M1:1888 — قطرهٔ دانش که بخشیدی ز پیش / متصل گردان به دریاهای خویش

Translation: Oh God, the drop of knowledge You bestowed from Your Presence, / Connect it to Your own oceans. Meaning: This verse is Rumi's fervent prayer to God, asking for the fragment of human knowledge to be reconnected with its infinite divine source. It expresses a yearning for the unification of received insight with the boundless ocean of divine wisdom.

Dr. Soroush interprets this particular beyt not as a pre-meditated or structured composition, but rather as a testament to Rumi's spontaneous and profound supplications that punctuate the flow of the Masnavi. Unlike poets such as Nizami or Sa'di, who meticulously adorn the introductions of their works with praises to God and eulogies to the Prophet, Rumi, in composing the Masnavi, does not bind himself to such formal conventions. He allows his poetic genius to flow freely, like an unbridled spring, only resorting to prayer and invocation at moments when his “spiritual state demands it,” when the “reins are drawn skyward.” This beyt is a prime example of Rumi’s unpretentious and intimate spiritual disposition.

This prayer, “The drop of knowledge You bestowed from Your Presence, / Connect it to Your own oceans,” eloquently illustrates that, even in the absence of a formal “Bismillah” at the Masnavi’s opening, God’s presence is palpable throughout the entire work and deeply embedded in Rumi’s soul. The beyt implores that the partial and finite knowledge bestowed upon humanity be reconnected and absorbed into the boundless ocean of divine knowledge. This is an extraordinarily profound and gnostic yearning: not merely for an augmentation of knowledge, but for its integration with its true origin and source. Rumi perceives himself before God as a mere drop separated from the sea, now longing to return to that primordial source. This yearning for connection not only safeguards knowledge from dispersion but also protects it from the peril of decay and oblivion, as Rumi further expresses: “Before these soils bury it / Before these winds dry it up.”

This approach stands in stark contrast to the craftsmanship of Hafez, who would painstakingly polish and adorn his ghazals. Rumi, in Dr. Soroush’s words, is “naturally natural”; he allows his words to flow with the pristine spontaneity that issues from his disposition. This lack of artificiality and freedom from formal constraints permits him, in moments of spiritual elevation, to share his deepest and most intimate thoughts with God, as this beyt so brilliantly demonstrates. This petition for the drop to rejoin the ocean is, in essence, a quest to return to one’s “original self,” a theme that resonates throughout the Masnavi from its very opening verses, such as “Whoever remains far from their origin / Seeks again the time of their union.” This separation, therefore, is not a complaint about an unfavorable state but rather a narrative of the soul’s journey back to its true home.

Key takeaways

• This verse exemplifies Rumi's spontaneous and unpretentious prayers, not a pre-planned composition.
• Unlike other poets, Rumi did not constrain himself to a formal opening with divine praise; his profound prayers arose from his inner 'state' (hāl).
• God's presence is evident throughout the Masnavi and in Rumi's soul, even without a formal 'Bismillah' at the start.
• The prayer is a petition for human knowledge to be connected to the infinite ocean of divine wisdom, not merely an increase in information.
• The verse expresses a deep longing to return to one's true origin and source, like a drop yearning to rejoin the ocean.
• Understanding this beyt highlights Rumi's 'pristine spontaneity' and 'naturalness' of temperament, contrasting with the 'craftsmanship' of poets like Hafez.