M6:1542 — والله از عشق وجود جان‌پرست / کشته بر قتل دوم عاشق‌ترست

Translation: By God, the one slain (by divine hand) is more enamored of a second killing, than the soul-worshipper (jān-parast) is of their own existence. Meaning: This verse conveys that true lovers of God embrace death and sacrifice in the path of the Beloved with such fervor, that their longing for a second demise exceeds even the life-affirming zeal of those who cherish only their worldly existence.

This verse emerges from Rumi's discourse on the mystics' experience of being “slain a hundred times,” contrasted with the single death of ordinary people. Here, Rumi unveils an exalted and formidable stage of love, where the lover not only does not fear death but actively desires death itself and its repetition. The judge in the narrative, emblematic of worldly reason and calculation, perceives the 'slain one' through superficial appearances and seeks to be rid of him. However, Rumi presents his own perspective, asserting that this 'slain one of love' is more ardently desirous of repeated killings than even the jān-parast (soul-worshipper), whose entire being is dedicated to self-love and self-aggrandizement. Here, jān-parast stands in stark opposition to the 'one slain by the hand of Truth,' symbolizing an infatuation with superficial, worldly life – a love that constantly flees death and yearns for its own continuation. The true lover, conversely, sings the song of death, and their eagerness for a 'second killing' – for the 'second, tenth, and hundredth death' – surpasses even the worldly person's zest for life. The emphatic oath 'By God' (wa-llāh), opening the verse, underscores the certainty of this mystical station in Rumi's view, a station that eradicates all fear of annihilation and transforms it into the very essence of subsistence. As we observed in the story of the ghāzī (warrior) and his nafs (soul/ego), the Sufi 'slays' his ego a hundred times a day, yearning for its complete subjugation; this verse articulates precisely this stage, but not merely for the ego, but for the very corporeal existence and life itself.

Key takeaways

• The true lover craves death and sacrifice with boundless fervor, even more than the soul-worshipper's love for life.
• The station of the 'one slain by the hand of Truth' symbolizes the pinnacle of sacrifice and annihilation in mystical journeying, eliminating the fear of death.
• The term jān-parast (soul-worshipper) in this verse, contrasted with the divine lover, refers to an infatuation with material and egoic life.
• This verse makes a decisive assertion (with the oath 'By God') about the exalted rank of love, where the desire for repeated death supplants the desire for mere survival.