M6:1476 — اصل خود جذبه است لیک ای خواجه‌تاش / کار کن موقوف آن جذبه مباش

Translation: Indeed, the essence is divine attraction (jazbeh); yet, O fellow seeker, keep striving and do not cease your effort, awaiting that attraction. Meaning: This verse asserts that while divine inspiration and spiritual pull are fundamental, the seeker must not abandon personal exertion and effort, nor passively await sudden divine grace.

I have repeatedly emphasized in my discussions that spirituality is not about passivity or abandoning effort. In this profound verse, Rumi illustrates a delicate relationship between 'work' (kār) and 'divine attraction' (jazbeh) that is one of the foundational teachings of his mysticism. He states with striking clarity: "Indeed, the essence is divine attraction." This is a direct acknowledgment of the primacy and fundamental nature of divine pull, that jazbeh which draws a human being irresistibly towards itself. This jazbeh is sudden, unpredictable, and no calculation can be made for it. It must be well remembered that spiritual and celestial matters, unlike natural phenomena, are absolutely unpredictable. You pray, but you cannot predict whether it will be answered; you can only hope. This act of obedience and worship that we perform, will it be accepted? We do everything on hope. "There is no decree in this path of destiny-by-chance / Save hope, God knows best what is right.

However, immediately after acknowledging the primacy of jazbeh, Rumi moves to the second part of the verse: "Yet, O fellow seeker, keep striving and do not cease your effort, waiting for that attraction." Here, the central point becomes clear. It is true that jazbeh is the essence, but the seeker's duty is not to sit idly by and passively await its arrival. On the contrary, one must be constantly engaged in work and effort.

This call to "keep striving" (kār kon) signifies spiritual struggle (mujahada), purification of the self (tahdhīb-e nafs), and adherence to divine commands and prohibitions. To abandon work in expectation of jazbeh, in Rumi's view, is a form of 'coquetry' (nāz). He asks: "When is coquetry worthy of self-sacrifice?" Meaning, does devotion and self-sacrifice accompany affectation and playing hard to get? Never! The spiritual path demands self-sacrifice and devotion, not indulgence and abandonment of duty in the hope of sudden grace. This is exactly what we call the 'problem of evil' in the philosophy of religion; some ask why God created suffering? But the mystic knows that sufferings themselves are tools for work, effort, and growth, and every suffering is a swift horse to reach nothingness and annihilation. If we look with a gnostic eye, no suffering is without purpose, and every setback and pain makes us aware of our own weakness and humiliation: "So do not complain of pain now / For it is a swift horse towards nothingness.

To further clarify this point, Rumi offers a beautiful analogy: "When you see the dawn, then extinguish the candle." As long as the dawn has not broken, your duty is to keep the candle lit, even if its light is weak. Until divine jazbeh (the dawn) arrives, you cannot abandon work (the candle). This is akin to the story of Kumayl and Imam Ali (peace be upon him), in which the Imam tells Kumayl: "Extinguish the lamp, for dawn has broken." This shows that the duty of tending the lamp is until the dawn arrives, and not a moment sooner. This ruling expresses the necessity of balance between reliance on God and effort, and between expectation and action; a principle that has always been emphasized in Islamic mysticism.

Key takeaways

• Divine jazbeh, the inner and unexpected spiritual pull, is the origin and foundation of the spiritual journey.
• The seeker must not passively await jazbeh, but actively pursue effort and action on the path.
• Abandoning work in anticipation of jazbeh is a form of 'coquetry' (nāz), which is incompatible with the spirit of devotion and self-sacrifice in spiritual discipline.
• Like keeping a candle lit until dawn, the seeker's duty is continuous effort until the moment jazbeh is attained.
• Sufferings and hardships are also tools for growth and guides to self-annihilation, and are never without purpose.