M6:1084 — چون ترا دیدم محالم حال شد / جان من مستغرق اجلال شد

Translation: When I saw You, my impossible became possible; my soul became submerged in Your glory. Meaning: This verse speaks to the profound transformation that occurs in the presence of a spiritual guide or divine Beloved, where the impossible becomes actualized and the soul is immersed in their majesty.

This verse emerges within Abu Bakr's passionate eulogy for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), where he recounts dreams from his youth. However, I maintain that these words, though spoken by Abu Bakr, are in fact reflections of Rumi's own states and experiences. This is a fundamental mode of expression for him; does Rumi not himself say: "It is sweeter that others' secrets / Be told in others' tales"? And also: "These stories are the report of my present state / The narration of my own conditions." Therefore, this couplet is Rumi's own naqd-e hāl, the report of a soul whose very being is transformed by a transformative presence.

In his dream-world, Abu Bakr had seen the sun salute him and lift him from earth to sky. He initially dismissed this vision as mākhūliyā (melancholy, a state of impossibility), an unrealizable event. But what caused this "impossible" (maḥāl) to become "actual" (ḥāl)? This actualization occurs precisely with the sight and presence of the Prophet. Here, the miracle of presence unfolds: what seemed impossible in the realm of imagination now takes on the garb of reality under the shadow of a living truth.

As long as he deemed the dream of the sun to be mākhūliyā and an impossible matter, he denied its potential for realization. But upon seeing the Prophet, this 'good-natured mirror' (āyeneh-ye khūsh-kish) and manifestation of divine glory, he suddenly realized that the impossible had now become fully "actual" (ḥāl). The sun, in comparison, 'fell from his eyes,' for a greater light – the Prophet himself – had shone upon him. He who sought a 'tender, silver-bodied Joseph' now beholds a 'garden of Josephs' (Yūsofestān) in that unique presence, a garden of beauties and perfections. He sees paradise in every particle of that divine manifestation.

This narrative demonstrates how a transcendent reality can open our eyes to hidden truths and turn the impossible into the possible. The presence of a saint, a spiritual master, a perfect human being, can be a gateway to a world that, until then, we considered merely "impossible." In such a presence, the seeker's soul becomes submerged in glory and majesty, not because it achieves glory itself, but because, in the glory of the Other, it forgets and effaces itself; and this is the pinnacle of both servitude and freedom.

Key takeaways

• Rumi articulates his personal experiences and states through the voices of his story characters.
• The presence of a spiritual guide (like the Prophet) can transform the impossible into reality.
• This verse signifies the transformative power of encountering a transcendent reality.
• Beholding and comprehending truth invalidates previous, limited perceptions, granting a new perspective.
• The soul's submersion in the Beloved's glory is the pinnacle of both servitude and spiritual freedom.