M6:2417 — یک زمانی هر کسی آورد رو / سوی ورد خویش از حق فضل‌جو

Translation: At one time, each turned their face / Towards their own wird, seeking grace from God. Meaning: This verse sets the scene for the story of the three travelers, indicating that each of them, according to their distinct religious path, engaged in their specific spiritual practice and sought divine favor and bounty from God.

This beyt appears at the very beginning of the tale of the three travelers – a Jew, a Christian, and a Muslim – setting the stage for their inner dispositions before the external events of the story unfold. Here, Rumi points to a fundamental truth: human beings, regardless of their outward appearance or explicit beliefs, possess an inner dimension that turns towards its ultimate source and origin. The phrase 'At one time, each turned their face' signifies a heartfelt attention and focus on one's own spiritual path.

'Towards their own wird,' where wird here is not merely a verbal prayer or recitation, but rather the spiritual practice, tradition, path, and inner methodology in which each individual is immersed. Each of these three travelers, before consuming the found halva on the condition of having seen a 'good dream,' has retreated into their own inner wird. This wird is their source of hope and inspiration, and thus, they were 'seeking grace from God.' This seeking of grace (fadl-jū'ī) is a heartfelt longing for divine mercy and favor, which manifests in various forms across every tradition and creed.

I have always emphasized that in Rumi's view, what truly matters is a person's inner 'motive' (angīzeh) and 'longing' (shawq), not merely their 'thought' (andīsheh) or ideas. As he states: 'O brother, you are entirely thought / The rest is but bone and root,' where 'thought' here refers to motivation. In this beyt, too, this seeking of grace expresses the inner motive of each individual, which will shape their subsequent dreams. This verse illustrates how each person views the world through the lens of their own spiritual outlook, and their expectations and aspirations from God manifest within the framework of their specific wird.

The Muslim, being a fasting and outnumbered individual, receives divine grace in a way that frees him from the constraints of the superficial agreement. In contrast, the others perceive grace as an ascent in lofty spiritual realms. Ultimately, Rumi teaches us that the sincerity and authenticity of one's seeking of grace is what imbues spiritual dreams and experiences with genuine validity, not merely their outward grandeur or magnificence.

Key takeaways

• Every human being, in their deepest essence, turns towards their ultimate spiritual goal and origin.
• "Wird-i Khwīsh" (one's own practice) is not merely a verbal invocation, but signifies an individual's inner disposition, creed, and esoteric path.
• Seeking grace (fadl-jū'ī) is the profound root of a heartfelt longing for divine mercy and favor.
• Inner motive and longing (rather than mere thought) play a central role in shaping spiritual experience.
• Sincerity and authenticity in seeking grace are the criteria for the validity of spiritual experiences and true dreams, not their apparent grandeur.