M6:2649 — فاش می‌گفتی زبان از ریتش / جمله را خاصیت و ماهیتش

Translation: His tongue would openly declare, from its vision, / The property and essence of all things. Meaning: This verse explains that Adam, through direct insight into the reality of each object, would utter names that fully revealed their inherent properties and true essence, not merely conventional labels.

This verse continues Rumi's discourse on Adam's 'Knowledge of Names' (ʿIlm al-Asmāʾ) and his act of naming. I must emphasize that 'name' in this context is not a mere conventional word; rather, it is the musammā, the very reality and essence of the object itself. When the Quran speaks of God teaching Adam the names, it does not mean Adam learned arbitrary words like 'water,' 'earth,' or 'wind,' as these are conventional labels that vary across languages. Adam's distinction lay in God revealing to him the reality of each thing. For instance, if he perceived water, it was as if he grasped its chemical structure as H2O; or for a substance, he discerned its energetic essence. Adam's tongue, not through imitation or superficial instruction, but from 'vision' (rūʾyat) and inner insight into the truth of things, would openly declare the property and essence of each. The name he bestowed upon an object was a mirror reflecting the named reality, making its essence manifest. This is where some philosophers posit 'al-Ism huwa al-Musammā' (the Name is the Named). The true name is that which encapsulates and reveals the entire truth and essence of the entity being named. This is a fundamental distinction from our conventional and metaphorical namings, where, out of exaggeration or ignorance, we might label an 'hīz' (an effeminate man) as an 'asad' (a lion). Such misnamings and deviations betray truth. However, Adam's naming was 'a name fitting for things,' a name congruent with and worthy of the named reality. This type of knowledge is not acquired through books, teachers, or lessons, for they often teach concepts, and concepts often become a veil between us and the truth of things. Accessing such knowledge is only possible through unmediated encounter and direct apprehension of the object's reality, a path Rumi consistently underscores as the fount of true gnosis.

Key takeaways

• Adam's 'Knowledge of Names' (ʿIlm al-Asmāʾ) signified a profound understanding of the essence and properties of things, not mere conventional labels.
• From his direct apprehension of each object, Adam's tongue would utter names that fully revealed the reality of the named entity.
• In this mystical epistemology, the true name is the named entity itself, and mystics consider themselves signs and names of God.
• This gnosis was attained through direct insight and immediate communion with the object, not through concepts or textual learning.
• Rumi distinguishes between Adam's truthful naming and misleading nomenclature, such as calling an effeminate person a lion.