M6:2316 — ای بکرده یار هر اغیار را / وی بداده خلعت گل خار را

Translation: O You who have made every stranger Your friend; and You who have bestowed the robe of the rose upon the thorn. Meaning: This verse addresses God, praising His boundless and unconditional generosity, which extends His grace and favor not only to intimates and the deserving, but also to every stranger and even the insignificant thorn.

In this verse, Rumi unequivocally asserts one of the most fundamental tenets of his theology: that the foundation of the cosmos rests upon 'jūd' (generosity), not 'ʿadl' (justice or merit). I have often maintained that as humans, our standards for action and judgment are based on justice and merit; that is, each person receives according to their work and capability. However, in the act of creation, God is not bound by such rules. For if existence were contingent upon merit, no non-existent entity would ever come into being. What merit did we possess before our existence that entitled us to life, knowledge, and countless blessings? None whatsoever! Therefore, everything we have received stems from His sheer generosity and grace, not His justice.

This verse serves as a clear illustration of this principle. The 'aghyār' (strangers) and the 'thorn' symbolize those who, on the surface, seem to lack the inherent worthiness to receive divine favor and robes of honor. These strangers, perhaps outwardly not aligned with His path or even perceived as adversaries, are nevertheless made His friends and companions by God. The thorn, a symbol of harshness, sharpness, and distance from tenderness, is not deprived of the beautiful robe of the rose. Whether dwelling beside it or seemingly donning its splendor, it partakes in God's boundless generosity. This example is akin to the Persian proverb, 'One does not inspect the teeth of a gift horse'; we cannot question God as to why He has bestowed so many blessings upon us, or why in varying measure, for there was no original obligation for Him to grant anything at all. This is simply His inherent grace.

This perspective of Rumi sees God's hand in the affairs of the world as unbound and challenges any view that considers natural causes and effects as a 'blindfold' for humanity, supposing God's hand to be constrained behind the veil of causality. This 'absolute jūd' is the very 'Yad Allah mabsūṭatān' (His hands are wide open) from the Quran, portraying God as powerful and generous, free from any compulsion or prior deservingness. Rumi presents this verse after explaining that we had no entitlement before creation, and now that we exist in this world, even our prayers are a divine teaching, meant to lead us to longing and desperation. Thus, His generosity not only created us but also instilled in us the desire to seek, and now we look to His renewed grace to transform us from 'nothingness' into 'something.' This imagery is one of complete surrender and acknowledgment of God's infinite jūd.

Key takeaways

• Existence is founded upon divine 'jūd' (generosity), not 'ʿadl' (justice) or merit.
• Our very being and all our blessings are unmerited, unconditional gifts.
• God's grace extends to all beings, even to 'strangers' and the most insignificant (the thorn).
• God's hand in creation and governance is open and unbound, not limited by human notions of justice.