M6:2200 — حق ستون این جهان از ترس ساخت / هر یکی از ترس جان در کار باخت

Translation: God built this world's pillar upon fear; Each gave their life to work, for fear of life's decay. Meaning: Rumi suggests that fear is the fundamental pillar and organizing principle of this human world, driving every individual to strive and dedicate themselves to their tasks out of concern for their existence and security.

In this couplet, which I interpret as a window into a sociological and psychological understanding of the world, Rumi states that God built the pillar of this world upon fear. This 'world' undoubtedly refers to the human realm and its relationships, not the natural world. I see him, with this statement, unveiling a fundamental motivation for human activities and the stability of human systems. Every individual, out of fear for their life, for harm, for loss, plunges into a task, and these individual fears, unintentionally, give rise to grand social structures—a 'spontaneous order' that emerges from disarray and thousands of individual actions, often driven by fear.

I link Rumi's words here, unequivocally, to Hayek's theory of 'spontaneous order' and the concept of 'unintended consequences.' Rumi is not a systematic philosopher; he is not establishing a school of thought against others, but rather acts as a 'destroyer' (virāngar), lifting the veil on the flaws and weaknesses of existing foundations. Yet, in these scattered fragments, he sows the seeds of profound wisdom. He describes how, out of fear of losing profit, humans engage in commerce; out of fear of illness and death, they seek remedies and cures. These minor fears create vast and complex institutions like markets, medical systems, and even politics.

Here, Rumi seems to echo 'Thomas Hobbes,' the prominent 17th-century philosopher. Hobbes, in his Leviathan, portrays humans as inherently fearful beings, dreading death and insecurity. He contends that governments and states are founded precisely on this fear. People surrender a portion of their rights to a 'Leviathan' (an absolute ruler) in exchange for security and relief from the anxiety of death. This is precisely what Rumi states: 'Praise be to God who made fear such an architect / And reformer of the earth.' That is, fear, though seemingly a negative attribute, by divine providence becomes the architect and reformer of the earth, imparting order to the human world.

But is fear the 'sole' pillar of this world? I do not subscribe to such a single-factor interpretation; I find it incomplete. Rumi himself states elsewhere that 'the pillar of this world is heedlessness (ghāflat); awareness is its bane.' Nietzsche considered the 'Will to Power' the pillar of the world, and Ghazali spoke of 'ambition' and 'the pursuit of superiority' even in the quest for knowledge. Modern capitalism, I would argue, is built upon 'greed.' I accept that all these are pillars that stand shoulder-to-shoulder, upholding the human world. The world is pluralistic; it cannot be reduced to a single pillar.

Another significant point in this couplet is Rumi's assertion: 'No one who fears, fears themselves.' He believes that fear always has an external, 'objective' source; that is, humans fear something outside themselves, not their own essence. However, I would add a nuance here, drawn from Rumi's own words: 'You are not one 'you,' my dear friend, / But rather a cosmos and a deep ocean.' If our existence is multi-layered and profound, why should not one part of our being fear or be displeased with another part? We ourselves experience being terrified by our own thoughts, by hidden aspects of our inner selves. This is where 'Durkheim,' the French sociologist, reminds us that social institutions cannot be reduced solely to the psychological traits of individuals. Society and its institutions, including fear, possess their own independent reality that operates beyond initial individual intentions. Thus, while fear is a foundational factor, the complexity of the human world cannot be explained by it alone. Fear, in my view, is the primary factor in 'establishment,' but 'heedlessness,' 'greed,' and 'will to power' also play roles in its 'stability' and 'formation.'

Key takeaways

• Fear, as the pillar and foundation of the human world, is not merely a deterrent but the primary driving force behind the formation of social and economic systems.
• Rumi implicitly alludes to the concept of 'spontaneous order': how individual actions driven by fear, without prior planning, construct complex structures like medicine and markets.
• The metaphor of the human world as a building with fear as its pillar echoes the idea (from Hobbes) that the survival of society and government hinges on alleviating anxiety and providing security born of fear.
• However, relying on 'fear' as the sole pillar is incomplete; Rumi himself points to 'heedlessness,' and 'power' (Nietzsche) and 'greed' can also be considered pillars of this world.
• Soroush, referencing Durkheim, emphasizes that social institutions cannot be reduced solely to a single psychological trait (like fear); complex structural factors are involved in their formation.
• Although Rumi states no one fears themselves, from a multi-layered perspective on human existence (which Rumi himself pioneered), it can be argued that one part of a person's being can indeed fear another.