M6:2567 — بس گمان و وهم آید در ضمیر / کان نباشد حق و صادق ای امیر

Translation: Many a suspicion and illusion comes to the conscience, / Which is neither true nor valid, O Commander. Meaning: This couplet serves as a potent warning that a significant portion of the thoughts, conjectures, and suspicions that assail the human mind are unfounded in reality, and one should not base judgments or assessments upon them.

This couplet is uttered by the jester in his defense against the envious minister’s accusations. The minister accuses the jester of concealment and deceit, using the jester's visible signs of distress—his "trembling and pallor"—as evidence. The jester, however, with a cry of anguish, dismisses these suspicions as baseless illusions, warning the minister: "Many a suspicion and illusion comes to the conscience, / Which is neither true nor valid, O Commander." Many thoughts that enter the heart are simply not true. Here, I pause to emphasize Rumi’s and the Quran’s insistence on the nature of humanity, a nature that often inclines toward ill-will. Terms such as "khuliqa al-insānu halū‘an" (humanity was created anxious), "jazū‘an" (impatient), "manū‘an" (possessive), "ẓalūman" (unjust), and "jahūlan" (ignorant) all point to this innate human tendency toward deviation and imperfection. Humanity, though created in the "best of molds" (ahsan-i taqwīm), has fallen to the "lowest of the low" (asfal-i sāfilīn), unless, through faith and good deeds, one grasps the ladder and ascends. This is, in effect, an entropic principle in the realm of ethics: left to our own devices, we tend downwards, unless an external force pulls us upwards. This perspective of Rumi and the Quran stands in contrast to philosophies that consider humans fundamentally good-natured—the philosophical bedrock of liberalism and democracy. Conversely, dictatorial philosophies arise from a belief in humanity’s ill-nature, asserting that minds do not congregate harmoniously; rather, souls swarm, necessitating an authoritarian hand to suppress and guide them. History, however, has consistently shown that humans truly tend downwards; if left unrestrained, they neglect others’ rights, act selfishly, and lie. This is the "thin veneer of civilization" that Freud speaks of, a delicate covering over our savagery and primitivism that tears at the slightest provocation. The endeavor of the prophets has always been to "humanize" this very human. Returning to the couplet, the jester tells the minister, "Innā ba‘ḍa aẓ-ẓanni ithm" (Indeed, some suspicion is sin). This Quranic phrase attests to the necessity of purifying one’s mind and conscience. The Prophet (PBUH) stated that nine things are lifted from his community, including "mā ḥaddathat bihi anfusuhā mā lam ta‘mal aw tataqallam" (that which one merely thinks but does not act upon or speak of). This means that what merely passes through the heart, not manifesting in action or speech, bears no punishment. However, this does not imply a pure conscience. One who is ill-suspecting and ill-wishing towards others, even if they do nothing, suffers internally from envy and anger. This skewed thinking is the tormenting pain within and indicates a polluted conscience. As Hafez says: "I can avoid hurting anyone’s heart / But what can I do about the envious, who is in pain from his own pain?" False suspicions trap a person in a dark well, akin to Plato’s Cave, where shadows are mistaken for reality, and the sunlight outside remains unknown. The jester’s message is: abandon the well and come into the light, so that your suspicions may take on the hue of truth.

Key takeaways

• Internal suspicions and illusions are often devoid of truth and should not form the basis of judgment.
• Rumi, echoing the Quran, emphasizes humanity's inherent inclination towards ill-will, which necessitates external effort for transformation.
• Ill-suspicion and conjecture stem from a polluted conscience and, even if not acted upon, cause internal suffering.
• Judging based solely on suspicion and illusion is neither just nor aligned with the reality of matters.
• Freedom from the trap of false suspicions means exiting 'Plato's Cave' and turning towards the light of truth.