M6:3883 — پس درین قسمت چو بگماری نظر / غیر دنیا باشد این علم ای پدر

Translation: So, when you cast your gaze upon this division, / This knowledge, O father, must be other than the worldly. Meaning: Based on a Prophetic tradition, this verse asserts that for true knowledge to be distinct from worldly pursuits, it must transcend worldly concerns and instead focus on the spiritual end and foresight.

In this profound verse, Rumi delves into one of the most fundamental epistemological and ethical classifications. He presents this teaching in the context of a Prophetic tradition stating: "Two hungry ones are never sated: the seeker of worldly possessions and the seeker of knowledge." The question then arises: if the seeker of knowledge, like the seeker of worldly gain, is insatiable, which kind of knowledge is being referred to? Rumi, with characteristic decisiveness, concludes that "this knowledge must be other than worldly knowledge." Undeniably, if the knowledge we speak of were merely a tool for worldly acquisition, it could not be placed in opposition to the world; it would simply fall into the same category of worldly pursuit. That is to say, if knowledge is solely for obtaining wealth, status, or worldly power, it is no different from seeking the world, and the Prophet's distinction becomes meaningless. Therefore, the commendable knowledge is what Rumi calls "the hereafter" (ākhirat). And ākhirat, here, does not merely signify the afterlife; rather, it denotes a deep, far-sighted perspective on existence and life itself. Intellect and insight are defined by this very foresight and by weighing the "ultimate outcome" (ʿāqibat-i amr). Akhirat-knowledge warns us against a superficial, "myopic" view and guides us to see "beyond the events." This knowledge, in my view, is what "fattens our humanity," not "our animality." We never deny our animalistic needs; our body, this "steed" of our being, requires health, sustenance, and comfort to carry us to our destination. But the tragedy occurs when the "rider" and the "steed," or the "servant" and the "master," swap places. When all energy and resources are spent on fattening the steed, and the rider (the soul and humanity) is forgotten, or even becomes the steed's servant, that is when confusion (gīji) and misguidance begin. Modern civilization, despite all its scientific advancements, sometimes drowns in this very confusion; on one hand, it spends billions to save a rare patient, and on the other, it builds weapons to kill thousands. This is the very "loss of path" (rāh gum-kardagī) that Rumi speaks of. Knowledge that leads us to such contradictions, though it may be called science, is not truly knowledge. True knowledge is our guide towards the "outcome" and meaning, not a tool for intensifying confusion and destruction.

Key takeaways

• Commendable knowledge must be distinct from worldly knowledge; otherwise, it becomes a form of worldliness.
• The distinction between the seeker of worldly gain and the true seeker of knowledge hinges on differentiating between worldly and eschatological (akhirat) knowledge.
• For Rumi, "akhirat" signifies not merely the afterlife, but a profound, far-sighted view of existence that considers the ultimate consequences of actions.
• True knowledge enriches our humanity, whereas purely worldly knowledge merely serves to fatten our animalistic side.
• Catastrophe occurs when the soul (rider) is sacrificed for the body (steed), inverting the roles of servant and master; this represents human "confusion."
• Rumi views knowledge as a guide toward meaning and ultimate ends, not a tool for exacerbating bewilderment and destruction.