M6:2149 — که انبیا رنج خسان بس دیده‌اند / از چنین ماران بسی پیچیده‌اند

Translation: For the prophets have indeed suffered much from vile people; They have greatly twisted away from such snakes. Meaning: This verse states that prophets and holy figures have consistently faced torment from ill-natured and base individuals, necessitating their avoidance and withdrawal from such harmful company to preserve their path.

This couplet in the Masnavi serves as a crucial concluding point to the story of the mystic and his wife, which Rumi had previously completed. I hold that Rumi here articulates a fundamental and universal principle: the suffering endured by prophets and divine saints from 'vile people' (khasān) and 'snakes' (mārān) is not a meaningless misfortune, but rather an integral part of the divine plan, a path to spiritual refinement and elevation.

I have often stated that patience in the face of people's cruelty is the essence of practical gnosis. As we saw in the tale of the mystic and his wife, it is this endurance of torments that polishes and purifies the 'mirror of the conscience.' The afflictions inflicted by khasān and the venom of mārān act as a whetstone, removing rust from the heart. It is then that 'the truth of gnosis' manifests within the individual, allowing them to 'become light-souled, capable of flight, and ascent to the miʿrāj.' This suffering brings with it a generous reward from God, not an external one, but an inner, gnostic recompense.

Rumi extends this experience of the mystic to the prophets, stating that they too 'have indeed suffered much from vile people.' This suffering, and the need to 'twist away' from 'snakes,' is not a sign of weakness but of prudence and a part of divine wisdom. This is the same secret enshrined in the hadith qudsi: 'I was a hidden treasure, and I loved to be known, so I created the creation to be known.' God desired to be known, and for knowledge, 'opposition' (ẓidd) is necessary. 'Without opposition, opposition cannot be manifested / That incomparable King had no opponent.' Thus, the existence of khasān and mārān, and the suffering they inflict upon the saints, is, in reality, a ground for the manifestation and appearance of that 'incomparable King.' They are mirrors that, despite their own darkness, reflect the light of Truth, albeit in a distorted manner.

From Rumi's perspective, the world is not a 'place of complaint,' but a 'place of polish.' Suffering and separation, much like the harassment from khasān, are not a catastrophe to be lamented, but a path to 'rediscovering one's origin.' As I have repeatedly emphasized, Rumi does not see the world as crooked; if we perceive crookedness, it stems from our own inner distortion. Prophets and mystics view this external crookedness as an impetus to straighten their inner selves, and in doing so, by traversing the 'bloody path' of love, they attain 'union' and 'lightness.' Thus, this twisting away from snakes is a twisting away from the self and towards the Truth.

Key takeaways

• Patience in the face of others' cruelty is a path to self-purification and polishing the conscience.
• Suffering at the hands of the wicked serves as a divine test and an opportunity for elevation and the discovery of inner gnosis for prophets and mystics.
• The existence of 'opposition' and evil in the world is a ground for the manifestation and recognition of God's attributes, holding a hidden wisdom in creation.
• These sufferings make the mystic light-souled, assisting their spiritual flight and ascension.
• Twisting away from evil and avoiding ill-natured individuals is not weakness but prudence and part of the gnostic journey.