M6:3745 — پس چه عرضه می‌کنی ای بی‌گهر / احتیاج خود به محتاجی دگر

Translation: So what do you offer, O you without inherent essence, / Your need to another needy one? Meaning: This verse, with a tone of admonishment, cautions against presenting one's needs to other contingent beings who are themselves lacking, urging instead a turn toward the absolutely self-sufficient reality.

I have often stated in my Masnavi commentaries that Rumi, in contemplating the order of existence and the chain of causes, invites us to the court of the 'Formless' (bī-ṣūrat), not 'form' (ṣūrat). This verse encapsulates that profound vision, which perceives the forms of this world as empty vessels filled by the Formless. The address 'O you without inherent essence' (ay bī-gawhar) in this verse alludes both to the inherent emptiness and derivative nature of every contingent being – possessing nothing of its own essence – and implicitly to humanity's intrinsic poverty before God.

Rumi here declares unequivocally that 'If a form seeks perfection from another form, that is utter deviation.' It is the very essence of misguidance for a needy being to present its needs before another being that is equally immersed in need. This is Rumi's sharp rebuke against any attachment to other than God; whether in seeking power and perfection from earthly authorities, or in begging for truth from concepts and mental constructs. This sentiment echoes the prayer from Sahifa Sajjadiyya: 'How does a needy one ask from another needy one?'

This teaching is a cornerstone of Tawḥīd (Divine Unity) and Tawakkul (trust in God) in Islamic mysticism. However, it is crucial to interpret it correctly and avoid extremism. Rumi's emphasis here is primarily within the domain of spirituality and gnosis, particularly regarding the quest for ultimate perfection and truth. He is by no means advocating against utilizing material means, natural causes, or the help of other human beings in worldly life. I have explicitly stated in my lectures that no one should, under the pretext of tawakkul, refuse a doctor's care or medication when ill, simply waiting for divine healing; 'No one has said this, no prophet has brought this.' It is 'lunacy, it is madness, it is 'This is lunacy'' for an individual to sit idle and expect sustenance to fall from the ceiling.

Therefore, Rumi's intention in this verse primarily concerns begging from forms and concepts for the understanding of absolute truth. He states: 'From thinking, only forms come forward.' Through intellectual analysis and conceptualization, one merely obtains new forms, each requiring further explanation and definition. God must be found in 'self-annihilation' (afnā-yi khvīsh), not in mental constructs. One must empty oneself to be filled by the Formless; just as, in traditions, God revealed to a prophet to tell his community to 'dig pits' so that rain might fall. One must 'seek little water, but cultivate thirst' for water to spring forth. So, O human, cleanse yourself of this inherent 'lack of essence' and of any reliance on yourself or others, and turn to the threshold of the Formless, for He alone is the absolutely Self-Sufficient.

Key takeaways

• The seeker should not present their needs to other beings who are themselves needy.
• Perfection and truth must be sought from the absolute 'Formless' (God), not from 'forms' (creatures or concepts).
• Seeking from other than God is utter deviation and misguidance.
• This teaching does not negate material means or advocate blind reliance; in material life, help can be sought from others.
• The quest for God is found in 'self-annihilation' and emptying the self of attachments, not in mental constructs.
• 'O you without inherent essence' points to the intrinsic poverty and lack of self-subsistence of all contingent beings.