M1:3774 — باز باش ای باب رحمت تا ابد / بارگاه ما له کفوا احد

Translation: Remain open, O door of mercy, forever! / Our court is peerless, unto Him none is equal. Meaning: This verse, spoken by a defeated champion to Imam Ali, implores Ali to keep his door of mercy perpetually open, acknowledging his unparalleled spiritual stature that mirrors the divine attribute of peerlessness.

This profound couplet emerges from Rumi's captivating narrative of Imam Ali and the defeated champion on the battlefield. After Ali, in a moment of extraordinary self-command, refrains from slaying his opponent despite being provoked by a spit, the champion is utterly bewildered by Ali's unparalleled act of grace. It is then that he begins to articulate Ali's exalted spiritual station, calling him 'Ahad-khoo' (one of the nature of the One God).

I firmly believe that Rumi here portrays Ali as a perfect mirror reflecting the divine attributes. When the champion proclaims, 'Remain open, O door of mercy, forever! / Our court is peerless, unto Him none is equal,' this is far more than a mere request; it is a testimony to Ali's singular stature. The phrase 'Door of Mercy' (Bāb-e Rahmat) is crucial, designating Ali as the gateway through whom divine mercy flows to creation, a door that must remain perpetually open.

The climax of the verse lies in the second hemistich: 'Our court is peerless, unto Him none is equal' (Bārgāh-e mā lahu kufuwan ahad). This is a direct echo and adaptation of a segment from Surah Ikhlas (Qur'an 112:1-4: Qul huwa Allahu Ahad / Allahu al-Samad / Lam yalid wa lam yūlad / Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad — Say: He is Allah, the One / Allah, the Eternal Refuge / He neither begets nor is born / Nor is there to Him any equivalent). This does not imply Rumi deifies Ali; rather, within Rumi's mystical framework, a Perfect Human (Insan-e Kāmil) like Ali is such a pure and untarnished mirror for the manifestation of divine names and attributes that his 'court' — his sphere of being and influence — in its peerlessness, draws near to the essence of the Divine 'Ahad'. No one and nothing is his equal or peer, precisely because he is profoundly connected to the 'One'. This is, without doubt, a high-ranking description of the station of Wilāyat (spiritual guardianship) and the Perfect Human in Rumi's mysticism.

Prior to this couplet, Rumi, through the champion's voice, asks: 'Either tell me what your intellect has found / Or I will tell what has shone upon me / From you it shone on me, why do you conceal it? / You scatter light like the moon, though without a tongue.' This implies Ali is pure intellect and vision, and his light emanates to others. Hence, his openness (the 'door of mercy') is essential for seekers (juyā-ye bāb) to attain truth. Rumi states in an earlier verse: 'Remain open, O door to those who seek a door / So that from you, husks may reach the kernel.' This openness of Ali facilitates the journey from superficiality to essence, from outward forms to inner reality, and from multiplicity to unity. Rumi himself reiterates this plea, signifying the universal aspiration to access the pure spring of divine mercy and knowledge through such perfected human beings.

Key takeaways

• Imam Ali's profound spiritual station in the Masnavi, serving as a mirror for divine attributes and a manifestation of God's mercy.
• The unparalleled nature of Ali's spiritual 'court' is described by directly echoing the Quranic phrase 'lahu kufuwan ahad'.
• The plea for the perpetual openness of the 'Door of Mercy,' symbolizing eternal access to divine knowledge and compassion.
• The role of the Perfect Human (Ali) as a gateway for seekers to move from superficiality (qishūr) to essential truth (lubāb).
• The transformative power of Ali's forbearance (hilm) and magnanimity in guiding souls, proving sharper than any sword.