M6:4236 — خود کی کوبد این در رحمت‌نثار / که نیابد در اجابت صد بهار

Translation: Who indeed would knock upon this mercy-bestowing door, / And not find a hundred springs in its response? Meaning: This rhetorical question asserts that anyone who approaches the Divine threshold with a sincere plea will undoubtedly receive an abundant answer, far exceeding their expectations. No genuine prayer goes unanswered.

This verse appears in the midst of the story of the treasure-seeker, a man who has lost his inheritance and is now called by a divine voice to Egypt. Faced with absolute destitution, he turns to God, and this verse, as if a guarantee for his plea, is uttered. Here, Rumi delves into the phenomenon of prayer and its divine response, articulating a fundamental mystical principle.

Firstly, the nature of the question in this verse is rhetorical. “Who indeed would knock upon this door?” This is not a question seeking information, but a powerful declaration of an inevitable truth. It signifies, “There is no one who knocks upon this door and remains unanswered.” This directly conveys assurance to the seeker that the Divine threshold is not one of deprivation.

Secondly, the description of the door as “mercy-bestowing” (rahmat-nesār) is key to understanding this boundless bounty. This door does not merely open to mercy; it actively scatters and bestows mercy. This imagery suggests that divine grace is already prepared and overflowing, and the one who knocks merely exposes themselves to this ready grace. Mercy is an inherent attribute and a continuous action of the Divine Presence, and human need is simply to open oneself to it.

Thirdly, “a hundred springs in its response” (dar ejābat sad bahār) is an astonishing expression of the vastness and scope of divine acceptance. “Spring” (bahār) symbolizes growth, life, beauty, and renewal. “A hundred springs” is not just a numerical multitude, but refers to an infinite, boundless abundance, far beyond our imagination and expectation. If a person asks for a mere leaf, they are granted not just a leaf, but a hundred springs, an entire season of growth and renewal. This response, both in quality and quantity, surpasses human request. This is the meaning often embedded in the delayed or indirect answer to a prayer; God sometimes responds in a different way, with hidden wisdom, bestowing “a hundred springs” that are ultimately more beneficial for us, even if we do not perceive its wisdom at the moment.

In Rumi’s thought, this verse implicitly critiques those who imagine God to be absent or limited in generosity. Instead, he presents an image of the Divine as ever-present, active, and incomparably generous. The separation spoken of at the beginning of the Masnavi is not from an absent Beloved, but a severance from the principle of His continuous and active presence. This verse emphatically underlines that the ever-present Beloved is always ready to respond and bestow grace, to the extent that His giving is hundreds of times greater than the asking.

Key takeaways

• Every sincere prayer is undoubtedly answered.
• The door of Divine mercy is always open and ready to bestow.
• God's bounty always exceeds our expectations and requests, offering renewal like “a hundred springs.”
• Divine wisdom sometimes entails indirect or delayed answers to prayers, which are themselves acts of mercy.
• This verse stands as a firm rebuttal to any notion of divine absence or parsimony.