M6:1147 — موی آن نوری ست پنهان آن مرغ / که بدان پاینده باشد جان مرغ

Translation: That hair is a hidden light in that bird / By which the bird's soul endures. Meaning: This verse points to a subtle, hidden essence within the seeker's being; a delicate light that is the very foundation of the soul's permanence and authenticity, transcending the mere outward forms of knowledge and action.

I am addressing a vital point that Mevlana, in this profound verse, alludes to as a secret. The discussion revolves around a 'hair,' a slender hair hidden in the mouth of a 'bird.' This 'bird' and 'hair' are allegories for different levels of existence and knowledge.

To be clear, the 'hair' here is a metaphor for the subtleties, delicacies, and spiritual truths – a hidden light that demands an eye of insight to be perceived. Mevlana, earlier in this story, emphasizes the importance of 'seeing the hair': “He said, ‘Finally turn your eye towards the hair / Until you see the hair, the knot will not be undone.’” This means that until those subtle and hidden truths are understood, man's predicament will not be resolved, and his ultimate goal will not be attained.

What could this 'bird' be? The bird here is an allegory for knowledge and devotion, as Mevlana himself states further on: “The body a minaret, knowledge and devotion like a bird.” Some only see the 'body,' like materialists who consider humans as 'engraved mud.' Others go further and see the 'bird,' meaning they find knowledge and action in humans. But the 'average man' stops here; he is a bird-watcher and sees nothing beyond knowledge and devotion. The true Gnostic, however, is one who “sees by the light of God” (yanẓur bi-nūr Allāh); he goes further and sees that 'hair,' that light of insight, in the bird's mouth.

What Mevlana says is deeply profound: “That hair is a hidden light in that bird / By which the bird's soul endures.” This slender hair is like a light that exists in the soul of certain individuals, and the reality of that person, the reality of that 'bird,' is dependent and founded upon it. Knowledge and action, even on their own, are transient. “The body perishes; even knowledge and action perish if they are solely dependent on the body.” But when this celestial light and this hidden truth are achieved in a person, then “the bird's soul endures”; meaning that existence becomes eternal and everlasting. This is no longer 'borrowed' (ʿāriyat), transient or lent. “His knowledge constantly springs from his soul / Neither borrowed nor a loan is it to him.” Everything he possesses springs from his very being and original essence, not from an external source that would be temporary or transient.

Thus, this key verse points to the concept of true self-knowledge. If Kantian philosophy or modern analytical philosophers have abandoned the discussion of certainty (yaqīn), Mevlana in the Mathnavi promises us union (wuṣūl) and certainty. Certainty is that seeing of the slender hair, which the average person lacks the ability to perceive. This 'light' is the very reality of formlessness, from which the world of forms has emerged; like water taking the shape of its vessel, or breath taking the form of a melody in the reed. The soul is the origin (aṣl), and the body is secondary (farʿ); and this hidden hair is the truth of that origin that makes the soul endure, not the foam on the sea which are merely the forms and appearances of the world. This insight frees man from existentialist loneliness and draws him towards union and permanence.

Key takeaways

• The 'hair' in this verse symbolizes subtle, unseen spiritual truths, perceivable only through the 'light of insight'.
• The 'bird' represents outward knowledge, actions, and the human body; yet, these are transient without the 'hair' (inner truth).
• One who 'sees the hair' grasps their true origin and the hidden realities of existence, thus liberating their actions from 'transience' (ʿāriyat).
• The permanence and eternality of the soul lie not in superficial knowledge or actions, but in connection to this hidden light and inner truth.
• Mevlana's insight here rejects materialistic and superficial views of humanity, insisting on profound self-knowledge.