M6:1199 — وای بر مشتاق و بر اومید او / حسرتا بر حسرت جاوید او

Translation: Woe unto the ardent seeker and their hope; Alas for their eternal sorrow!

Meaning: Rumi here addresses the plight of seekers who deem themselves impure and fear rejection from the fountain of divine grace, highlighting the despair and everlasting regret that such a rejection would entail.

This verse emerges at one of the mystical pinnacles of the Masnavi, within the tale of Hilal, who, after encountering the Prophet, awakes from a dog-like sleep to find himself a lion, liberated from 'chuni' (form/quality) and ascended to the 'ḥayātistān-e bīchūnī' (the life-garden of formlessness). At this sublime station, Rumi abruptly halts, engaging in a remarkable act of self-censorship, considering himself ritually impure (in a state of 'janābat') and thus unfit to 'recite this sūrah' – meaning, it is inappropriate to speak of formlessness and absolute purity while in a state of impurity.

However, Rumi immediately addresses this very objection, an answer that illuminates the core significance of this couplet. He voices the inner plea of this 'impure' seeker of purity: 'Whether I am defiled or clean, O masters, if I do not read this, then what shall I read in the world?' He argues that if the waters of divine grace were to reject the impure who seek purification, then woe would befall these ardent seekers and their hopes, and alas for their eternal regret. Through this declaration, Rumi expounds the philosophy of boundless divine generosity and mercy. Water, being noble (karīm) and dignified (eḥtishām), has the very function of accepting and purifying 'khabth' (impurity). If water were to demand purity before approach, a vicious circle would ensue; for outside the water, there is only dust, and how can one become pure without the water itself?

This point is further developed by Rumi in Book One with another analogy: an defiled individual, ashamed to approach the water, is nonetheless called forth by the water itself, which says, 'Come, I will wash away even your shame.' This verse and its context encapsulate the Masnavi's message of hope, emphasizing that despite all faults, crookedness, and deficiencies, divine grace is intended for those who need it, not for those who deem themselves inherently pure and worthy. Rumi here asserts unequivocally that the waters possess a hundredfold dignity and generosity to accept the impure; otherwise, the hope for union would vanish, leaving an eternal sorrow to settle upon the heart of the ardent seeker.

Key takeaways

• Rumi emphasizes boundless divine hope and mercy, especially for the most sinful and impure seekers.
• This verse plays a pivotal role in Rumi's discussion of the relationship between purity, impurity, and divine grace.
• The generosity and dignity of water (a metaphor for divine grace) lie in its acceptance of the impure and defiled, not their rejection.
• If the purifying water were to reject the impure seeker, all hope for cleansing and union would vanish, leaving only eternal regret.
• Rumi places himself in the position of the impure seeker to highlight the absolute necessity of divine generosity and acceptance.