M6:3340 — چشم‌داری تو به چشم خود نگر / منگر از چشم سفیهی بی‌خبر

Translation: You have eyes, look with your own eyes; Do not look through the eyes of an ignorant fool. Meaning: Rumi, in this verse, calls the reader to intellectual independence, warning them against viewing existence through the gaze or judgment of others, especially the ignorant.

This verse encapsulates one of Rumi's most crucial directives for a rational and independent life. Here, Rumi explicitly invites us to achieve independence in thought, perception, and judgment. He asks us: "You have your own eyes, why should you look through another's? Why should your gaze and visual perception be tied to the foolishness and ignorance of others?" One must not allow others to dictate what to see or how to see; you must resolve to step into the arena of visual perception yourself. This counsel extends beyond sight to hearing, as Rumi elaborates in subsequent verses:

You have your own ears, listen with them! Why should your ears be held captive by fools?

Why entrust your ears to those who instill falsehoods under the guise of truth? Why do you not seek truths for yourself? Rumi then illuminates the path forward:

Make non-imitative observation your practice; Deliberate with your own rational intellect.

This call to liberation from mimicry (taqlīd) and reliance on one's own intellect signifies complete freedom from any blind acceptance.

However, there is a subtle yet vital point here, to which Rumi himself pays attention, and which must be guarded against misinterpretation. When Rumi speaks of "your own intellect" (ʿaql-i khwud), he refers to "free intellect" (ʿaql-i āzād), not the "partial intellect" (ʿaql-i juzvī) that is enslaved by desires and passions. The partial intellect, in Rumi's own words, "discredited intellect, and the world's desire left man unfulfilled." Therefore, relying on every fleeting thought or incomplete idea that crosses one's mind and deeming it the whole truth is one of the most perilous traps on a human's path. The intellectual independence that Rumi champions has its methods and means; it is not simply abandoning oneself to every passing notion. This independence demands an intelligent effort to see beyond the superficial debris and foam of the world, so that one may grasp the truth of the ocean and be safe from the "highway robbers of intellect."

Key takeaways

• The fundamental principle: independence in perception, thought, and judgment.
• Look with your own eyes, not through the eyes of others, especially the ignorant.
• Listen with your own ears and do not let yourself be captive to foolish words.
• Your mode of contemplation must be 'non-imitative' (bīz taqlīdī) and based on 'your own rational intellect.'
• Rumi's 'own intellect' refers to 'free intellect' (ʿaql-i āzād), not the 'partial intellect' (ʿaql-i juzvī) enslaved by desires.
• Liberation from mimicry requires method and means, not merely surrendering to every passing thought.