M6:1036 — گفت اگر جدت نبودی و غرام / در خریداری این اسود غلام

Translation: [The Jew said:] Had it not been for your earnestness and passion (gharām) / In purchasing this dark-skinned slave, Meaning: These are the words of Bilal's Jewish owner, who tells Abu Bakr that if he hadn't been so insistent and deeply passionate about acquiring this black slave, he would never have driven such a hard bargain or sold him at such an inflated price.

In this verse, Rumi articulates the mindset of Bilal the Abyssinian's Jewish owner. The Jew, observing Abu Bakr's boundless fervor and zeal to acquire Bilal, perceives him as foolish and financially exploited, bursting into triumphant laughter over the transaction. From his perspective, Bilal is merely a dark-skinned, worthless slave, not even worth "half a coin" (nim dāng). In this particular couplet, the Jew attributes his own stubbornness and "hard-bargaining" to the buyer's "earnestness" (jidd) and "passion" (gharām). He declares that had it not been for this intense commitment and longing from Abu Bakr, he would never have engaged in such a demanding negotiation; indeed, he would have sold Bilal for merely "a tenth" of the price.

These words from the Jew reveal one of the most fundamental oppositions within the Masnavi: the contrast between the outward and the inward, between form (ṣūrat) and meaning (maʿnā). The Jew is a "form-worshipper" (ṣūrat-parast), capable of seeing only Bilal's outward "color" (lawn) but utterly blind to his invaluable "soul" (jān) and intrinsic essence. Soroush emphasizes that the term gharām, used by the Jew, signifies "intense love" or "passion" in Arabic literature, often appearing more frequently than ʿishq or ḥubb in certain poetic traditions. The Jew, in his delusion, intends to mock Abu Bakr's ardor, yet he unwittingly speaks of a profound love that Abu Bakr holds for Bilal's very soul. It is Abu Bakr's gharām that the Jew believes has inflated Bilal's price, when in truth, Bilal's inherent worth transcends both worlds. The Jew's speech here testifies to the ignorance of those who worship forms, who deem pure gems cheap and, like children, trade a jewel for a walnut or a piece of bread. This is precisely the "red gold" that has "appeared blackened" (zar-i surkh ast o siyāh-tāb āmada) to remain hidden from heedless eyes and to be concealed from the "envy of this abode of fools" (rask-i în aḥmaq-kada).

Key takeaways

• The ignorance of "form-worshippers" in appreciating the inner worth of individuals.
• The contrast between a lover's "earnestness" (jidd) and "passion" (gharām) versus the material calculations of the ignorant.
• The use of the Arabic term gharām for intense love, employed by Rumi in the Jew's speech.
• The true value of humans, often hidden beneath their outward appearance, like "red gold" that has been blackened.
• The distinction between one who sees the "soul" (jān) and one who perceives only the "color" (lawn).