M6:1087 — نور جستم خود بدیدم نور نور / حور جستم خود بدیدم رشک حور

Translation: I sought light, but beheld the Light of Light; I sought a houri, but beheld the Envy of Houris. Meaning: Speaking through the voice of Abu Bakr, Rumi conveys that his quest for divine light culminated in finding its ultimate source, and his search for supreme beauty led him to a splendor that even celestial beauties would envy.

This couplet, attributed to Abu Bakr in praise of the Prophet Muhammad, is in reality an articulation of Rumi's own mystical experience. It is a signature method of Rumi to couch his personal spiritual states within the narratives of others; these tales are, for him, a “report-of-present-state” (naqd-i ḥāl). Here, Abu Bakr recounts a dream from his youth where the sun greeted him and lifted him from earth to the heavens. He initially dismissed this dream as “melancholy” (mākhūliyā) and an “impossible” (muḥāl) delusion. However, as Rumi puts it, “when I saw you, my impossible became real.” This signifies that the impossible, in the presence of the Prophet, transformed into reality.

This particular couplet reveals the depth of this transformation: “I sought light, but beheld the Light of Light.” One who was searching for a mere ray or reflection of the light of truth found, in the Prophet’s being, the absolute core and source of light itself—not just light, but the “Light of Light,” signifying the highest degree of divine manifestation. This experience provides an insight far deeper than any philosophical ‘certainty’ (yaqīn). Humanity yearns for certainty, and this Light of Light is that very certainty attained directly through experience (yaqīn-i mawṣūl).

Similarly, “I sought a houri, but beheld the Envy of Houris.” In seeking ideal and transcendent beauties, symbolized by celestial houris, Abu Bakr (Rumi) encountered a beauty that transcended every ideal and form; a beauty so profound that even the houris themselves would envy it. This points to the ultimate beauty manifested in the Prophet’s being, a beauty that is not only primary but also the standard by which all other beauties are measured. I myself used this Rumi’s expression in an ode, where I spoke of a “Joseph-land of Beauty.” This “Joseph-land” is not just one Joseph, but a thousand Josephs; not one houri, but the envy of houris.

This profound experience utterly transforms human perception. As Rumi says through Abu Bakr: “When I saw you, O Spirit of Cities, the sun’s love fell from my eyes.” The physical sun no longer holds any charm for him, for he has reached the sun of all suns. This is the transcendent meaning of “formlessness” (bī-ṣūratī) from which the world of forms has emerged. One who reaches the formless is no longer captivated by the forms of the world. This is how Rumi ascends beyond multiplicities and finds a unity in the Prophet’s being from which all multiplicities, even celestial and paradisiacal ones, flow. This is not mere poetic hyperbole, but an existential and mystical discovery.

Key takeaways

• The couplet expresses Rumi's own mystical experience, framed through Abu Bakr's narrative.
• What appears 'impossible' to the seeker becomes 'real' through the presence of the spiritual guide (or Prophet).
• The quest for light culminates in finding the 'Light of Light,' signifying access to the ultimate source of truth, not merely its reflection.
• The search for ideal beauties (houris) leads to the discovery of a splendor so profound that even those ideals envy it.
• This experience transforms human perception, making the world of forms pale in comparison to the formless realm.
• This transformation is not poetic exaggeration but an existential and spiritual revelation of the unity underlying all multiplicities.