M6:759 — گفتمی برهان این دعوی مبین / گر بدی ادراک اندر خورد این

Translation: I would surely articulate a clear proof for this assertion, If an understanding commensurate with it were to exist. Meaning: Rumi implies that if human perception possessed a deeper capacity beyond the ordinary, he would offer a clear elucidation for understanding profound, unseen truths; however, conventional intellect lacks such an aptitude.

Here, Rumi alludes to one of his deepest and most crucial mystical teachings: that to truly understand any phenomenon or truth, one must become that truth. He refers to this as 'non-theoretical' or even 'pre-theoretical' thinking. Our mind, dealing with concepts and acquired knowledge, strives to understand things through these. But Rumi invites us to go beyond the mind, to what he calls 'pre-mind,' to 'die' before death, so that the engine of the mind quiets and the ego is subdued. Then, we are freed from mere conceptual questions about Resurrection, God, or Love, and through an existential and internal connection, we grasp them. This is the essence of 'Become Resurrection, then see Resurrection'; to understand Resurrection, a Resurrection must be established within your being.

I have explored this point in my book, The Prophetic Dream, with Rumi taking an even further step. I posited that the Prophet, in a sacred dream, saw Resurrection, and his observations were complete. But Rumi asserts that the Prophet did not merely see Resurrection; he became Resurrection. This means all the comings and goings of angels and the scenes of gathering and resurrection transpired within his soul. As I've said in praise of the Prophet: 'You are the bird of the holy garden and the very space you fly in'; meaning, you are both the bird and the expanse of your flight. This signifies an existential unity with the truth being perceived.

Thus, the verse 'I would surely articulate a clear proof for this assertion, / If an understanding commensurate with it were to exist' indicates that if there were an understanding capable of this 'becoming,' Rumi could make it 'clear' (mubīn). However, 'proof' (burhān) here is not meant in its philosophical sense—which was later formalized by Avicenna and others—but rather signifies 'clarity' and 'illumination.' Instead of logical argumentation, Rumi points us towards the truth with parables and gestures; he constantly turns our gaze towards the reality until it enters our field of vision and we can perceive it. He is not saying that no logical argument exists for this claim, but rather that the capacity of perception based on mere observation and partial intellect is insufficient for grasping this existential 'proof.'

This is where Rumi speaks through the metaphor of the fig and the fig-eating bird: 'Many are the figs and thorns on this side, / If only a guest-bird, a fig-eater, arrives.' The figs, representing spiritual truths and experiences, are abundant in the world, but the seeker must possess the capacity to be a 'fig-eater.' If your inner taste does not change, if your insight does not transform, if your senses of smell and hearing are not altered, these figs will be tasteless to you. One must 'become another person' to hear things previously unheard and to cease seeing things previously seen. This change in disposition and perception is the necessary condition for understanding the proof of this 'clear assertion'.

Key takeaways

• True understanding of anything is possible not through mere thought, but through existential transformation and 'becoming' that very thing.
• To grasp profound truths, one must transcend ordinary perception and acquired knowledge, reaching beyond the mind.
• The station of Prophets and true mystics is one of 'becoming' truth, not merely 'seeing' or 'thinking' about it.
• Rumi's concept of 'proof' (burhān) signifies direct clarity and guidance toward truth, not philosophical logical argumentation.
• A transformation in one's inner disposition and perceptive capacity is a prerequisite for benefiting from hidden truths, akin to the fig-eating bird.