M6:3463 — این زمان که تو صحیح و فربهی / صدق را بهر خیالی می‌دهی

Translation: Now that you are hale and hearty, / You give away your sincerity for an illusion. Meaning: This verse warns that a human being, even at the peak of physical and mental health and strength, is prone to sacrificing their fundamental values and sincerity (ṣidq) for ephemeral deceptions and illusions (khiyāl).

This verse is among Rumi's awakening and cautionary pronouncements, delving into the profound depths of human weakness and heedlessness. Rumi addresses the individual, saying: "īn zamān ke to ṣaḥīḥ o farbehī" – meaning, in this moment when you are at the peak of physical health and intellectual capacity, when your mind is active and your faculties are complete – why do you so easily "ṣidq rā behr-i khiyālī mī-dehī"? Ṣidq here does not merely mean truthfulness, but rather the essential truth of a human being, their faith, conviction, and the pure essence of their existence, which is readily sacrificed for a mere illusory khiyāl.

This verse is set within a deeper narrative in the Masnavi: the story of the Khwarazmshah and the horse, where Emad al-Mulk, with a single comment, blinds the king's eyes to the horse's beauty, making it fall from his esteem. Rumi then refers to a story also found in Shams-i Tabrīzī's Maqālāt: the tale of an ascetic on his deathbed who, in the throes of agony and absolute thirst, refuses to recite the shahāda. Once he recovers from his delirium, he explains that Satan, promising eternal life and a sweet cup of water, tempted him to prostrate. That ascetic resisted, but Rumi warns, "Many cannot resist. For a mere sip of water, they lose all their faith. They lose all their deposits and, so to speak, their savings." That cup of water is the khiyāl, the illusion; "wa ān khiyālī bāshad o abrīq nī" – meaning, there is no cup, no water. It is pure deception and temptation. This khiyāl, this illusion, initially appears bright and alluring like a full moon, but ultimately diminishes to a thin crescent and vanishes.

In essence, this verse admonishes humanity that the danger of straying and losing faith is not only present in weakness and incapacity; but even at the height of strength and awareness, one might "give pearls and receive walnuts" – sacrificing precious existential gems for worthless and hollow trifles. Rumi emphasizes "foresight" (dūr-andīshī), stating, "Intellect means foresight." "Jowz-i pūsīde ast dunyā ay amīn / imtihānash kam kon az dūrash bibīn" – much that appears attractive in this world is like a rotten walnut, alluring on the outside but empty within. Even many worldly sciences can be like this. This deceit is the work of the "devil-matchmaker" (dīv-i dallāla), whose intention is nothing but "tearing apart" (takhrīq) the truth and scheming. Therefore, one must view matters with the eye of spiritual insight (chashm-i ma’āl), not with the "eye of the present" (chashm-i ḥāl) that sees only the surface. Prophets, with this same far-sighted vision, "called the world carrion" (jīfa), detached from it, for they were aware of its ultimate end and reality.

Key takeaways

• Even at the peak of health and awareness, humans are susceptible to deception and the loss of their inner sincerity (ṣidq).
• What appears attractive like a full moon initially is often an empty, baseless illusion (khiyāl).
• True intellect and insight lie in foresight (dūr-andīshī) and considering the ultimate consequences of matters, not merely their present appearances.
• Many worldly attractions and even some sciences are like "rotten walnuts" – appealing externally but devoid of true substance.
• Satan (the 'devil-matchmaker') cunningly presents illusions, tempting humans to exchange their existential jewels for trivialities.