M6:2361 — هر کمانی کو گرفتی سخت‌تر / بود از گنج و نشان بدبخت‌تر

Translation: Any bow he took, the stiffer (stronger) it was, The unluckier he became concerning the treasure and its trace.

Meaning: The more one strives with increasing intellectual complexity and self-reliance, making the spiritual path harder, the further one drifts from the ultimate goal or true treasure and the unluckier one becomes.

This verse, set against the backdrop of the dervish seeking treasure and the tale of Canaan, is in fact a sharp and resonant jab at those who, on the path to truth, rely on complexity and their own intellect rather than simplicity and submission. Rumi calls this parable "jānī" (vital, life-giving), meaning it is crucial for his era and, indeed, for any time when the path to truth becomes obscured.

I interpret this verse as a foundational critique of an approach that prioritizes philosophy and scholastic theology over love and intuition. Recall the story of Canaan, Noah's son, who, when the flood came, rather than boarding the ark of salvation, prided himself on his cleverness, saying: "I will take refuge on a mountain, which will protect me from the water." He relied on his own intellect and stratagem, and ultimately perished. By recounting this story, Rumi provides a vivid image of the fate of self-reliance and dependence on personal faculties in the face of a divine invitation.

The same fate awaits the dervish searching for treasure. Each day, he uses a stiffer, more powerful bow, but the result is contrary to his intention: "Any bow he took, the stiffer it was, / The unluckier he became concerning the treasure and its trace." What does this "stiffer bow" symbolize? Without doubt, it is a symbol of more complex philosophical arguments, more intricate rational deductions, and more compelling theological systems that scholars and philosophers construct to reach the truth. Rumi says that the stiffer these bows become and the more convoluted these paths, the further they take you from the true treasure of reality, making you unluckier. This is a "warning," a "loud cry" from Rumi. He explicitly states that this discourse is "jānī for our time," meaning it is a vital and urgent matter. Why? Because, as Rumi seems to have sensed, philosophers and theologians had overrun the Islamic world, leaving nothing of the simplicity of the prophetic invitation. People sought their faith and belief from those who offered nothing but counterfeit goods, which are these complex intellectual entanglements. The path to truth, in Rumi's view, does not pass through such complexities.

These "ignorant ones," as Rumi calls them, are those whose "souls are cheap in suffering." Out of ignorance, they seek hardship, dedicating themselves to toil and exertion. They strain their intellects, constructing complex arguments, but achieve no results. In contrast, Rumi speaks of the "short path," a way where truth is attained with ease and unpretentiousness. This is a choice between two paths: the path of "straining the intellect" which leads to distancing oneself from truth, and the path of "simplicity and submission" which makes union possible. With this verse, Rumi strongly admonishes us to be careful, in our search for truth, never to make the path harder for ourselves, for every self-made complexity only distances us further from the destination.

Key takeaways

• Sole reliance on intellect and self-contrivance, rather than submission and simplicity, distances one from truth.
• Complex philosophical and theological approaches in the search for truth often hinder its attainment.
• This verse serves as a direct critique of those who complicate the simple path to truth with self-imposed intellectual hardships.
• Rumi considers this parable "vital" and "urgent," reflecting a spiritual crisis of his time.
• Employing "stiffer bows" (complex arguments) leads only to ill-fortune and separation from the true treasure.