M6:2856 — چشم من ره برد شب شه را شناخت / جمله شب با روی ماهش عشق باخت

Translation: My eye found its way in the night and recognized the King; all through the night it made love with His moon-like face. Meaning: This verse, spoken by the thief who recognized the king, describes the peak of nocturnal intuitive gnosis, illustrating how the recognition of Truth leads to unmediated love-making in the darkness of the world.

You see, this verse belongs to that class of Mathnavi couplets which, while ostensibly narrating a tale of a thief and a king, in essence impart a profound lesson in gnosis and love to the mystic. Here, Rumi lifts the veil from deeper truths, likening the story of thieves who raid a king's treasury at night to the journey of the seeker on the path of Truth. The king, incognito among the thieves in the darkness of the night, symbolizes the hidden presence of the Divine in the heart of the material world and nature.

As for the thief whose skill lay in his discerning eye and who managed to recognize the king in that absolute darkness, he is none other than the ʿārif (mystic). This awakened ʿārif, amidst the darkness of heedlessness and materialism, perceives the light of Truth. Rumi states unreservedly: "The King, that ʿārif, his eye, naturally, opened its lips in gnosis to his entourage." This implies that the king in the story is precisely the enlightened ʿārif whose eye has opened through gnosis. It is his eye that finds its way through the blackness of night and recognizes the moon-like visage of Truth. This recognition is not an ordinary sensory perception; rather, it is an inner, intuitive vision.

And what is the consequence of this recognition? "All through the night it made love with His moon-like face." He spends the entire night, within the heart of this world full of darkness and veils, engaging in love-play with the Divine. This love-play is the product of that ʿayn al-yaqīn (certainty by direct experience). When you perceive Truth within the fabric of events and in the heart of the world's night, you no longer remain restless; instead, you find intimacy and love with Him. This thief-turned-mystic takes on two facets. One facet is that of a thief among other thieves, ostensibly participating in their thievery; yet, inwardly, his eye is fixed upon something else entirely. His other facet is that of a mystic who, in the dark night of nature and matter, has recognized the King of the World, i.e., God, and has engaged in love-play with Him from dusk till dawn.

This ʿārif, through this profound recognition, attains a station where he can intercede for others. Rumi says: "I will ask for my community from Him / For He never turns His face from the ʿārif." This King does not turn away from the ʿārifīn; for the ʿārif's eye is precisely the eye that Truth itself has bestowed upon him to recognize Him. Here, intercession takes on an entirely different meaning. This intercession is not due to favoritism or ordinary supplication, but rather stems from the ʿārif's unity and annihilation in Truth. The intercessor (shāfiʿ) and the interceded-for (mushaffaʿ) are, at this station, one. The ʿārif's hand is God's hand; his eye, God's eye; his ear, God's ear. Whatever the ʿārif does, Truth has done.

It is here that Rumi, drawing upon the Quranic expression mā zāgha al-baṣar (that the Prophet's eye did not waver nor swerve during his ascent), states: "Thus Muhammad was the intercessor for every wound / For his eye, save for Truth, did not waver." The ʿārif's eye, too, like the Prophet's eye, sees nothing but Truth, and in the night of the world, it is fixed upon Truth. This vision is the security of both worlds, and such an eye recognizes the King in the night of heedlessness and makes love with His moon-like countenance. This gnosis liberates him from the circle of complainers and places him among the circle of loving intercessors.

Key takeaways

• Recognizing Truth in the world's darkness (night) is possible through the mystic's discerning eye.
• Intuitive gnosis leads to unmediated love-making with the Divine, encompassing the entire 'night' (life in the material world).
• The true mystic, though outwardly among others, inwardly directs their gaze towards the Truth.
• The mystic's intercession stems not from mere supplication, but from their unity and annihilation in Truth; the intercessor and the interceded-for become one at this station.
• The mystic's eye, like the Prophet's, sees nothing but Truth and never deviates from reality (mā zāgha al-baṣar).