M6:359 — می‌نهاد آنجا سر انگشت را / تا شود استارهٔ آتش فنا

Translation: He (the thief) would place his fingertip there, So that the estāre-ye ātash (star of fire) would perish. Meaning: This verse describes a thief covertly extinguishing every spark struck by a homeowner attempting to light a lamp in the dark. Rumi uses this as a metaphor for how inner weaknesses or unseen adversarial forces extinguish our nascent spiritual insights or resolutions.

Rumi, in this verse, points to an instructive parable that offers a profound understanding of human inner struggle. It recounts the story of a man who, hearing a rustle in his dark house at night, suspects a thief. To illuminate the darkness and identify the intruder, he follows ancient custom, striking flint stones together to produce a spark (an estāre-ye ātash, a 'star of fire'), hoping to light a wick (sokhte). Yet, a hidden thief, each time a spark ignites and a wick catches fire, covertly extinguishes it with his finger. The homeowner, unaware of this sabotage, believes to himself, "Khwāje mīpandāsht k'az khwod mīmord" (The master thought it was dying on its own); he imagines the wick is damp or the fire simply fades, rather than being actively put out by a hidden antagonist.

This narrative serves as an allegory for our spiritual and ethical battles. The 'star of fire' symbolizes sparks of resolve, sudden insights, sincere repentance, or any positive inner movement. But within each of us, a 'hidden thief' (dozd) lurks; this thief represents the 'strangers' (bīgānegān) and the 'adulterated self' (khwod-e ālūde) that Rumi frequently emphasizes. These 'strangers' may stem from our lack of firm resolve (azm), as the Quran says concerning Adam, "wa lam najid lahu azmā" (and We found in him no firm resolve). Or they may arise from an absence of the 'seed of sincerity' (tokhm-e sedq) in our intentions. This inner thief prevents our divine sparks and good intentions from becoming a steady flame. We, like the oblivious homeowner, often attribute these failures to external factors or to our own inherent weakness, when in fact, the real culprit is the inner 'stranger' that must be identified and expelled.

Rumi posits that humanity is "full of strangers" and lacks a pure self; rather, it possesses an "adulterated self" where egoistic desires, bad habits, and Satanic influences are so intertwined with the true self that discerning them becomes difficult. He states, "To be har sūrat ke āyī bīstī / ke man-am īn, wa'llāh īn to nīstī" (In whatever form you appear, you assert, 'This is I,' yet by God, this is not you). In many instances, we have confused ourselves with these strangers and become alienated from our 'true self.' The only path to becoming 'one' with oneself, according to Rumi, is the path of love and purification from these 'strangers.'

This inner thief is a manifestation of one of the cosmic forces influencing humans. Rumi, elsewhere, argues that humans are "not left to themselves"; rather, they are constantly subject to 'angelic affirmation' (ta'yīd-e malakī) from angels and 'Satanic temptation' (taswīl-e shaytānī) from Iblis. This verse also illustrates how 'Divine Wrath' (qahr-e qahhārī) and hidden forces in the cosmos sometimes hinder the realization of our intentions. This is not to utterly discourage us, but to demonstrate that we are vulnerable beings who must abandon arrogance and self-centeredness, and instead of presuming "I die on my own," grasp the truth that "the thief kills it." Recognizing and expelling this thief is the prerequisite for the 'lamp of the heavens' (cherāgh-e falak) to burn brightly in our hearts.

Key takeaways

• The sparks of our spiritual resolve and insight are often extinguished by our own inner weaknesses.
• Unawareness of the 'inner thief' leads us to misattribute our failures to external factors or inherent flaws.
• Our 'self' is a blend of the authentic self and hidden 'strangers' that must be discerned and purified.
• A lack of firm resolve and sincerity of intention paves the way for this inner thief to operate.
• Humans are not entirely 'left to themselves'; unseen forces (angels and devils) influence their will and actions.