M6:2218 — هیچ وهمی بی‌حقیقت کی بود / هیچ قلبی بی‌صحیحی کی رود

Translation: How could any illusion (wahm) exist without a grounding reality? How could any false coin (qalb) circulate without a true one? Meaning: This couplet asserts a profound ontological principle: every seemingly unreal or delusive phenomenon must, at its core, stem from a deeper truth. The very existence of falsehood or illusion implicitly testifies to the reality it imitates or obscures.

This couplet arises in the context of Rumi's critique of certain 'hakimaks' (philosophers, a somewhat dismissive term) who attribute fears and delusions (wahm) purely to imagination, deeming them baseless. Rumi, however, unequivocally rejects this 'crooked understanding' (fahm-i kaj). I contend that Rumi here introduces a pivotal point, significant both epistemologically and ontologically.

I argue: "How could any wahm exist without a reality?" Even a delusion is, in itself, a reality. Why do we experience wahm in darkness but not in light? Is this delusion solely an internal generation, or is its provocation and instigation derived from external, albeit unseen, factors? The darkness itself creates conditions that stir up pre-existing mental constructs and stories, externalizing them as vivid images before us. It is here that Rumi asserts with conviction that even a wahm must have a truth underpinning it.

Rumi elevates this point with the potent metaphor of the qalb (false coin) and the sahih (true coin). A counterfeit coin gains currency and value only because a true coin exists. If there were never any genuine coins, no one would accept a false one. Thus, the very existence of the counterfeit serves as clear proof of the original. Falsehood operates in the same manner: a lie gains credibility only if a 'truth' exists in the world, whose raiment the lie can don. Falsehood observes the prevalence and luster of truth, and in hopes of achieving its own circulation, it fabricates a mimicry. Falsehood, in essence, wears the cloak of truth and appears among people. Therefore, one must address falsehood and say: "Offer thanks for the blessing, do not deny the truth." You have drawn your voice from sincerity, and without it, you would be naught.

This insight of Rumi is not merely a critique of certain philosophers; it is a more fundamental critique of naturalists and materialists who confine causality strictly to material and efficient causes. Rumi argues that the source of fear itself, the ultimate wellspring of these causes, is not a self-generating, rootless phenomenon. He shows that the material world is not merely what we perceive; it has deeper roots. Even in the tale of the guest-killing mosque, the delusive sounds were the result of a talism (enchantment) that bound certain forces—again, an external, albeit hidden, factor was at play, not mere delusion.

Rumi reminds us that many of our fears and delusions stem from childhood conditioning and environment. A child does not fear a snake unless this fear is taught. This hidden education implants delusions within us, which later surface. This perspective transforms the nature of many psychological phenomena from merely individual and rootless occurrences to phenomena with external and historical roots.

Nevertheless, Rumi, while cognizant of the limitations of reason and induction (much like Kant, who initiated a Copernican revolution in philosophy), never intended to construct a philosophical edifice. He believed that preoccupation with philosophical discourse distracts humanity from the goal of salvation and deliverance. Instead of these 'philosophical utterances,' he turns to the 'ships and seas of divine knowledge.' It is this spiritual journey that reveals the solutions to epistemological and ontological problems through love and the opening of the inner eye, rather than through mere rational arguments.

Key takeaways

• Every illusion or delusion, no matter how baseless it seems, has its root in an underlying truth and draws its power from it.
• The very existence of falsehood is proof of truth; the invalid cannot appear without leaning on and imitating the valid.
• While Rumi emphasizes the shortcomings of reason, unlike philosophers, he sees the path to salvation in love (ʿishq) and the opening of the inner eye, not in intellectual disputes.
• Many of our fears and delusions are products of upbringing, conditioning, and environmental factors throughout life, especially childhood, rather than being entirely internal and rootless phenomena.
• Rumi consistently turns from purely philosophical discussions to the 'ships and seas of divine knowledge' and the spiritual journey, viewing it as the path to salvation.