M6:1997 — جبرئیل عشقم و سدره‌م توی / من سقیمم عیسی مریم توی

Translation: I am Gabriel of Love, and you are my Sidrah (Lote-Tree of the Utmost Boundary); / I am sick, you are my Jesus, son of Mary. Meaning: The lover identifies with Gabriel of Love, perceiving the Beloved as the ultimate destination and pinnacle of their spiritual ascent, the very Sidrah of their journey. They regard themselves as ailing, finding in the Beloved the sole source of healing, akin to Jesus, son of Mary, renowned for his miraculous cures.

In this verse, Rumi, in a state of profound spiritual rapture, elevates his Beloved to the apex of spiritual ascent and the ultimate source of healing. This address, undeniably, is ultimately directed toward the eternal Beloved, though at times it manifested through the forms of Shams-e Tabrizi or Husam al-Din Chalabi—these, as Rumi himself termed them, were but “coverings” or “masks” for the singular Reality.

I call myself “Gabriel of Love,” and you, I declare, are “my Sidrah.” We know that Gabriel, during the Prophet's Mi'raj (ascension), accompanied him only as far as the Sidrat al-Muntaha (the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary), beyond which he could not proceed. Through this metaphor, Rumi places himself in the position of a Gabriel who embarks on a loving ascent, recognizing the Beloved as the ultimate point of this elevation, the culmination of his spiritual journey, and the zenith of his inner soaring. This is the perfection the lover ascribes to the Beloved: there is no limit to his amorous flight save union with the Beloved.

The second hemistich states: “I am sick, you are my Jesus, son of Mary.” The term saqīm (sick) here does not denote physical illness, but rather existential pains, spiritual frailties, and the separation of the soul. The Beloved is named “Jesus, son of Mary,” renowned for his miraculous healing breath and his power to bring the dead to life. This signifies that the lover’s true healing and life reside solely in the hands of the Beloved. The Beloved is the healer of the soul’s ailments and the reviver of its withered essence.

It is noteworthy that Rumi often composed such profound verses in praise of Husam al-Din Chalabi, both as a response to those who questioned his spiritual stature and as an acknowledgment of his pivotal role in the genesis of the Masnavi. In subsequent verses (such as “Make that gem-bearing ocean boil / Kindly inquire today of this sick one”), Rumi emphasizes that it is Husam al-Din who causes his oceanic being to well up and compels him to speak. Through such words, Rumi portrays Husam al-Din not merely as a disciple, but as the channel of divine grace and the principal agent who made his poetic and wisdom-laden tongue articulate. This profound and unparalleled expression of devotion testifies to the “strange state” and spiritual intoxication Rumi experienced while composing these verses—a state where the boundaries between the apparent and the hidden, and between creature and Creator, dissolve, allowing the eternal Beloved to manifest in the mirror of the human beloved.

Key takeaways

• The Beloved is the peak and Sidrah of the lover's spiritual ascension, transcending any limit even Gabriel of Love can reach.
• Rumi identifies himself as saqīm (spiritually ill), seeing the Beloved as his 'Jesus, son of Mary'—the ultimate healer and reviver of the soul.
• This address is directed towards the eternal Beloved, who sometimes manifests through figures like Husam al-Din or Shams; these forms are but masks for the ultimate Reality.
• In praising Husam al-Din, Rumi considered him the conduit of divine grace and the catalyst for his own inspiration, causing his ocean of being to boil with wisdom.