M6:1876 — جملهٔ مرغان آب آن روز نحر / هم‌چو کشتیها روان بر روی بحر

Translation: On that day of sacrifice, all water-birds / like ships sail upon the surface of the sea. Meaning: On the specific day of sacrifice, the souls of gnostics, depicted as light-souled waterfowl, are liberated from the body and joyfully float upon the sea of meaning and union with God, while others face sacrifice.

This verse presents a deeply mature and profound image of Rumi's perspective on the destiny of gnostics and seekers in the world of meaning. I have often emphasized that Rumi likens the realm of meaning (ʿālam-e maʿnā) to a 'sea' (daryā), and souls, especially those liberated from the shackles of the body, to 'water-birds' (murghān-e āb) or 'waterfowl' (murghābīyān) that gracefully glide upon this sea. This metaphor permeates the entire Mathnawī, as he states: 'We are all waterfowl, O servant, the sea fully understands our every language'; or in the Divan-e Shams where he proclaims: 'Where are you, light-souled lovers, lighter than airborne birds?'

The 'day of sacrifice' (rūz-e naḥr) here is a term Rumi employs with particular insight. Naḥr signifies sacrifice. Ostensibly, the day of naḥr is a day of destruction and immolation. However, Rumi teaches us that any given time or place can be a source of joy for some and sorrow for others. Just as he says elsewhere: 'O empty drums, full of beating, how did beating become your share of Eid?'; meaning, on the day of Eid when people rejoice, the drums are beaten and suffer. Similarly, the day of naḥr is a day of annihilation for cattle and sheep, but for believers and gnostics, it is a day of celebration and liberation.

Thus, 'all water-birds on that day of sacrifice' — these 'water-birds' are none other than the gnostics and seekers who have lived their lives on the shore of the sea of meaning, awaiting their arrival. For them, this day of naḥr is no longer a day of sacrifice, but a day of union and reaching the ocean. They are saved from the fate of sacrifice, for sacrifice is the lot of the body and worldly attachments, not the lot of the liberated soul. These souls, like lightweight ships, serenely glide with freedom and joy upon the turbulent sea of divine knowledge and union with Truth. This arrival at the sea marks the end of waiting and the beginning of immersion in the boundless ocean of reality. With this imagery, Rumi not only portrays the state of the gnostic in the station of union but also beautifully illustrates the ultimate hope and destination of the seekers; a destination that is neither distant nor external, but, like a treasure, reveals itself at the seeker's feet, provided they know themselves and shorten the path to themselves. The 'prey' that is near, which philosophers and scholars have made distant, is precisely in this sea of presence where gnostics swim.

Key takeaways

• For gnostics, the 'day of sacrifice' (naḥr) is not a day of annihilation, but a festival of union with the sea of Truth.
• The souls of gnostics, like light-souled waterfowl, are freed from the body's constraints and float upon the expanse of the sea of meaning.
• The metaphor of the world of meaning as a sea and the soul as water-birds is a fundamental one throughout the Mathnawī, signifying union and liberation.
• The fate and experience of a single event (like the day of sacrifice) can be entirely different for various individuals: destruction for some, celebration for others.
• The ultimate goal of spiritual journeying is liberation from worldly attachments and immersion in the boundless sea of presence and meaning.