M6:1364 — در مدارس طالب علمی که نیست / در صوامع طالب حلمی که نیست

Translation: In schools, a seeker of knowledge that is not (yet possessed); In monasteries, a seeker of forbearance that is not (yet attained). Meaning: This couplet illustrates that human beings are perpetually in pursuit of what they lack or have not yet acquired, whether it be knowledge or spiritual patience and tranquility.

These two couplets eloquently narrate the perpetual human condition: the quest for what is not, what has not yet been grasped, what we lack. Rumi, with his acute insight, shows us that all our daily activities, from pursuing knowledge in schools to seeking tranquility in solitary retreats, are ultimately efforts to fill the "non-existents" (nīstī-hā) within our being. We are constantly drawn to the "new" (now), that which has not existed before and has not become old. The wise person, day and night, strives for that which "is not."

I have always emphasized that Rumi here blends two perspectives. On a primary level, he appears to reproach people for abandoning "existents" (hast-hā) and pursuing illusory "non-existents"—those that are often no more than a mirage. Yet, on a deeper stratum, Rumi intends to transcend these examples and guide us toward a profound understanding of Sufi "poverty and non-being" (faqr va ʿadam). This is the very ʿadam which serves as the boundless storehouse of divine creation (makhzan-i sunʿ-i khudā); the place where all unmanifested "existents" are deposited. It is as if, armed with the vehicle of will and desire, we rush towards these "non-existents" to make them "existent": to seek knowledge we do not possess, to reap profits we have not yet gained, and to find the tranquility we have not yet attained.

In other words, Rumi declares that this visible world does not encompass the entirety of reality; the divine treasury of creation is vastly greater and more abundant. Until what is present today departs, tomorrow will not arrive. This human inclination towards "non-existents" is, in essence, an endeavor to actualize a future that lies hidden within the divine ʿadam. These "non-existents" are the wellspring of new existences, and humanity is inherently and naturally a seeker of what lies beyond the veil of present phenomena. This quest is not a weakness but a testament to humanity's inquisitive and expanding nature, yearning to transcend its current limitations and swim in the boundless sea of divine knowledge. This, precisely, is the true meaning of existential poverty, which opens the door to union with the infinite divine richness.

Key takeaways

• Humanity inherently moves towards perfection and what is not yet.
• All daily activities, from studying to spiritual discipline, are attempts to fill existential "non-existents."
• "Non-existent" (nīstī) here implies both a lack and the boundless reservoir of divine creation.
• Rumi uses this couplet to transition from apparent seeking to the true Sufi "poverty and non-being."
• The pursuit of "what is not" signifies humanity's inquisitive and expanding nature.
• The ultimate goal of this quest is to attain the infinite divine richness.