M6:2319 — چون دعامان امر کردی ای عجاب / این دعای خویش را کن مستجاب

Translation: O wondrous God, since You commanded us to pray, / Now make this prayer, which is Your own, fulfilled. Meaning: This verse expresses the profound paradox that the human desire to pray originates from God's own command and will, implying that its fulfillment is therefore also His responsibility.

This verse, without a doubt, showcases some of Rumi’s most brilliant and profound insights into the nature of prayer and its relationship with the divine will. I have always emphasized that the prayers in the Masnavi are never artificial or contrived. They spontaneously gush forth from the soul when the poet's spiritual state demands it, much like a spring that suddenly erupts from the earth at its appointed time, with water surging forth. The essence of prayer lies precisely in this: a yearning that wells up from the soul, a fire of longing ignited within the core of one's being. While our routine, habitual prayers are commendable for keeping the remembrance of God alive, this 'true prayer' is something entirely different.

Rumi addresses God as the 'Giver of intellects' (aqls), identifying intellect as His most crucial gift. But the central point here is: 'Unless You will it, no one wills.' This is a direct translation of the Quranic verse, 'And you do not will except that Allah, Lord of the worlds, wills.' (Q 81:29). We cannot desire anything unless God has made it possible and granted us permission to desire it. Therefore, the very yearning, the very desire that awakens within us, is a gift and a teaching from Him. This is a point that no philosophical school has fully grasped; it is a teaching unique to prophets and mystics. Rumi states elsewhere, 'This prayer is also Your gift and Your teaching; / Otherwise, how could a rose garden bloom in a stove pit?' Meaning, this 'stove pit' of our existence would never have smelled roses unless You Yourself planted a sapling of longing and desire within it.

For this reason, Rumi decisively declares: 'O wondrous God, since You commanded us to pray, / Now make this prayer, which is Your own, fulfilled.' That is, O God, now that You Yourself have commanded us to pray, You Yourself have kindled this fire of longing within us and granted us the possibility to yearn, then fulfill this prayer, which is, in reality, from You. This is no longer the prayer of a servant; it is Your desire expressed through the lips of a servant. At its peak, this verse ascends to a state of unitive vision, a مقام شهود یگانگی, where the supplicant and the Answerer become one. Rumi here ascends several degrees higher, stating: 'The quest is from You, and so is the goodness; / Who are we? You are the first, You are the last; / You are the speaker, You are the listener, You are the being; / We are all nothing, despite all our striving.'

This is the state of the 'self-effaced ones' (bī-khudān), to which Rumi alludes in Book Three of the Masnavi: 'The prayer of the self-effaced is different; / That prayer is not from them, the Judge has said.' Meaning, when the mystic is absorbed in God and loses himself, it is no longer he who prays, but God Himself who prays. In such a state, when God asks of Himself, how can He reject His own prayer? This exalted state transcends both gratitude and complaint, even beyond conventional longing. This unmediated and unpretentious prayer is a complete manifestation of 'Tawhid-i Af'ali' (the unity of divine acts), where the servant perceives every act and will as belonging to God, yet remains within the sphere of duty and responsibility, avoiding mere determinism.

Key takeaways

• True prayer is a spontaneous yearning that erupts from the depths of the soul in moments of need and thirst, not a contrived or habitual act.
• The servant's will and desire to pray are themselves divine gifts and teachings, as no one can desire anything unless God wills it.
• Rumi ultimately interprets prayer as God's own prayer to Himself, for God is the one who kindles the fire of longing in the servant's soul.
• At the peak of this prayer experience, the supplicant and the Answerer become one, a state of 'self-effacement' (bī-khudī) and unitive vision.
• Rumi's insight exemplifies 'Tawhid-i Af'ali' (the unity of divine acts), where every action is ultimately attributed to God without negating human responsibility.
• Intellect (ʿaql), as the most significant divine blessing, plays a crucial role in comprehending and seeking this profound form of prayer.