M6:1198 — گر نباشد آبها را این کرم / کو پذیرد مر خبث را دم به دم

Translation: If waters did not possess this grace, / To constantly accept impurity, what then? Meaning: This verse speaks to the profound generosity of water (a metaphor for Divine Mercy) which ceaselessly embraces and purifies defilements; without this attribute, there would be no path to cleansing for the impure.

This verse emerges from a moment of profound gnostic insight within the Masnavi, where Rumi, speaking through the character of Helal, describes a transition from the realm of chūni (finite forms and qualities) to bi-chūni (the infinite, boundless, and eternal life). Helal perceives himself as liberated from all particular forms, now capable of imparting form to others. Yet, in a sudden act of self-censorship, Rumi pulls back, questioning his right to utter such luminous, sacred truths while in a state of janābat (ritual impurity). How, he asks, can these pure words issue from an impure mouth?

It is here that the discussed verse serves as Rumi's defense or plea against this self-imposed silence. He asks: “If waters did not possess this boundless grace and generosity, to constantly accept and purify defilements and impurities, what then would become of us?” This is a foundational and deeply resonant question. Rumi implies that if water, whose very function is purification, were to reject the impure and demand that they first cleanse themselves before entering its basin, then who could ever achieve purity? For, as he states, “outside the pond there is naught but dust,” and purification is contingent upon entering the water itself.

This is, in essence, an allegory for the infinite mercy and grace of God. The Divine, as the very source of purity, has an inherent function: to accept the impure and cleanse them. If God, who is the Water of Life, were to reject sinners and the defiled, then “woe to the yearning one and to his hope, alas for his everlasting regret.” No hope for purification or return would remain. Water, with its “hundredfold grace and hundredfold reverence,” accepts the impure; this is its very essence and raison d'être. This is precisely what makes the Masnavi and the Divan-e Shams books replete with hope, offering humanity, despite all its errors, distortions, and imperfections, the promise that the Water of Divine Mercy will not cast one aside. Rather, it is He who calls, and He who will wash away even the shame of one's defilement. If the water does not accept, then what else possibly could?

Key takeaways

• Divine Mercy and grace are inherent, constant, and unconditional.
• Cleansing from impurity is attained by entering the source of grace, not as a prerequisite to it.
• Acknowledging one's impurity is the starting point of purification, and Divine Grace accepts it.
• The core message of the Masnavi, embodied in this verse, is one of profound hope against despair.
• The very function of Divine Grace is to accept and purify that which is impure.
• The shame of the sinner is itself washed away by the Water of Divine Mercy.