M6:1109 — لاغ با خوبان کند بر هر رهی / نیز کوران را بشوراند گهی

Translation: The Beloved banters with the good ones on every path; And sometimes stirs the blind ones to commotion. Meaning: This verse suggests that God, in His intimate playfulness, engages His chosen ones with challenges, and at times, sends hardship even to the oblivious to awaken them from their spiritual slumber.

This verse, undoubtedly, seeks to clarify the nature and purpose of afflictions and sufferings, but not from a perspective that sees the world as unjust or prone to complaint. Rumi, as I have always maintained, never complains about the world; he perceives it as inherently at peace, viewing every hardship as a bearer of a profound message. From this deep vantage point, sufferings fall into two distinct categories, serving two different functions.

Firstly, “The Beloved banters with the good ones on every path”: This line refers to the calamities that befall “the beloved” and “the good ones,” about whom Rumi previously stated: “The afflictions upon the beloved were greater / For that intimacy, that fondling by the Beloved, increased.” Here, lāgh signifies playful jesting, banter, or amorous interaction (maʿāsheqah) of the Eternal Beloved with His devotees. This is a special divine favor, not a punishment. God, due to abundant love and a particular connection with “the good ones,” engages them with challenges, or as Rumi puts it, “تجشم” (intimately interacts) with them. This tajashshum, this divine playfulness and tenderness, brings forth hardships for this category of servants, which are in themselves mercy. These afflictions are not for torment, but for greater awakening, for elevation of spiritual station, and for an increase in intimacy and closeness. This is the hidden logic behind the adage, “Whoever is more beloved in this assembly / Is given a larger cup of tribulation,” but with the distinction that Rumi emphasizes the element of “playfulness” and “amorous interaction,” which signifies warmth and grace.

Secondly, “And sometimes stirs the blind ones to commotion”: However, this lāgh and tajashshum are not exclusively for the good ones. Sometimes, these very sufferings and hardships come upon “the blind ones.” “The blind ones” are those who are oblivious, unaware, and whose inner eyes are closed to truths. These are the people about whom Rumi remarked, “Dozens of drummers beat around him, and he does not hear their sound.” For this group, lāgh and maʿāsheqah are not about intimacy; rather, suffering serves to “stir” (beshoorānad) and move them. In Rumi’s words: “So that the stranger may leap out of the street of the blind.” This “stranger” (gharib) is the human soul that feels alienated in this material world amidst obliviousness, yet is unaware of its own heedlessness. Suffering for these individuals acts as a loud cry, a wake-up slap, to rouse them from the sleep of heedlessness and to make them leap out of the “street of the blind”—that is, the world of unawareness and insensitivity—to seek their “original abode.”

In sum, Rumi teaches us that no suffering is without wisdom or meaning. Everything in this world “bears a message,” whether it is the suffering that comes from love and proximity with the good ones, or the suffering meant to awaken the oblivious. The only difference between these two lies in the nature of the Beloved’s relationship with the lover; otherwise, the Beloved’s presence in all these states remains unchanged. This interpretation demonstrates how Rumi, with a monotheistic worldview, imbues all events in the world, even the most unpleasant, with meaning under divine grace and providence, transforming them into instruments for the soul’s transcendence.

Key takeaways

• Rumi never sees suffering as injustice, but rather as a message from the Eternal Beloved.
• The suffering of 'the good ones' is a sign of divine grace and intimacy; challenges for elevation and greater closeness.
• The suffering of 'the blind ones' is a whip of awakening and warning, urging them to shed heedlessness and seek their true origin.
• Suffering is meant to awaken the inner 'stranger'—the soul that has become alienated from itself in this world.
• All events in the world, even the most unpleasant, are manifestations of divine grace and providence in Rumi's view.
• This verse emphasizes God's active and continuous presence in the lives of all servants, both chosen and oblivious.