M1:284 — کافران اندر مِری بوزینه طبع / آفتی آمد درون سینه طبع

Translation: The disbelievers, in contention, are monkey-natured; / A calamity has entered the heart of such a nature. Meaning: This verse portrays disbelievers as monkey-like in their contentious and blind imitation, and describes the sealing of the heart as a grave spiritual malady within one's very being.

In this profound verse, Rumi delves into the issue of blind imitation and contentious argument (mira), describing it as having a "monkey-like nature" (bozineh-tabʿ). It is my contention that this couplet represents one of Rumi's most subtle psychological analyses of those who are captivated by appearances and remain oblivious to inner realities.

As I have elucidated elsewhere, Rumi crafts a dialogue between Moses and Pharaoh in the Masnavi, where Pharaoh, claiming to be a philosopher, tells Moses: "Be not deceived by what you have wrought / And the terror you have instilled in people's hearts." Pharaoh argues that Moses's work is merely frightening people with miracles, whereas "the people of the world have bought me." This superficial 'buying' is what Pharaoh prefers over Moses's 'miracle.' This, precisely, is the trap of superficiality that Rumi identifies as afflicting the disbelievers here. Those who are oblivious to truth become entangled in mira (contention and dispute) and bozineh-tabʿ (blind imitation). This behavior, Rumi states, is a great "calamity" (āfat) that settles "within the heart's nature" (sineh-tabʿ).

This "nature" (tabʿ) that Rumi speaks of is a deep allusion to the Quranic concept of "tabaʿa Allahu ʿala qulubihim" (God has sealed their hearts). As I have explained previously, this sealing of the heart signifies the death of conscience (wijdan) and the silencing of the voice of fairness and shame (sharm) within one's being. Conscience, in contemporary terms, is precisely that "shame" which has ancient roots in our literature. When a person commits a fault and their conscience reprimands them, we are still alive, and the path to return is open. But when an individual errs and, furthermore, tells themselves, "I did well," thereby silencing and suffocating the hammers of conscience, they are, in truth, dead. This is where "shamelessness" emerges, which I refer to as umm al-radhā'il, or the mother of all vices. A shameless person fears no depravity and does not even reprimand themselves. This calamity—the sealing of the gateways of reason, fairness, and shame—reduces humanity to a state lower than that of animals.

Rumi clarifies this "monkey-like nature" with the example of hypocrites and believers. He says: "The hypocrite joins the worshiper in prayer / For contention, not for need." Outwardly, both perform prayer, bowing and prostrating; but one acts out of obedience and need, while the other does so out of contention and enmity towards faith. The appearance of these two actions is identical, but their essence, intention, and inner character are entirely different. "Forms are alike, but characters are distinct." This vital distinction reveals Rumi's profound understanding of the difference between the outward and inward aspects of human actions and motivations, emphasizing that the value of an act lies not in its form, but in the character and intention embedded within it. The monkey-natured disbelievers are likewise; their actions may bear a resemblance to those of believers, but they are devoid of depth and truth, for their hearts are sealed, and they are deprived of understanding the true distinction.

Key takeaways

• Superficiality and blind imitation are grave spiritual maladies that obstruct the perception of truth.
• The 'disbelievers' here symbolize those who, in contention, are trapped by appearances, their intentions alienated from truth.
• The 'heart's nature' refers to the human conscience, which can become sealed and die through heedlessness and persistence in error.
• The death of conscience and shamelessness is the root of all vices, reducing a person to a state lower than animals.
• The fundamental distinction in human actions lies not in their outward form, but in their inner intention and character.
• As with Pharaoh and Hallaj, identical words can emanate from two entirely different inner worlds, yielding contrasting outcomes.