M6:2663 — که فلانی این چنین گفت این زمان / ای سلیمان مه صاحب‌قران

Translation: that so-and-so spoke thus at this very moment, / O Solomon, moon-faced ṣāḥib-qarān (sovereign)! Meaning: This verse is part of the narrative depicting the wind as Solomon's spy, reporting hidden conversations. Here, the wind informs Solomon that a particular person has just uttered certain words.

In this verse, Rumi unveils one of Solomon's astonishing and supernatural attributes: his mastery over the wind, not merely as a means of transport, but as a spy that reveals hidden secrets. We know that the wind, by divine command, can be both a carrier and an annihilator. Earlier, Rumi himself spoke of the fierce wind that destroyed the people of ʿĀd over seven nights and eight days; yet, this same wind became subservient to Solomon's command, transporting his throne—sometimes described as being the size of a city—a month's journey each morning and evening. This is the wind's function as a carrier.

However, Rumi adds a deeper and more particular dimension to Solomon's power: the wind's role as a spy. The wind acted as Solomon's secret agent; in its travels, it would hear the concealed and 'absent' conversations people held with one another, and without delay, report them to Solomon's ear. This, beyond ordinary power, symbolizes the comprehensive knowledge and awareness of unseen secrets bestowed upon prophets and divine saints. Speaking is not limited to verbal language; nature also possesses a language that the saints understand. Just as Galileo proclaimed that nature is written in the language of mathematics, the mystic asserts that nature is inscribed in the language of secrets, comprehensible only to the initiated.

This anecdote demonstrates that no word remains hidden from the sight and hearing of prophets and those with enlightened hearts. The phrase, "that so-and-so spoke thus at this very moment," attests that the wind even reported the precise time and place of these utterances to Solomon. This is not a mere historical account, but an allegory expressing a deeper gnosis: an inner knowledge that transcends the boundaries of outward appearances and the five senses. Through such myths, Rumi teaches us that the world is replete with secrets that can only be heard with the ear of the soul. This aligns perfectly with the concept of "secret-knowing" (rāz-shenāsī) that defines gnosis (ʿirfān). The mystic, the ʿārif, does not merely content themselves with 'seeing' truth; they 'smell the truth' from afar and comprehend hidden mysteries. In the broader context of the Masnavi, this verse reinforces Rumi's invitation to "listen" (bīshanū); an invitation in which he positions himself as the 'tongue of God' and listening as the path to hidden truths. Sovereign prophets command nature and even the most private words of humanity, and this command signifies their special status in the cosmic order.

Key takeaways

• The wind serving as Solomon's carrier and spy symbolizes his spiritual authority and wilāyat.
• Solomon's ability to hear hidden conversations via the wind alludes to the prophets' ilm al-ghayb (knowledge of the unseen) and comprehensive awareness.
• Rumi utilizes myths and historico-religious anecdotes as vehicles for conveying deeper spiritual and metaphysical truths.
• This narrative underscores the importance of 'listening' (bīshanū); from the spying wind to the Masnavi's audience, who must lend an ear to the soul.
• The contrast between the wind's power to destroy the people of ʿĀd and its obedience to Solomon symbolizes nature's absolute subservience to divine command and will.