M6:515 — چند سیخ و چند چوب افزون خورد / تا که تنها آن بیابان را برد

Translation: How many goads and how many more sticks it endured So that it might cross that desert alone.

Meaning: This verse underscores the multiplied hardship and suffering one must bear when undertaking a journey or task in solitude, contrasting it with the relative ease and joy found in companionship.

This verse is, without doubt, one of Rumi's most vivid allegories on the profound importance of jame'iyat (community, companionship) and hamrāhī (accompaniment) in both the spiritual quest and everyday life. Rumi presents this argument in stark contrast to notions of ascetic withdrawal or monastic solitude, asserting with remarkable decisiveness that the benefits and gains of companionship are a hundredfold greater than those of isolation.

I have often stressed that Rumi's spirit is light (sabuk-rūḥ) and the Masnavi is a book of nashat (vitality, joy), not sorrow. Along these lines, this beyt illustrates that solitude, even if it protects us from the 'wolf' (a metaphor for external dangers), robs us of nashat and motivation. In isolation, we may not necessarily falter, but we will certainly be 'treading water,' failing to reach the destinations that companionship would effortlessly lead us to.

Rumi employs the simple, universally understood example of the 'donkey' (khar) to elucidate this point. He states that even a donkey, with its coarse and 'ghalīz' (unrefined, as opposed to subtle) nature and limited intellect, finds joy and gains strength (qūtv-pazīr) when among its companions. "With its coarseness, O poor one, the donkey finds joy among companions, becoming strengthened." However, if this same donkey is separated from the caravan and forced to traverse the desert alone, the path becomes 'a hundredfold' more arduous. This is precisely where our beyt comes into play:

How many goads and how many more sticks it endured / So that it might cross that desert alone.

The solitary donkey, due to sluggishness and indolence, is compelled to endure more goads (sīkh) and feel more sticks (chūb) upon its body, simply to traverse with immense toil and hardship the very desert that, with companions, would have been crossed with ease and joy. Here, 'goads' and 'sticks' symbolize the additional pressures, sufferings, and tribulations that weigh heavily on the solo traveler. This verse essentially describes how the absence of companionship diminishes inner 'energy' and 'strength,' thereby increasing the need for external prodding.

Rumi's counsel, articulated through the voice of this very donkey, reaches us directly: "That donkey, heed it well, tells you: if you are not a donkey, do not go alone either." This means that if you are not less than a donkey and possess even a modicum of wisdom, learn from this simple animal and do not embark on this perilous path alone. While a path might exist where one can 'travel well alone and reach the destination,' Rumi unequivocally states, "with companions, it would certainly be more joyful." The pace and speed, among companions, will be multiplied a hundredfold.

We even observe that prophets, despite all their spiritual power and divine support, required jame'iyat and 'companions' to achieve their great objectives, and it was for this reason that they performed 'miracles.' In Rumi's view, miracles were not for proving truth, but for 'subduing enemies' and 'gathering hearts.' This demonstrates how fundamental and strategic the principle of 'companionship' is in Rumi's outlook.

Key takeaways

• Companionship is fundamentally important in both the spiritual journey and daily life.
• Traveling alone, even if it reduces external dangers, diminishes vitality and motivation.
• The hardships and difficulties of the path are multiplied a hundredfold for the solitary traveler.
• Through the example of the donkey, Rumi illustrates that even unrefined beings find joy and strength in community.
• Rumi explicitly advises against traversing the path alone; even if possible, companionship makes it superior.