M6:3575 — زبل گشته قوت خاک از شیوه‌ای / زان غذا زاده زمین را میوه‌ای

Translation: The earth's strength has grown, in a certain way, from waste; From that nourishment, the earth has birthed a fruit. Meaning: This verse illustrates how the soil's vitality is derived from seemingly worthless waste and refuse. Through this nourishment, the earth becomes capable of producing sweet and beneficial fruits, serving as an example of the transformation of contraries and the emergence of beauty from what appears undesirable.

This verse is one of Rumi's brilliant illustrations of a fundamental principle in his worldview, echoed by earlier sages: "lawlā al-taḍād mā ṣaḥḥa dawām al-fayḍ ʿan al-mabdaʾ al-jawwād" (Were it not for contraries, the continuous outpouring of divine grace from the Generous Source would not be possible). This is the insight of philosophers like Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra, rendered in the Masnavi with poetic flair and tangible examples.

What Rumi states here is an observable truth in nature: "Zebal"—meaning waste, manure, dung, or refuse—is seemingly unpleasant and worthless. Yet, this very "zebal" becomes the "strength of the soil" (qowwat-e khāk), its life-giving force. The soil feeds on these discarded substances, and through this "nourishment" (ghazā), it becomes capable of bringing forth a delicious and fragrant "fruit" (mīvah). This is a miraculous factory operating within nature; how a foul-smelling and unsightly substance, through chemical and vital transformations, turns into something both tasty and aromatic. This is the essence of contraries giving birth to one another.

Throughout the Masnavi, Rumi emphasizes this interaction and entanglement of opposites, identifying it as the source of the world's dynamism and vitality. Just as in thermodynamics, work only occurs when there is a potential difference between hot and cold; if everything is at the same level, no activity takes place. Our world is a world of contraries; an realm of combinations and interactions of various elements. The Quran frequently alludes to this point: "He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living" (3:27), and "He causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night" (22:61). Night gives way to day, and day to night; the living emerge from the dead, and the dead from the living. This is the very nature of our world.

However, the transcendent world is not like this: "That world is nothing but enduring and flourishing / For its composition is not from contraries." Therefore, the movement and flow of divine grace in this world of opposites do not cease, but are continuously creating and transforming. From the heart of death, eternal life springs forth, and from the depths of poverty, prosperity arises. Rumi's perspective on the order of creation is a comprehensive one that regards contraries not as obstacles, but as essential for the manifestation and perpetuation of divine grace; the manifestation of consciousness in unconsciousness, and solace in distress.

Key takeaways

• The natural world is founded upon contraries and their interactions, which are the primary drivers of life and movement.
• From what appears worthless and undesirable (waste), the most beautiful and beneficial results (fruit) emerge.
• This verse exemplifies the philosophical principle of lawlā al-taḍād mā ṣaḥḥa dawām al-fayḍ, linking the flow of divine grace to the existence of contraries.
• This transformation reveals the "miraculous factory of nature," which transmutes foul matter into delicious nourishment.
• What seems opposing and contradictory in this world is, in reality, intertwined and mutually generative.