M6:1853 — تا جهان لرزان بود مانند برگ / در شمال و در سموم بعث و مرگ

Translation: As long as the world trembles like a leaf, Amidst the north winds and the scorching winds of resurrection and death. Meaning: The verse describes the world's perpetual instability, constantly swaying between life-giving forces (north winds, renewal) and destructive ones (scorching winds, death), never finding a moment of rest.

I have always emphasized that the world, from Rumi's perspective, is not a tranquil or static phenomenon; rather, it is full of turbulence and transformation. This verse precisely articulates this truth: "As long as the world trembles like a leaf." The world is not merely still; it is perpetually agitated, like a leaf in the wind that knows no rest.

This image of the trembling leaf is a manifestation of divine "lowering and raising" (khafḍ o rafʿ) and "contraction and expansion" (qabḍ o basṭ), which Rumi had previously alluded to. God's work involves khafḍ and rafʿ, and without these two, the world's affairs cannot proceed. This is not merely about elevating and lowering, but about upheavals, changing states, and the ebb and flow of time. This transformation can be observed everywhere: from the earth that is half barren and half lush, to the arduous passage of time that is half day and half night, and to our own temperament that is sometimes healthy and sometimes ailing. These fluctuating states—famine and plenty, peace and war—are all signs of divine trial and testing (iftitān).

This trembling and transformation are not confined to the world's outward appearance; they also permeate our souls. "Because of these two, souls are homelands of fear and hope." Hearts constantly oscillate between apprehension and aspiration, despair and optimism. As I have repeatedly stated, Rumi does not view the world as "crooked and wrong" to lament it, but rather as a stage for testing and evolution. This is not a "complaint" (shikāyat), but a "narration" (ḥikāyat); a naked account of the truth of existence.

Rumi further likens this leaf-like trembling to the interplay of two contrasting winds: "Amidst the north winds and the scorching winds." The shamāl (north wind) is a pleasant and refreshing breeze that brings vitality, while the samūm (scorching wind) is a poisonous and burning gale that brings devastation. The north wind symbolizes life-giving and constructive forces, and the samūm represents destructive and annihilating forces. These two winds continuously blow across the world, causing the leaves of existence to tremble. I have likened this to the "tunnel of history," where different winds blow, opening some windows and closing others; and in this coming and going, the conditions of people change. These winds are sometimes favorable and "fair" (sharṭa) and sometimes a "storm" (ṭūfān) and destructive.

Ultimately, this trembling and blowing of winds lead to two primary outcomes: "resurrection and death" (baʿth o marg). Some of these winds bring baʿth—arousal, growth, and revival, much like a spring breeze that awakens and blossoms nature. Conversely, others bring marg—death and annihilation, burning trees and withering souls. This perpetual contrast between baʿth and marg is the essence of life in this turbulent world. These are not merely historical or natural events, but symbols of deeper transformations within the existential realm of humanity and the cosmos. Rumi, beyond all incidents, addresses the "human condition" and perceives the world's trembling and mutable nature as an eternal divine architecture—not a source of lament, but a ground for gnosis.

Key takeaways

• The world is in a constant state of trembling and transformation, never static.
• These changes manifest the divine principles of 'lowering and raising' (khafḍ o rafʿ) and 'contraction and expansion' (qabḍ o basṭ).
• The world's mutable conditions are a trial for souls, placing them in states of fear and hope.
• The world is shaped by opposing forces: life-giving (north wind) and destructive (scorching wind).
• These forces perpetually result in either revival and growth or death and annihilation.
• Rumi views this instability not as a complaint about the world, but as a narration of existential truth.