M6:1446 — از وجودی ترس که اکنون در ویی / آن خیالت لاشی و تو لا شیی

Translation: Fear an existence in which you are now, That imagination of yours is nothing, and you are nothing. Meaning: Rumi cautions against clinging to our perceived, independent existence, stating that both our self-concept and our apparent being are, in ultimate reality, mere nothingness.

This verse presents the zenith of Rumi's perspective on the concept of 'non-existence' (adam or nīstī), emerging at the conclusion of a profound discourse on predestination (jabr) and free will (ikhtiyār). I have often stressed that Rumi extensively contemplated jabr and ikhtiyār, never definitively favoring one, but rather viewing them as two facets of a complex reality. This verse, however, transcends the struggle between jabr and ikhtiyār, venturing into a realm where the very existence of humanity is questioned.

Rumi here instructs us to 'fear an existence in which you are now.' What is this 'existence'? It is the image we have constructed of ourselves, the apparent being to which we cling, assuming it possesses stability and independence. But Rumi promptly declares, with unwavering certainty: 'That imagination of yours is nothing, and you are nothing.' These blunt and definitive pronouncements strike like a hammer upon our self-concept. He does not say your existence is unstable or weak; rather, he states: 'lā shīʾī' – meaning, 'it is nothing.' Not only is the image you hold of yourself (your khayāl or imagination) nothing, but 'you' yourself are also nothing.

This is the very truth Rumi alluded to earlier through the symbol of the 'reed' (ney), which calls itself 'No' (na) and confesses the nothingness of its being before the breath of the player. This state of lā shīʾī is a complete negation of independent, self-sufficient existence. It does not signify physical non-existence but rather the absence of an authentic, necessary existence (wājib al-wujūd). We, the contingent beings (mumkin al-wujūd), are nothing compared to the Necessary Existent. This 'fear' of one's own 'existence' is not a blameworthy or despair-inducing fear, but a gnostic and purifying fear. It is a fear that liberates us from the illusion of our own being and false independence, leading us to the realm of the Oneness of Acts (tawḥīd afʿālī) and the Oneness of Being (tawḥīd wujūdī).

As I have remarked before, in Rumi's worldview, 'separation' (judāyī) is felt, not 'loneliness' (tanhāyī). Loneliness implies the absence of a beloved, whereas separation signifies the loss of connection with a beloved who is present. Here too, when Rumi says 'you are nothing,' this nothingness of ours is in relation to the pure Divine Being, not in a void. This is the very 'annihilation' (fanāʾ) of which mystics speak; an annihilation that is itself subsistence (baqāʾ). From this perspective, this verse serves as a prelude to the subsequent couplet: 'A nothing has fallen in love with a nothing; a naught has waylaid a naught.' This expresses the peak of human bewilderment and restlessness in the boundless ocean of existence, where two 'nothings' fall in love with each other, and this itself is a miracle of love that creates being from non-existence and affection from nothing.

Key takeaways

• Human existence, relative to absolute Divine Being, is nothing; this realization is liberating, not despairing.
• Both our self-concept (imagination) and our apparent being (you) are ultimately illusory and unreal.
• The 'fear' of one's own existence is a gnostic fear that frees us from false self-perception.
• This verse is a logical extension of the 'reed' metaphor, confessing nothingness before the divine breath.
• Understanding this nothingness leads to the Oneness of Acts and Being, marking the beginning of annihilation and subsistence.