M6:653 — لفظ را مانندهٔ این جسم دان / معنیش را در درون مانند جان

Translation: Consider the word (lafẓ) as akin to this body (jism); Its meaning (maʿnā) within, like the soul (jān). Meaning:* This verse draws a fundamental parallel: words are like bodies, and their inner meanings are like souls. Rumi urges us to look beyond mere external forms to grasp the deeper, living essence.

This verse is, without a doubt, one of the keys to understanding Rumi's language and worldview. Here, he presents a foundational analogy that transforms our comprehension of existence, language, and the Masnavi itself. He states: "Consider the word (lafẓ) as akin to this body (jism); its meaning (maʿnā) within, like the soul (jān)." What does this imply? It means that a word, like our physical body, is merely an outer form or shell. But the soul of the word, its meaning, is hidden within. Precisely as our body without the soul is but a lifeless shell, so too is a word without meaning utterly barren.

Rumi extends this principle not only to words but to human beings themselves. He says: "Bodies are like jars with sealed mouths / Observe what is inside each jar." This signifies that jars (bodies) may all appear similar, yet one might contain the "water of life" while another holds "deadly poison." If we gaze only at the external (the vessel), we shall be led astray; we must turn our attention to the contents (what is within).

This fundamental distinction between lafẓ and maʿnā, or jism and jān, gives rise to two types of vision in the world: the dīda-ye tan (eye of the body) which is perpetually tan-bīn (body-seeing, superficial), and the dīda-ye jān (eye of the soul) which is jān-e por-fann-bīn (soul-seeing, skilled in perception), capable of penetrating hidden layers and inner dimensions. This is what we refer to as "insight." Many of our errors and "mistakes" (ishtibāh) stem from "homonymy" (ishtirāk-e lafẓī); that is, two things sharing one name but possessing entirely different meanings and realities lead us astray. Our sages, therefore, emphasized that "error in perceptions is accidental." When we take tār to mean both a "musical instrument" and "dimness of sight," there is "a linguistic similarity in expression / but how far are heaven and rope!" (ishtibāhī hast lafẓī dar bayān / līk khud kū āsmān tā rismān).

This principle is vital in reading sacred and mystical texts, including the revered Masnavi. Rumi explicitly states that the Masnavi, like the Quran, possesses two aspects: "From the form of the Masnavi's words / one form misleads, and the spiritual guides." This means that the outward and "formal" aspect of the Masnavi can be "misleading" for some, but its "spiritual" and inner aspect is "guiding." This is the very secret of the Holy Quran, which "misleads many and guides many" (yuḍillu bihi kathīran wa yahdī bihi kathīran). The words of prophets and saints are like pure water that can be healing for the thirsty but fatal for the ill. Those who approach the Masnavi with a critical, fault-finding soul will only dwell on its lafẓ and ṣūrat (word and form) and be deprived of the hidden wisdom within. But those who perceive with the eye of the soul will find guidance from its maʿnā. This is a difference in "understanding": "If your understanding is like the devil's wine / How could you imagine the wine of the Merciful?" If you only know the devil's wine, you will never attain the "Merciful's wine." This verse invites us to always look to the jān and maʿnā, and to escape the deception of lafẓ and ṣūrat.

Key takeaways

• The word (lafẓ) is an outer shell; its meaning (jān) is the hidden reality.
• Outward appearances (jism) can be deceptive; one must pay attention to the inner self (jān).
• Rumi uses the metaphor of "sealed jars" to illustrate the difference between outer and inner reality.
• The "eye of the body" is superficial; the "eye of the soul" perceives truth.
• Homonymy and focus on external form are root causes of many misunderstandings.
• The Masnavi, like the Quran, can mislead some and guide others; everything depends on the reader's "understanding."