasting it with a higher reality where truth prevails.

This verse is, without a doubt, one of the most obscure and enigmatic in the Masnavi, bewildering many commentators. I myself am of the opinion that in the later parts of Book Six, Rumi, advancing in age, occasionally found his language less fluid and compliant in expressing complex meanings, thus resorting to more labored articulation. These verses appear precisely within such a dialogue between the intellect (ʿaql) and the body (jasad).

The intellect in this verse, addressing the body, declares that the "sea of return" (bahr-i maʿād) or the fount of truth, which it inquires about, is not "that abode of wonder" (ān heyrat-sarā) "where the worthy is more audacious than the unworthy." Now, one must ask, where is this "abode of wonder" that it is not? Undoubtedly, Rumi here refers to this world of ours, a world he has elsewhere called the "abode of deception" (dār al-ghurūr) and "self-deception" (khod-sarā). The description of this world is precisely that "the worthy is more audacious than the unworthy." But "audacious" (gostākh) here does not imply moral impudence or shamelessness; rather, it means dominant, prevailing, or seemingly justified.

I understand this to mean: in this deceptive world, that which appears more deserving, or that which lacks the true merit for rule or success, seems more dominant and powerful than that which is genuinely worthy. This is akin to tyrannical rulers who consider themselves deserving of the throne and dominate the people, while in truth, they are unworthy. The structure of this world is inverted; truth is hidden in dust, while falsehood shines in appearance. We look at the world with "inverted-seeing eyes" (dīda-i maʿkūs-bīn) and fail to perceive things in their proper place.

However, the intellect states that "that sea of return," that world of truth, is not like this. There, the truly deserving are indeed dominant and prevail over the undeserving, even if this dominance is not outwardly apparent to the people of this world. It is in that realm that "the brilliant sun serves the mote like a servant" and "the lion bows before the gazelle." This apparent worldly inversion is itself a consequence of "Divine Jealousy" (ghayrat-i ilāhī). God, in Rumi's words, gives a "reverse horseshoe print" (naʿl-i maʿkūs), providing misleading signs to keep truths away from the unworthy. What we dislike and flee from might well be the very path of truth, which our comfort-loving and ease-seeking nature compels us to turn away from. Thus, this world is a distorted mirror where one must seek true meaning, not in its superficial appearance.

Key takeaways

• In this world, truths are often veiled in obscurity and inversion.
• The intellect reveals the true nature of the world, contrasting it with its deceptive appearances.
• What appears worthy in our world does not necessarily align with ultimate truth and merit.
• Rumi views the world as the "abode of deception" (dār al-ghurūr), where desert and merit are inverted.
• The obscurity of this verse might hint at the challenges of expressing profound concepts in the later books of the Masnavi.