M6:3834 — گفت لیکن تا نمردی ای عنود / از جناب من نبردی هیچ جود

Translation: He said, 'But, O stubborn one, until you die, you shall receive no bounty from My presence.' Meaning: This verse asserts that divine generosity and favor are withheld from those who cling to their false selves and ego-driven identities; true reception requires a spiritual death.

This verse, stemming from the very heart of Rumi's mystical teachings and indeed those of all Sufis, states unequivocally that the prerequisite for receiving any divine bounty (jud) or grace is 'dying.' "Until you die, you shall receive nothing." This death, without any doubt, is not a physical demise but a voluntary, spiritual passing—a death one embraces before the inevitable end of life itself.

I refer to this as the 'death before death,' which has its roots in the noble Prophetic saying: «موتوا قبل ان تموتوا» — 'Die, before you die.' The first death is a deliberate one: it is the abandonment of the 'ego' (maniyyat), the 'false identity,' and the 'erroneous perceptions' one holds about oneself. That 'I' which is constantly scheming and strategizing for its own ends must die. This 'false self,' this alienation from one's true being, must vanish for the 'true self,' the 'original soul,' to find its opportunity to live. Rumi, by addressing the listener as «ای عنود» (O stubborn one), speaks explicitly of humanity's obstinacy in clinging to this 'deceitful self.' This stubbornness acts as a veil between us and the boundless generosity of the Divine.

Rumi further reinforces this point with another verse: «غیر مردن هیچ فرهنگ دگر / درنگیرد با خدا ای حیله‌گر» ('No other 'culture' (i.e., trick/ruse) besides dying / will be accepted by God, O trickster'). 'Farhang' here signifies a 'ruse' or 'stratagem.' This means, O seeker who constantly devises schemes to achieve your aims, know that the only 'trick' that works in the Divine Presence is the 'abandonment of all tricks.' It is akin to the well-known Sufi adage: «الحیلة ترک الحیلة» ('The best trick is to abandon all tricks'). As long as an 'ego' remains, intending to employ a 'trick,' the 'self' is still present, and divine bounty will not rain down upon such a self-centered soul. This death is the death of the 'scheming ego.'

This is the very 'emptying of oneself' and 'self-sufficiency' that Rumi illustrates with the story of the sweetmeat seller's child or the dead fish in the sea: until the child cries, the pot of mercy will not boil; the sea's waters only bear the dead, not the living who strive for themselves. Divine generosity pours upon a heart entirely composed of need and surrender; upon a being that has been emptied of its 'self' and become utterly dependent. This verse is a fundamental lesson in self-knowledge and the journey towards God: 'Kill' the self, so you may receive true life from Him.

Key takeaways

• Receiving divine bounty (jud) necessitates a 'voluntary, spiritual death,' not natural demise.
• This 'optional death' means abandoning the 'false self,' ego, and erroneous perceptions about oneself.
• The 'stubborn one' (anood) clings to their 'deceitful self,' obstructing divine grace.
• The only 'trick' that works with God is 'abandoning all tricks' and complete surrender.
• Divine generosity and mercy descend only upon a heart emptied of self and overflowing with need.