M6:2336 — آب دیدهٔ بندهٔ بی‌دیده را / سبزه‌ای بخش و نباتی زین چرا

Translation: To the tear-water of this servant, bereft of sight, / Bestow a greenery, and a plant from this (my tears).Meaning: This verse is a dervish's humble plea to God, acknowledging his utter lack of inner vision and self-reliance, requesting that his tears become the source of spiritual growth and inner vitality.

This verse emerges from the profound state of a dervish, as depicted by Mawlana, who has reached the pinnacle of indigence, seeing himself devoid of any self-will or independent agency. He has realized that he is 'nothing' (hich) – neither in unconsciousness, where he is utterly empty, nor in awareness, where he is entangled in the 'coil' (pīch) of daily anxieties and struggles. He concludes that one cannot assign the name of 'fortune' or 'prosperity' to such a convoluted and suffering existence. When a person becomes aware of this inner destitution, he sheds the illusion of self-possession that brings about countless woes. He acknowledges that he possesses nothing, stripping away the 'illusion of wealth' from himself. In this state, the dervish confesses: 'I stand naked in my tears / at Your door, for I have no sight.' This means he stands before God, clad only in his tears, in a state of ultimate vulnerability and destitution, possessing no spiritual insight of his own. It is then that he utters this heartfelt prayer:

To the tear-water of this servant, bereft of sight, / Bestow a greenery, and a plant from this (my tears).

He, this servant 'bereft of sight' – signifying the negation of self-admiration and any claim to inner vision – asks for nothing but spiritual growth and inner vitality from these 'tear-waters,' which have become his sole possession. The word 'chera' here points to the tears themselves, which, if accepted by God, can become the source of goodness, blessing, and growth. This confession of 'bī-dīdagī' (sightlessness, i.e., renouncing self-seeing and claiming one's own vision) is crucial. Prior to this verse, the dervish declares, 'I regarded my sight as unseen (nullified my self-perception),' signifying that he has set aside all claims of vision and self-admiration, and now approaches the Divine threshold with his 'basket of prayer.' Mawlana further elevates this plea, stating: 'And if no tears remain for me, grant me tears from Your spring / like the two ever-flowing eyes of the Prophet.' This echoes the Prophet's prayer: 'O Lord, grant me two ever-flowing eyes.'

For Mawlana, tears and weeping possess distinct spiritual ranks. Tears shed for God, born of awe or love for the Divine, are 'jewels,' even if people perceive them as mere drops of water. In the story of a jurist (faqīh) asked about the ruling on weeping during prayer, the response is: 'Weeping is tear-water; / it depends on what it has seen.' The value of tears, therefore, hinges on what the person's 'sight' has perceived and been moved by. The dervish's tears, in this context, stem from perceiving his own poverty and nothingness in contrast to the boundless majesty and richness of the Divine. Hence, he places his hope for 'a greenery and a plant' in them. This spiritual sprouting is not from the servant himself, but from divine grace, which brings forth fruit from sincere tears.

Key takeaways

• The peak of destitution and nothingness is the true gateway to sincere prayer and supplication.
• Acknowledging one's own 'sightlessness' (lack of inner vision) is the key to receiving divine insight.
• Sincere tears act as seeds for spiritual growth and inner vitality.
• The value of tears depends on the knowledge or perception that stirs them, not the tears themselves.
• Weeping for the Divine signifies a heart of pure essence, not merely weakness or sorrow.
• Self-admiration and the illusion of self-possession veil true vision and lead to countless sufferings.