M6:1330 — بر قفای صوفی حمزه‌پرست / راست می‌کرد از برای صفع دست

Translation: Upon the neck of a Sufi who consumed hamzeh-parast (watercress), He straightened his hand, preparing to deliver a slap. Meaning: This verse describes a sick man, given license by his doctor to follow all his desires, observing a Sufi immersed in spiritual ablution and feeling an urge to slap him, preparing his hand for the act.

In this verse, I pinpoint a subtle yet fundamental issue, one that holds vital importance throughout the Masnavi and in our understanding of spiritual journeying: the misapprehension of "freedom" and "following one's whims."

This beyt is situated within the story of the "Sick Man Whom the Doctor Entrusted to His Own Desires." The physician, seeing that the patient's condition was beyond conventional remedies, tells him: "Go do whatever you wish, eat whatever you desire, and have no caution or restraint." This advice, seemingly the epitome of liberation, even borrowing from the Quranic verse "Do what you will" (iʿmalū mā shiʾtum), is an exceptional directive for a specific state—a state where abstinence no longer yields benefit. Yet, observe how this patient interprets it.

A Sufi sits by a stream, engaged in ablution and purification. He is a hamzeh-parast—a consumer of watercress—a practice seemingly common among Sufis. The back of his neck (qafā), to the sick man, appears "like an illusion" (chon takhayyaleh-i)—so smooth and inviting that the desire to slap it arises in the sick man's heart. He immediately prepares his hand for the safʿ (a slap to the back of the neck).

Where is the freedom that seeks self-purification? Where is that "self-knowledge" (khīsh-tan-shināsī) that Rumi constantly emphasizes? This sick man deems the desire to slap not only permissible but obligatory. Why? Because, he rationalizes, his doctor told him: "If I do not let my desire run its course, it will become an illness." That is, if I do not pursue this desire, I will fall ill again. And to complete this justification, he appeals to the Quranic verse: "Do not cast yourselves into destruction by your own hands" (lā tulqū bi-aydīkum ilā al-tahlukah). Meaning, if I don't slap, I will have cast myself into destruction!

This is where the depth of misapprehension becomes evident. An exceptional directive for a desperate state is transformed into a license and a tool for gratifying base desires. The phrase lā tulqū, intended to caution against self-destructive acts, becomes a means to justify an action that not only leads to destruction but also results in injustice toward another. This illustrates the extent to which the human ego is skilled in justifying its own actions. This story is not about slapping a Sufi, but about the intelligent misuse of religious law (Shari'a) and even spiritual advice to fulfill ignoble impulses. The Masnavi is replete with such inversions, through which Rumi teaches us the stratagems of the ego. Here you see how maḥw (annihilation), which Rumi speaks of, is entirely different from naḥw (outward rules) that this patient observes. This patient outwardly follows the command, but inwardly, he eradicates the spirit of that command and casts himself into error.

Key takeaways

• The sick man distorts the doctor's advice and Quranic text to justify his personal whim.
• The narrative highlights the danger of misinterpreting freedom and spiritual teachings.
• The human ego is remarkably cunning in rationalizing its actions, even through religious texts.
• "Hamzeh-parast" refers to the Sufi practice of consuming watercress.
• Rumi reveals the ego's tricks and the chasm between maḥw (effacement) and naḥw (grammar/outward rules) through this story.