M6:3490 — دست کورانه به حبل‌الله زن / جز بر امر و نهی یزدانی مَتَن

Translation: Blindly lay your hand upon the Rope of God; Move not, save by divine command and prohibition. Meaning: This verse instructs humanity to cling without doubt to the divine rope, and in all actions, to adhere solely to God's commands and prohibitions, abandoning self-will.

Here, Rumi confronts us with a clear and decisive command that illuminates the path for the seeker: absolute surrender and liberation from the chains of desires (hawa). He states, "Blindly lay your hand upon the Rope of God." This 'blindly' does not signify a lack of insight, but rather a relinquishing of false perceptions and worldly calculations. When a person 'blindly' grasps the Rope of God, it means they transcend their own 'sight' and desires, and with complete trust, entrust the path to the Lord. Rumi, elsewhere, explicitly defines what this "Rope of God" is: he says, "What is the Rope of God? Releasing hawa (desire); for this hawa made 'Ād unruly." Thus, releasing one's lower self-desires is precisely the act of clinging to the Divine Rope. This is Rumi's practical interpretation of the Quranic injunction, "And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of God, and be not divided."

The second part of the verse reinforces this meaning from another angle: "Move not, save by divine command and prohibition." This means, take no step, make no movement, unless it is in accordance with God's commands and prohibitions. It is a directive to abandon self-will and to cease following one's own whims. Rumi elaborates on the calamities these desires bring upon humanity: "People sit in prison because of hawa," "Modesty has departed from the veiled because of hawa." Prisoners, thieves, the shameless; all are bound by their own desires. Even "fish are hot in the pan because of hawa," meaning they are caught either by the fisherman's desire or by their own desire to take the bait. "The four-nail stake and the gallows' awe are from hawa," implying that all punishments, from crucifixion to hanging, originate from human lust and self-indulgence. "The shahna's (police chief's) wrath, the fire's flame are from hawa," signifying that even the existence of police and the fires of Hell are consequences and manifestations of human desires.

I emphasize that, in Rumi's view, Heaven and Hell are not static, eternal entities into which humans merely enter; rather, they are constantly "in the making." Humans, through their actions, their goodness and evil, their hawa and passions, continuously construct and expand these two realms. "Its fuel is men and stones" from the Quran means that humans themselves are the fuel of Hell; with their sins, they ignite its fires. By analogy, through their good deeds and abandonment of desires, they create Paradise. If humans do not do evil, the gates of Hell will close; and if they do not do good, Paradise will wither. We open and close the gates of Heaven and Hell with our own hands.

Rumi also explains the stages of releasing desire. He states that a person initially abandons desire "out of fear of God"; this is the first and most natural stage. Then one reaches the stage of "shame" before God, and ultimately, "the love of God" frees one from desires. These are different levels of human relationship with the Divine. What begins with fear of divine justice's consequences culminates in the abandonment of desire purely out of love for the Beloved.

Rumi also touches upon the point that many people do not even perceive the suffering caused by their own desires: "He who was born in the well and in dark water / How can he know the grace of the plain and the pain of the well?" One who has been born and raised in the well of self-desire will never know the sweetness and grace of spiritual plains, and will not even understand the pain they endure in that well. Only when they emerge from that well will "the opposite become manifest through its opposite," and their past condition will be revealed to them. This verse is essentially an invitation to depart from the darkness of desires and enter the light of divine command and prohibition, so that humanity may taste the sweet water of spiritual life.

Key takeaways

• The "Rope of God" (Habl-Allah), in its esoteric meaning, is the relinquishment of egoistic desires (hawa).
• To cling "blindly" to the Rope of God symbolizes complete surrender and the abandonment of personal calculations in favor of Divine Will.
• All worldly and otherworldly sufferings and punishments, from imprisonment to the fires of Hell, originate from human desires (hawa).
• Heaven and Hell are not static entities; rather, they are continually "in the making" by our actions, good or ill.
• The motivation to abandon desires begins with "fear of God," progresses to "shame," and culminates in "love for God."
• Those born and raised in the mire of desires do not perceive their suffering; only by emerging from it can they realize the grace of the spiritual world.