M6:2328 — چون الف چیزی ندارم ای کریم / جز دلی دلتنگ‌تر از چشم میم

Translation: Like an alef (letter A), I possess nothing, O my Generous One, Except a heart more constricted than the eye of a mim (letter M).

Meaning: The poet, in a state of utter humility and need, likens himself to the letter alef, devoid of any possession, and describes his only asset as a heart more constricted than the narrow opening in the letter mim, signifying profound distress and a desperate longing for divine grace.

This couplet is one of the luminous and profound verses of the Masnavi, manifesting the depth of Rumi's active monotheism (Tawhid-i Af'ali) and his insight into absolute divine Generosity (Jood) at the peak of humility and self-effacement. When we arrive at this verse, we are essentially encountering a dervish who, in states of both self-loss (bi-khudi) and self-awareness (khudi), analyzes himself and reaches the existential roots of his being.

First, let's address the letter alef. In Persian, alef is the simplest and most un-dotted letter; it possesses nothing. No diacritics, no points, no curves. Rumi sees himself as this alef: "Like an alef, I possess nothing." This negation of possession, negation of selfhood, and in short, negation of independent existence, is central. Here, Rumi, with utmost existential humility, returns all his possessions and even his very existence to God. This "nothingness" is not born of imposed poverty, but rather a confession of the inherent, existential indigence of the creature. This is the very "non-being" ('adam) from which we emerged and by divine Jood gained existence. For, "In non-being, what right did we have to be worthy / That we were bestowed with this life and this knowledge?" Whatever we possess, including life and knowledge, is His pure gift, not our desert.

Then, he says, "O Generous One" (Ey Karim). This address to the Divine Essence is the key to understanding this passage. Generosity (Karam and Jood) is the most fundamental attribute of God in Rumi's intellectual framework when dealing with creation. Rumi repeatedly emphasizes that the foundation of the cosmos is Jood, not 'Adl (Justice). Justice means giving what one is due; Generosity means giving without desert. When he calls himself "nothing-creature" (hich-ni) and "alef, possessing nothing," he is in fact opening a window to God's infinite Karam. It is He who "makes this nothing-creature something again."

Next, Rumi completes this confession of "possessing nothing": "Except a heart more constricted than the eye of a mim." How do we write mim? It has a loop, at the top of which remains a very small, constricted opening. This narrow opening, the "eye of mim," symbolizes pressure, tightness, and even suffocation. Rumi says that his heart is even more constricted than this narrow opening of mim; meaning it is in the utmost state of distress, pressure, and limitation. This constriction and sorrow (deltangi) is not a mere complaint, but rather an expression of an intense thirst and a plea for expansion from the "Generous One"; a thirst that is itself a divine blessing and opens the way for fulfillment.

Rumi himself points out that this alef and mim are the "umm" (mother) of our existence; meaning the mother and origin of our being. "The mim of umm is constricted, its alef is defiant." In this very view, the alef that has nothing and is defiant (reckless and rebellious) is in fact in heedlessness (ghaflat); for it is unaware of its inherent poverty. But "the mim of the constricted-hearted is a sign of wisdom"; meaning that constriction of the heart, that distress and confession of need, is a sign of awareness and intelligence. This "constriction" (deltangi) is the very "green sorrow" (hozn-i sabz) that Rumi speaks of; a grief that brings one to oneself and makes one aware of one's existential weaknesses and needs.

This confession of "possessing nothing" and "constriction" is, in truth, a prelude to seeking and praying to God. From Rumi's perspective, our prayer is also God's own teaching and command. "You commanded this prayer from the beginning / Otherwise, what audacity would a mere clod of earth have for this?" God first places the capacity within us and creates the thirst, then teaches us the path of prayer, and then Himself answers His own prayer. It is here that the dervish of the couplet comes before the Generous One with a "basket of prayer," stands "naked in tears," and even if he has no tears, he asks God for "two flowing eyes" ('aynayn-i hattalatayn), like those of the Prophet. This couplet is the cry of ultimate servitude and indigence before the infinite Jood of the Lord, beginning with poverty and culminating in the vastness of grace.

Key takeaways

• Our existence is founded on inherent poverty and non-being; everything we possess stems from absolute Divine Generosity (Jood), not our own desert.
• To see oneself as empty like the letter alef is the starting point for comprehending God's infinite Karam.
• The 'mim' of constriction and distress is a sign of wisdom and awareness of existential weakness, unlike the heedless 'alef'.
• Our thirst and inner constriction (deltangi) are themselves divine blessings, and our prayers are God's own teaching and command.
• Confessing to 'possessing nothing' and to our need is a gateway to the acceptance of prayer, for God Himself prepares both the asking and its answer.