M6:2077 — شمع حق را پف کنی تو ای عجوز / هم تو سوزی هم سرت ای گنده‌پوز

Translation: You, old hag, who puff at the candle of Truth, / You yourself will burn, and your head too, O foul-mouthed one. Meaning: Rumi warns those who try to extinguish the light of divine truth that their efforts are futile and will only result in self-harm.

I interpret this verse as Rumi's admonition to those who attempt to extinguish the light of Truth by puffing at it. This Truth is not a mere candle that can be blown out by a mouth; it is a sun that no breath can eclipse, and an ocean that no dog's muzzle can defile. Rumi explicitly states that this message is pertinent to our time, and indeed, to all times. The terms "old hag" (ʿajuz) and "foul-mouthed one" (gandeh-pūz) refer to a faction that yearns for darkness and wishes for a world devoid of light and spirituality—a secular, atheistic world, turned away from God. These are the "bats" (khaffāshān) who dream of the sun's absence, unaware that their enmity towards the sun is, in fact, enmity towards themselves. For the sun of Truth has a nurturing aspect, and without it, the world would be "orphaned from the sun" (yatīm az āftāb), deprived of growth and flourishing.

This assault on the divine light not only fails to harm Truth, but like puffing on a fire, its heat returns to burn the one doing the puffing. Rumi raises a profound point here: eyes blind to truth are not so due to the absence of light, but because of their own internal veils. This is precisely like Canaan, Noah's son, who had a "hair growing in his eye" (mūy rust) and thus could not see the ark of salvation or the divine flood, instead foolishly seeking refuge on a mountain. This "hair growing in the eye" is an allusion to inner defects and spiritual blindness that prevent one from seeing the truth and comprehending the profound states of God's saints.

These bats, as Rumi calls them, inflict no damage upon the sun of Truth with their puffs and lamentations. Can a dog graze on moonlight? Or harm the heavens and the moon? No, the moon continues on its path, unconcerned by the barking of dogs. The light of Truth is the same; it remains steadfast, and these attempts to extinguish it are futile. The image of "the sharp waves of the seas of the soul are a hundredfold more than Noah's flood" is also a key insight. Rumi uses this expression to convey that outwardly, the saints of God may appear calm, but within their souls, far greater storms and turbulences rage, beyond the comprehension of these bats and hags. These storms are not for destruction, but for purification and guiding souls to their destination, and only those with open inner eyes perceive these waves and take refuge in the ark of salvation.

Key takeaways

• Divine Truth is like the sun and sea; it cannot be extinguished or defiled by mere puffs and protests.
• Enemies of the light of Truth are, in essence, their own enemies, depriving themselves of spiritual growth and flourishing.
• Spiritual blindness stems from internal veils, not from an external lack of light, akin to the 'hair in Canaan's eye' that prevented him from seeing the truth.
• Attempts to extinguish Truth, like puffing on a fire, ultimately harm the aggressor.
• While appearing calm outwardly, God's saints experience profound spiritual storms within, a depth beyond the comprehension of ordinary individuals.