M6:1089 — در پی جنت بدم در جست و جو / جنتی بنمود از هر جزو تو

Translation: I was in search, pursuing Paradise's trace; From every single part of you, a Paradise showed its face. Meaning: This verse conveys that the seeker, initially searching for an external paradise, discovered an abundant and all-encompassing paradise manifesting from every single aspect of the Beloved's being, upon encountering them.

This couplet, attributed to Abu Bakr in praise of the Prophet Muhammad, is, as I have consistently emphasized, a profound articulation of Rumi's own spiritual state and experience. Rumi employs a unique method where he states, "It is better that the secrets of others be spoken in the tales of others." He uses narratives not to recount history, but to "narrate truth" and represent his own mystical experiences. This verse, without doubt, falls into the same category; Rumi speaks of his transformed perception and inner journey when encountering the Beloved or the Perfect Master.

Earlier in the narrative, Rumi, speaking through Abu Bakr, recounts youthful dreams where "the orb of the sun" greeted him and elevated him from earth to sky. This dream, which Abu Bakr (in reality, Rumi himself) initially dismissed as mākhūliyā (melancholy or madness) and an impossibility, becomes a vivid reality upon seeing the Prophet: "When I saw you, my impossible became real / My soul became immersed in splendor." This is a crucial point in understanding Rumi; he firmly believes that in the presence of Truth and in the company of the Beloved, impossibilities become possible, and the inconceivable turns into fact.

It is in the continuation of this transformative perceptual process that Rumi arrives at this beyt. He narrates that previously, he sought a single beautiful "Joseph," but upon seeing the Beloved, he perceived a "Yūsofestān" (a 'Joseph-garden,' a truly novel and beautiful term coined by Rumi, which I myself have adopted in my own poetry) of beauty within the Beloved. This implies something far beyond a single Joseph—an abundance of Josephs. The same quality applies to paradise. I was in search of a "Paradise" for myself, but in you, I found that every juz' (part or atom) of your being is itself a paradise. This signifies the all-encompassing and absolute perfection of the Beloved; it is not just one paradise, but every corner of their being, every attribute, and every manifestation is an endless and enchanting paradise. This is a type of all-manifesting, all-encompassing paradisiacal vision that takes root in the lover's perception.

This experience demonstrates that humanity's quest, often directed towards external and separate entities, transforms into an internalized and comprehensive understanding upon reaching perfection and connecting with the true Beloved. There is no longer a need for fragmented, piece-by-piece searching, for Truth itself, in its completeness, contains all desired things and indeed, far more. This is the essence of "self-knowledge," which Rumi calls the "root of the roots of the roots of religion," and in which the mirror of the Beloved reflects the lover's own being in its higher, more perfected "self."

Key takeaways

• One's perception and experience of the world are completely transformed upon encountering the Beloved or the Perfect Master.
• What a person seeks externally and in fragmented forms, manifests entirely and comprehensively within the presence and perfection of the Beloved.
• Every part and aspect of the perfect being is, in itself, an infinite paradise of beauty and perfection.
• Impossible and inconceivable matters become real through the grace of Truth and in the company of the Beloved.
• Rumi uses this praise, articulated through Abu Bakr, to convey his own profound mystical experience.