M6:2266 — آن حبیب و آن خلیل با رشد / وقت آن آمد که گوش ما کشد

Translation: That Beloved, that Perfect Friend, so wisely guided, The time has come for him to pull my ear. Meaning: At the zenith of expressing profound secrets of ontological unity, Rumi senses an inner guide or divine Beloved warning him to refrain from further disclosure.

Here, Rumi addresses a vital point that he explicitly confronts in this very verse. Immediately after speaking of the manifestation of unity—of uttering "There is no god but God" and the blossoming of oneness—we find Rumi feeling that he has stepped onto the very boundaries of articulating truth. These are frontiers beyond which disclosure becomes the revelation of a secret better kept veiled.

Who is this "Beloved and Perfect Friend, so wisely guided" (ḥabīb va khalīl bā rushd)? It could be the ultimate Beloved, God Himself, warning Rumi through inner inspirations. Or perhaps it refers to Ḥusām ad-Dīn Chalabī, the very catalyst for the Masnavi's creation, whom Rumi often calls his "hidden Shams"; that companion and scribe who, as both recorder and instigator, sometimes needed to restrain Rumi's uncontrolled torrent of words. It could also be Shams-e Tabrīzī, the spiritual master who initiated Rumi into the immediate realm of love and boundless experience. The precise identity may not be as crucial as the fact that a guiding force, an "enlightened mentor," intervenes here.

This guide "pulls my ear" (gūsh-e mā kashad), an idiom for admonition and warning. Rumi is told, "Be mindful; you are going too fast." Stepping into this "forbidden zone" means revealing the secret of waḥdat al-wujūd (the unity of existence), a concept that can be easily misinterpreted by the uninitiated and lead to grave misunderstanding. Mystics have always navigated the tension between "revealing secrets" and "concealing secrets." These are not ordinary concepts to be easily conveyed, but truths that must be experienced. As Rumi says in the subsequent verses: "Go to the spring, wash your mouth of these things / Do not speak what we have hidden from people." This itself testifies to the sensitivity of divulging such profound knowledge. It is here that Rumi offers a kind of self-defense, declaring: "But I am now weaving confusedly around myself / I am both the speaker and the listener here." That is to say, "I speak not for you, but for myself, and I listen to myself." I have surrendered myself to this surging ocean of words, and my audience is, in essence, myself. Therefore, do not blame me.

Key takeaways

• At the peak of articulating truths of unity, Rumi is warned against further disclosure of secrets.
• The phrase 'pulling one's ear' symbolizes a spiritual or divine guide's admonition.
• Some mystical truths are so profound that their public disclosure is deemed dangerous.
• Rumi consciously maintains the boundary between revealing and concealing secrets.
• The claim 'I am both the speaker and the listener' emphasizes inner communion and self-awareness rather than external audience.