M6:2377 — با دو گمره همره آمد مؤمنی / چون خرد با نفس و با آهرمنی

Translation: A believer journeyed alongside two misguided ones, just as intellect accompanies the ego and the devil. Meaning: This verse describes a believer's unavoidable journey with two individuals of other faiths, likening this companionship to the intellect's internal coexistence with the ego and the devil within the human soul.

This verse, appearing within the narrative of the three travelers — the Jew, the Christian, and the Muslim — in the Masnavi, serves as a profound allegory for the human condition in this world and its confrontation with contrasting elements. Rumi, with unparalleled subtlety, links an external situation to an internal spiritual challenge. When Rumi states, "A believer journeyed alongside two misguided ones," he is undoubtedly referring to the believer's companionship with the Jew and the Christian in the story. The term "misguided" (gomrah) here, from a purely Sharia perspective, applies to those who have deviated from the true path. However, from Rumi's deeper, more mystical (tariqa) viewpoint, as I have often emphasized, religious differences sometimes stem from varying "perspectives" and "angles" adopted by prophets and their followers. The transcendent truth is singular, yet its perceptions and expressions are manifold. Rumi himself, as evident from the Masnavi and Divan-e Shams, held at times differing attitudes towards followers of various religions. While he displayed an open and even empathetic approach towards Christians—whom he regarded as the "father of Islamic Sufism" in a sense, and whose humility and monasticism he admired—he occasionally used harsh and stinging remarks when referring to Jews. This verse employs "misguided" according to Sharia, yet it is crucial to remember that Rumi's perspective often transcends sharia, focusing instead on people's inner essence and intentions. The simile "just as intellect accompanies the ego and the devil" is the core of this verse's meaning. Rumi compares the believer's journey with two non-believers to the inner journey of khirad (intellect) accompanied by nafs (ego/selfhood) and ahrīman (the devil) within a human being. This comparison indicates that every believer, even in solitude, is engaged in a struggle with the misguided forces of ego and devil. In Rumi's view, the nafs and ahrīman are, in essence, two sides of the same coin, fundamentally one. He asserts elsewhere: "The ego and Satan were both a single entity / They manifested themselves in two forms." This world is likened to a temporary caravanserai or a prison where the pure and the impure, intellect and ego, believer and misguided, are compelled to coexist and journey together. Just as a falcon and a crow may be placed in the same cage, divine providence has decreed that all these opposites should reside together in this world. But this companionship is temporary; ultimately, "When the path is cleared and the bond released / They will scatter, each going to their own place." The ultimate destination of each individual will be determined by their inner longing and aspiration; it is these desires and motivations that constitute a person's true character, not merely their thoughts. As Rumi famously said: "O brother, you are entirely thought [or intention] / The rest is but bone and sinew."

Key takeaways

• The external journey of a believer with the misguided symbolizes the internal struggle of intellect with ego and devil.
• Rumi views the ego (nafs) and the devil (ahrīman) as two manifestations of a single misleading entity.
• The world in this verse is a temporary "caravanserai" or "prison" where opposites (intellect/ego, believer/misguided) are forced to coexist.
• This temporary companionship ends with separation, each individual heading towards their true destination, which is born from their inner 'longing' and 'motivation'.