M6:1547 — گرد خشم و کینهٔ مرده مگرد / هین مکن با نقش گرمابه نبرد

Translation: Do not circle the anger and malice of the dead; beware, do not wage war with a bathhouse painting. Meaning: This verse advises against engaging with the anger and malice of those who are spiritually inert or "dead," comparing such a futile struggle to fighting a mere painting on a wall.

In this couplet, Rumi offers a profound and practical insight rooted in the tale of the judge and the patient—whom the judge deemed “more dead than the dead.” Having cautioned the litigant against fighting or seeking justice from the “dead,” the judge now likens such a spiritually inert individual to a mere painting on a bathhouse wall. As I have frequently posited, Rumi must be seen not only as a mystic but also as a psychologist and social philosopher. Here, he instructs us that some individuals, in their spiritual and internal lives, reach a state of stagnation and profound unawareness, such that they can no longer be truly considered “alive.” To engage in anger and malice with such individuals is, purely and simply, folly, yielding no fruit. The simile of the “bathhouse painting” (naqsh-i garmāba) is remarkably illustrative. In bygone eras, the changing rooms of public bathhouses were often adorned with murals depicting devils, wild beasts, or even roses and jasmine. Recall Sa'di's tale where he dreamt of Iblis as beautiful, yet questioned why the same figure was rendered ugly and grim-faced in royal palaces. Iblis's reply: “The pen is in the enemy’s hand.” It is precisely to these vivid yet lifeless figures that Rumi refers. These paintings, however terrifying or beautiful they might appear, possess no life, no movement, no agency of their own. Fighting these painted figures yields no result; it merely wastes one’s time and energy. The anger and malice of someone spiritually severed and turned “dead” holds no real effect; it is like wind blowing in a vacuum. This verse, in essence, continues the judge’s wisdom, who had earlier asked: “If a brick falls upon you from a grave / Would the wise seek justice from the grave?” Does one seek retribution from a grave? Can one fight a fallen brick from it? The answer is clear: no. Therefore, do not engage with one who is “dead,” whose lineage is filled with graves. Rumi’s lesson is this: do not squander your energy battling inanimate or ineffectual forces. Seek out the true roots and wellsprings of life. This admonition against engaging with the “dead” serves as a prelude to the subsequent verse, which speaks of the “living” (the walī-Allāh or friend of God) and warns that the anger of the “living” is, in truth, the anger of God. The profound difference between these two must be clearly apprehended and understood.

Key takeaways

• Avoid engaging with those who are spiritually "dead" and lack inner vitality.
• Contending with the anger and malice of spiritually inert individuals is like fighting a lifeless painting.
• Refrain from wasting your energy on futile and ineffectual matters.
• This verse emphasizes that some individuals are in a state of "deadness," and their reactions are like an image that can neither harm nor benefit.
• Understanding this couplet is a prelude to discerning the difference between the "anger of the dead" and the "anger of the living," which Rumi addresses in the subsequent verse.