M6:2262 — دانشی دیگر ز نادانی ما / سر برآوردی عیان که انی انا

Translation: Another knowledge, from our ignorance, Manifestly arose saying, "Indeed, I am I!" Meaning: This verse suggests that from the effacement of our ego and ignorance, a profound, experiential knowledge emerges where the ultimate reality reveals itself as "I am I."

This verse unveils profound mystical secrets, though such unveiling often acts as a further veil for those unprepared to hear these truths. Rumi speaks here of "another knowledge," one that does not originate from concepts or thoughts, but rather from "our ignorance" (nādānī-ye mā). This "ignorance" is not mere lack of information; it refers to the effacement of the self (fanā), the dissolution of our perceptions and identity built upon egoic desires. When "you," your image, your personality, and your acquired knowledge vanish, it is then that "another knowledge" emerges. This knowledge is of the nature of "vision" (ru'yat) and direct intuition, not concepts that can be cast into words.

This new knowledge reveals itself with the phrase "annī anā" (Indeed, I am I). And it is my strong conviction that Rumi here alludes to that wondrous moment when God, in the Torah, revealed Himself to Moses (peace be upon him) when Moses asked who was speaking to him, saying: "’Ehyeh ’ăšer ’ehyeh" – "I am that I am," or more precisely: "I am just as I am." This is the highest form of self-introduction; not through attributes, not through names, not through limitations. God reveals Himself as "pure, un-attributed, formless, and self-less existence." This is "absolute formlessness."

Yet, the astonishing point in Rumi's view is that even in that moment, Moses was observing his own formlessness in the mirror of God. In other words, when one looks into the mirror of Truth, whatever one sees is oneself. Rumi himself says elsewhere: "If you see Jesus, son of Mary, it is you / He is neither this nor that, He is simple / He has placed your image before you." God is "simple" and without ego, and has placed your image before you. Thus, humans see themselves in God, and in themselves, they see God.

Rumi's interpretation of "usjudū li-Ādam" (prostrate to Adam) also aligns with this perspective. The command to prostrate to Adam was, in reality, a command to the angels to "see yourselves in Adam." That is, when the "double vision" (ahwali) was removed from the angels' eyes, they saw that Adam was their very essence and prostrated before their own higher self. This journey from ignorance and self-effacement to intuitive knowledge, and the experience of "annī anā" within one's own being, is the pinnacle of mystical gnosis revealed in the Masnavi, though such secrets are revealed only to those who are capable of understanding them.

Key takeaways

• True knowledge emerges from the effacement and annihilation of the ego-driven self, not merely from the accumulation of information.
• The phrase "annī anā" signifies the manifestation of God's reality as "pure, un-attributed existence," devoid of any qualities or limitations.
• This knowledge is of the nature of direct vision and intuitive perception, not conceptual understanding; an experience beyond mental frameworks.
• When one looks upon God, one is in fact observing one's own formless, existential truth reflected in the mirror of the Divine.
• The angels' prostration to Adam was, in essence, their prostration to their own higher self and existential truth as manifested in Adam.