M6:3465 — پس در آن رنجوری روز اجل / نیست نادر گر بود اینت عمل

Translation: So, in that sickness of the Day of Death, It is not uncommon if this be your deed (and you sell your faith for little). Meaning:* This verse warns that if one is easily deceived in times of health, it is highly probable that at the critical moment of death, one's faith will also be bartered away for a trifle.

This verse is situated within a profound Masnavi narrative where Rumi explores the temptations of Satan during life's critical moments, especially at the hour of death, elucidating humanity's relationship with worldly deceptions. I (Abdolkarim Soroush) place these verses within Rumi's teaching of 'farsightedness' (دوراندیشی).

Rumi initially employs the parable of Khwarazmshah's horse and Imad al-Mulk's deceit. Imad al-Mulk, driven by an ulterior motive, points out a minor flaw in the beautiful horse's head, thereby souring the king's perception of it. This anecdote culminates in a general principle: 'If the broker becomes biased and a descriptor, / For three yards of coarse cloth, you can find a Joseph.' This means that if a broker or describer has an ill intention, they can, through their words, distort values; just as Joseph was sold for 'a few dirhams' in the Quranic narrative. This illustrates how judgment can be misled by the trickery of others or one's own ego.

Rumi then extends this principle to the critical moment of 'the soul's separation' (firaq-i jān), i.e., the hour of death: 'When the time of the soul's separation arrives, / The devil-broker intervenes in faith.' In that straitened circumstance of dying, Satan (the devil-broker) enters the scene, targeting a person's faith to seize it for the lowest price. Rumi describes how 'the fool hastily sells his faith / In that distress for a jug of water.' This refers to a story in Shams Tabrizi's Maqalat, where a pious man on his deathbed initially refused to utter the Shahada for a few sips of water and the promise of eternal life. Although that ascetic ultimately resisted, Rumi warns that many will not endure such temptation.

The verse in question (M6:3465) is Rumi's direct conclusion from this line of reasoning: 'So, in that sickness of the Day of Death, / It is not uncommon if this be your deed.' This implies that if a person, 'now' in good health and sound mind, falls for 'illusions' and 'sells pearls for walnuts' (exchanges precious values for trifles), then it is highly probable and not surprising that they will repeat this same regrettable action in the 'sickness of the Day of Death.' In other words, the quality of a person's conduct at the moment of death reflects and results from their actions and choices during their healthy life. What bubbles up in the imagination as an 'illusion' and initially appears glorious 'like a full moon' (badr) is in reality no more than 'a crescent' (hilāl), and when 'cracked' (daq), it turns out to be 'like a rotten walnut' (joz-i pūsideh), devoid of kernel, hollow, and decayed.

In my view, these verses represent Rumi's profound emphasis on 'farsighted intellect' (ʿaql-i dūr-andīshī). True intellect is the ability to foresee the 'end' of matters, rather than being merely captivated by their 'beginning.' One who is 'end-seeing' (ākhur-bīn) will not fall for the 'faint deception' (farīb-i fātar) of the world. Rumi considers the world to be a 'rotten walnut' whose exterior is alluring and deceptive, but whose interior is worthless and hollow. This warning is not limited to wealth, status, or fame; many worldly sciences and achievements can also ultimately be 'rotten walnuts,' initially appearing attractive but lacking substance and truth at their core. The wise person is one who 'sees from afar' and 'tests it less'; meaning, they do not plunge into testing every tempting thing, but rather pass by it with insight. This wisdom is an invitation to self-awareness and individual discernment, not to abandon the eye of reason to 'vile people' (khassān) who drag one towards carrion.

Key takeaways

• One's actions and choices during health determine their fate at the hour of death.
• Satan tempts faith at the moment of dying, offering it for sale at a trifle's cost.
• The world's allure is like a rotten walnut: outwardly deceptive, inwardly hollow.
• True wisdom is farsightedness; seeing the consequences of actions and not falling for fleeting appearances.
• Precious values (like faith) should not be traded for 'illusions' and empty promises.