M6:116 — جای سوز اندر مکان کی در رود / نور نامحدود را حد کی بود

Translation: How can that which consumes place, enter a place? / When will unlimited light ever have a limit?

Meaning: This couplet speaks to the impossibility of material boundaries and locations containing the infinite and boundless Divine presence; that which is transcendent cannot be confined by space or definition.

This couplet emerges from Rumi's discourse on the 'directionless star' and the 'Divine Word,' a word that radiates light, unbounded by any direction, fundamentally formless and orientation-free. Rumi asks, "How can that which consumes place, ever enter a place?" How can something whose very nature is to abolish and transcend space and location, itself be contained within a space? This is an inherent paradox. Just as a camel cannot fit into a chicken coop without destroying it, the Divine existence cannot be confined within any place or vessel. This concept culminates in the second line: "When will unlimited light ever have a limit?" How can light that is boundless ever be limited?

This negation of limit and place for the Divine light stems from Rumi's mystical insight into the essence of God. We describe God as ʿālim (all-knowing), but not as mutafakkir (a thinker). Why? Because thinking implies a movement from an unknown to a known. Fikr (thought) is a process of moving from mabādiʾ (prior knowledge) towards murād (solving a problem and rendering the unknown known). But for an Essence that is pure light and absolute knowledge, there is no unknown to be made known. In the higher realm, "all is pure light"; there is no darkness to be illuminated by the light of thought. This unlimited and absolute light lacks any boundary or definition, neither existentially nor epistemologically.

However, Rumi immediately cautions that these utterances are made "through analogy and image, so that a weak but loving seeker may grasp them." He is compelled to use the language of similitude and imagery so that frozen, intellectual minds can perceive even a fraction of this truth. There is a crucial distinction between mithl (identical likeness) and mathīl (analogy or similitude): God has mathīl, not mithl. The sun is an analogy for the Divine light, but it is not identical to it. These analogies serve to thaw the intellect from its state of congelation and coldness, spurring it into motion, making the "frozen intellect flow." The reason for this is the inherent inability of the intellect (ʿaql) to grasp transcendent truths. "The intellect is sharp-headed but weak-footed / Because its heart is desolate, though its body is sound." The intellect, however keen or intrusive, falters when faced with profound mystical realities; it lacks self-confidence because its heart is desolate and devoid of love, focusing only on the outward and physical aspects of things. These verses teach us that to comprehend the sacred realm, one must transcend the limitations of thought and space, and gaze with the eye of love upon the unlimited light.

Key takeaways

• The infinite Divine Being cannot be contained within any material place or limit.
• The Divine Essence is absolute light, lacking any unknown that would necessitate 'thought'.
• Rumi employs analogy and imagery to render transcendent truths comprehensible to limited intellects.
• Distinguishing between mathīl (similitude/analogy) and mithl (identical likeness) is crucial in describing the Divine essence.
• The intellect, however sharp, is fundamentally weak in grasping transcendent realities and requires love to truly perceive.