M6:2441 — باز با خود آمدم زان انتشار / باز دیدم طور و موسی برقرار

Translation: Then I returned to myself from that scattering [of senses], Again I saw Mount Sinai and Moses firmly established. Meaning: This verse describes the return from a profound mystical experience to ordinary consciousness, where the mystic, after witnessing fundamental inner transformations, finds the external world still stable.

This verse, among the most significant in the sixth book of the Masnavi, recounts the moment of return from an ecstatic, bewildering mystical experience to the realm of self-awareness and ordinary reality. Here, Rumi, through the voice of one of his three travelers—the Jewish one—relates experiences that, I believe, have deep roots in his own spiritual unveilings. Just as in the story of Daquqi in Book Three, Rumi sometimes expresses his unique experiences through the narratives of others.

The term entishār (انتشار) here signifies the scattering of senses, bewilderment, and self-forgetfulness. It is an experience where, due to the intensity of divine manifestation (tajallī), the seeker loses their conscious mind and becomes immersed in another world. The Holy Quran describes Moses' state during God's manifestation thus: "wa kharra Mūsā ṣaʿiqan" (Moses fell down in a swoon). Rumi beautifully portrays this state of unconsciousness and self-loss, which stems from the awe-inspiring grandeur of the Divine Manifestation.

The crucial point in this verse is the contrast between the inner reality of mystical experience and the apparent reality of the external world. Following this narrative, the Jewish traveler describes visions in which divine light split Mount Sinai into three parts, sweetened bitter waters, and caused healing springs to gush forth from the earth. He sees the mountain melting like ice under Moses' feet, its height bowing down and leveling with the ground. These are all fundamental, qualitative transformations occurring within the inner world and the realm of the mystic's experience. Yet, as soon as he "returns to himself" (bā khwod āmadam) and emerges from that self-forgetfulness, he realizes that "Mount Sinai and Moses are firmly established" (Ṭūr-o Mūsā barqarār); meaning the mountain outwardly remains unchanged, and Moses is still present.

This is where the importance of distinguishing between external and internal reality becomes apparent. What Moses saw in his dream and during his state of swoon—that the mountain vanished—was an internal transformation, not one in the external world. The external Mount Sinai remained in its place even after God's manifestation. The mystic, upon returning from the realm of contemplation, perceives the world outwardly as it was before the experience, yet their understanding and perspective of it will never be the same. This means that tajallī transforms the world in the eye of the beholder, not necessarily in its own essence.

After this return to self, another vista opens: "van biyābān sar ba sar dar dhayl-e kūh / por khalāyiq shakl-e Mūsā dar vojah" (And the entire desert at the foot of the mountain / Full of creatures in the form of Moses). The desert becomes filled with people, all resembling Moses, holding the same staff and wearing similar cloaks, and all raising their hands in prayer with the "Arinī" (Show me Yourself) chant, requesting to see God. This astonishing scene points to another profound aspect of mysticism: the "unity of prophets." The mystic ultimately realizes that all prophets, although diverse in form and law, are one in essence and purpose, and all, like Moses, are seekers of truth and divine beauty. This demonstrates not only the unity of prophets but also the unity of seekers and aspirants of truth. It is here that Rumi, with his famous dictum, states: "Hīch kāfar-rā ba khvārī man-garīd / ke Musalmān mordanash bāshad omīd" (Look not upon any infidel with scorn / For there is hope that he may die a Muslim). This point opens a gateway to the pluralism of salvation, emphasizing that the heartfelt intention and yearning for truth, even if expressed in different outward forms, will ultimately lead to salvation and joining the company of divine lovers.

Key takeaways

• Mystical experience, even if framed as a dream or swoon, is a profound and transformative reality that Rumi considers rooted in his own insights.
• A fundamental distinction exists between the internal transformations of the mystic and the outward stability of the external world; divine manifestation changes the world in the eye of the beholder, not necessarily in its essence.
• Entishār (scattering of senses) refers to a state of self-forgetfulness and transcendence of normal consciousness, experienced by the mystic in encounter with divine manifestation.
• "Mount Sinai and Moses established" signifies the return to worldly reality after a deep mystical experience, but with a completely transformed perspective.
• The scene of the desert filled with "creatures in the form of Moses" symbolizes the "unity of prophets" and the singleness of purpose among seekers of truth, despite apparent differences in their paths.
• Rumi's ethical guidance against scorning any "infidel" opens a window to the "pluralism of salvation," emphasizing the importance of pure intention.