M6:1904 — چون به خوی خود خوشی و خرمی / پس چه از درخورد خویت می‌رمی

Translation: Since you are content and joyful with your own disposition, Then why do you flee from what is fitting for your nature?

Meaning: This verse questions why a person, who is intrinsically at peace and joyful with their own nature, would then shy away from the very things that align with and are appropriate for that nature. It's a call to self-acceptance and embracing one's inherent path.

This verse is situated within Rumi's profound discourse on divine justice and the meticulous organization of the cosmos. Here, Rumi speaks from the voice of Truth, or at the very least, from the perspective of a mystic who perceives the foundational realities of existence. He had previously stated that God "has justly paired each with its like / The elephant with elephant, the gnat with its own kind." This means every creature is intrinsically aligned with that which is suitable for its nature. This divine wisdom then extends to human sustenance and destiny: "We have bestowed a nature upon it, / We have sent forth a sustenance befitting that nature." God, in accordance with the intrinsic disposition (khu) granted to each being, has also provided suitable sustenance and destiny. One, He has made a "lover of bread," another, "intoxicated by the Beloved."

It is at this juncture that Rumi, with a firm and direct tone, prompts the listener to reflect: "Since you are content and joyful with your own disposition, / Then why do you flee from what is fitting for your nature?" If a person is pleased and delighted with their own essence, with their natural traits and inclinations, then why should they recoil from precisely that which is congruent and appropriate for this very nature? This verse is a profound call to self-knowledge and self-acceptance; it urges one not only to recognize their inherent disposition but also to embrace its implications and consequences.

I have repeatedly emphasized that Rumi, unlike some other poets, does not perceive the world as a "house of wrath" or as inherently "crooked." He views the world as a "paradise," and any complaint about the world, in his view, stems from an internal distortion within the human being. In such a world, if divine justice has paired each with its suitable counterpart and each nature with its appropriate sustenance, what then is the meaning of fleeing from what is "fitting for your nature"? This flight indicates an internal disharmony and a refusal to accept a wise divine decree. This is not about determinism (jabr); rather, it is about the wise organization of the cosmos. Natures and talents are created diverse, and each has its specific path.

Rumi clarifies this truth most eloquently in the subsequent verse: "If you prefer femaleness, take up the chādor (veil); / If you prefer prowess, take up the dagger of Rostam." If your nature inclines towards feminine grace and subtlety, then embrace your chādor and find joy within it. And if your disposition calls for valor and heroism, then grasp the dagger of Rostam and be present in the arena. These are not arbitrary choices one can jump between; rather, they arise from the khu (disposition) and iste'dād (potential) bestowed upon you from the outset. Accepting these differences and acting in accordance with them is the very essence of felicity and joy. Fleeing from it is nothing but a conflict with oneself and with the world. This is the "desire for ascent" (sowdā-ye sar-e bālā) that must reside within us – the desire for recognizing and embracing these diverse provisions. Just as the Quran says of its deniers, "And you make your provision (by your) denying it"; the sustenance of denial is falsehood, while the sustenance of gnosis is presence and union.

Key takeaways

• Accept what is fitting for your inherent nature and disposition.
• If you are content with your true self, do not flee from its implications.
• Divine justice has paired every being with sustenance and destiny appropriate to its nature.
• Fleeing from what aligns with your nature indicates internal disharmony.
• The world is wisely ordered; every being has its rightful share and path.
• Self-acceptance and acting in accordance with one's innate potential are keys to happiness.