M6:4007 — اصطلاحاتی میان هم‌دگر / داشتندی بهر ایراد خبر

Translation: Between themselves, they had certain idioms, To convey a message (or a secret).

Meaning: This verse speaks to the necessity of a coded language or specific idioms among mystics and those initiated into secrets, allowing them to communicate profound truths and inner realities that only their peers can truly grasp.

This verse immediately follows Mawlana's discussion of "two kings in love speaking in allusions." I have consistently stressed that the language of transcendent truths is one of allusion (kināya) and symbolism, not a direct and explicit tongue comprehensible to all alike. Here, Mawlana clarifies that among the initiated, there exist specific idioms and a coded language, akin to the "language of the birds" (lisān al-ṭayr). This is a language that, according to the Quran, Prophet Solomon understood, and Ghazali too believed that mystics spoke it. This is not the language of common birds, but rather the "birds from the divine presence" (ṭuyūr min ladun)—heavenly, divinely inspired beings.

I am firmly convinced that Mawlana believes the language of religion, of the heavens, of prophets, and of mystics, is inherently allusive and symbolic. This is the very approach I have explored in detail in "Qābiẓ va Bāsiṭ" and my other works. Truth possesses both an outward (ẓāhir) and an inward (bāṭin) dimension; and this allusive expression, much like "So-and-so has much ash in their house" (meaning they are hospitable), or "I have torn more shirts than you" (meaning I am more experienced), is a pathway from the outward to the inward. One who is not a "knower of secrets" (rāz-dān) perceives only the surface, remaining deprived of the "kernel."

It is here that Mawlana speaks of false claimants. He says: "From this language of the birds they learned / Pomp and sovereignty they earned." This means that the common folk, those ignorant of true reality, grasp a superficial layer of this symbolic language and exploit it to "claim mastership" and "fashion themselves into a Bayazid." They have heard only the "sound of the bird's cry," but are oblivious to the "state of the birds"—their inner reality. These are like the div (demon) who "stood in Solomon's guise"; they may sit upon the throne and even deceive some, yet they are devoid of ʿilmnā (divine knowledge) and possess only the "knowledge of deceit." This is a serious critique from Mawlana aimed at the false shaykhs and claimants of mysticism who were prevalent in his time as well.

In this section of Book Six of the Masnavi, as I have previously noted, Mawlana's language occasionally becomes somewhat terse and complex. Some commentators attribute this to his diminishing vigor in his later years, nearing the completion of the Masnavi. Nevertheless, the core meaning remains constant: truth must be spoken in رمز, and only the initiated can comprehend it. Others may hear only its noise or outward form, without ever grasping its essence and soul.

Key takeaways

• The language of transcendent truths is always symbolic and allusive, never direct and explicit.
• Specific idioms and symbolic language among the initiated serve to convey deep meanings inaccessible to outsiders.
• The "language of the birds" (lisān al-ṭayr) in the Masnavi refers to the tongue of "divine birds" (ṭuyūr min ladun), not literal ones.
• Mawlana fiercely criticizes false claimants of mysticism who exploit the symbolic language of mystics to gain "pomp and sovereignty."
• Those who hear only the "sound of the bird's cry" but fail to grasp the "state of the birds" are trapped by appearances.
• The analogy of the demon assuming Solomon's guise serves as a warning against the deceptive allure of false pretenders.