M6:2429 — هر سه سایه محو شد زان آفتاب / بعد از آن زان نور شد یک فتح باب

Translation: All three shadows were effaced by that Sun; / After that, from that light, a new door was opened. Meaning: This verse describes the effacement of beings, including sacred figures and even a mountain, in divine light, leading to the opening of a new spiritual vista.

This verse appears in the midst of Rumi's narrative of the Jewish man's dream, wherein he recounts accompanying Moses to Mount Sinai, where the Divine Light (Nūr-i Ḥaqq) manifests upon them. I am convinced that Rumi, in these passages, channels his own mystical experiences through the characters of his stories, much like the Daqūqī tale in Book Three of the Mathnawī. This is not a mere dream, but a living, vital perception attained by the spiritual wayfarer.

The verse states that all three—the Jewish man, Moses, and Mount Sinai—were effaced in that 'Sun' (Āftāb), which is unequivocally the Sun of Divine Truth. This effacement implies not annihilation, but the dissolution of 'shadows'—the ephemeral manifestations and defined identities—in the face of absolute Light. This resonates with Rumi's broader assertion, 'It is effacement (maḥv) that is needed, not grammar (naḥw).' In this station, even Mount Sinai, a symbol of permanence and grandeur, shatters before the majesty of the Divine manifestation, as the Qur'an states: "When his Lord revealed [His glory] to the mountain, He made it crumble to dust." Here, Rumi emphasizes that this fracturing and disintegration of the mountain occurred within Moses's internal, spiritual experience, not in external physical reality. Divine manifestation is a 'weighty utterance' (qaul-i thaqīl) that breaks down all resistance, rendering one unconscious; yet, this unconsciousness is a prelude to deeper awareness.

Following this effacement and passing-away (fanā), 'a new door was opened' (fath-i bāb) by that very light. This opening signifies an existential and epistemological elevation, a fresh path to understanding Truth. This manifestation is a voiceless revelation (waḥy-i bī-zabān), just as hunger wordlessly commands us to eat or thirst compels us to drink. This revelation is not linguistic but a subtle sign received from the depths of being. The Jew's experience does not end here; after this effacement, he sees another light that ascends higher, and once more, he, Moses, and Mount Sinai are lost in the radiance of that light. Then the mountain splits into three branches, each displaying an aspect of divine manifestation: one sweetens the bitter waters of the sea, another brings forth a medicinal spring from the earth, and the third flies towards the Ka'ba. These images illustrate the pervasive and diverse impacts of this divine manifestation upon the cosmos.

Rumi transcends these 'formed' dreams, emphasizing that authentic mystical experiences are formless, liberated from mental preconceptions. Yet, even the formed dream of this Jew produces an objective, external effect (āthār-i bīrūnī wa ʾābjektīv) that leads to his certainty and spiritual opening. Ultimately, Rumi draws a profound conclusion from this story: the 'pluralism of salvation' (pluralīsm-i najāt). He declares, "Do not scorn any infidel, / For it is hoped he may die a Muslim." This indicates that, in Rumi's view, salvation and deliverance depend on sincere intention and noble aspirations, not merely on the outward form of a religion. This Jewish experience serves as an example of the truth that many Jews may attain a felicitous end, and spiritual experiences open the path to salvation for them.

Key takeaways

• Effacement in Divine Light (the annihilation of shadows) opens new horizons of knowledge and perception.
• Divine manifestation is an awe-inspiring and weighty event that transforms even symbols of grandeur, yet this transformation is a prelude to elevation.
• Revelation and inspiration are not always linguistic; they can be received as voiceless signs from the depth of the seeker's being.
• Mystical experiences, even in the form of dreams, can have objective, external effects that multiply certainty.
• Rumi advocates for a 'pluralism of salvation': deliverance is attained not merely through outward religious identity, but through pure intention and profound spiritual experiences.