M6:125 — گر منی گنده بود هم‌چون منی / چون به جان پیوست یابد روشنی

Translation: If a semen is foul-smelling, just like me (a mere 'I'), / When it connects to the soul, it finds light. Meaning: This verse asserts that anything seemingly base or "foul," such as human semen, undergoes a profound transformation, reaching illumination and perfection, when it joins with the source of life or the soul.

This verse contains one of the most pivotal teachings of the Masnavi: the miracle of "connection" (peyvastan). Rumi explicitly states here that even the foulest and most seemingly worthless things, such as malodorous semen, attain "light" (rowshanī) and life when they unite with the "soul" (jan). This act of connection, as it were, is a divine alchemy that brings the dead to life, transforms the bad into good, and illuminates darkness. This is not merely a simple analogy; Rumi is pointing to a deep ontological reality. As I have often affirmed, consider the individual cells within our bodies. Even the inanimate iron that circulates in our hemoglobin, when connected to our life, becomes distinct from inert iron outside the body; it "lives," for the shadow of life has fallen upon it. This is the very secret: connection draws the dead into vitality. Plants, too, repeat this miracle daily. They absorb dead and inanimate substances from the soil – inert nitrogens, carbons, and calciums – and immediately upon entering the plant's structure, these dead elements gain plant life. When this same carbon dioxide exits the plant, it reverts to its inert state. This process clearly demonstrates that "separation is death" and "connection is life." And this chain of life-giving does not stop there. When we consume the fruits of these very plants, the life that resided in the vegetation joins our "soul" and takes on human life. At a higher level, the human soul itself turns towards the "Beloved" (jānān); that is, towards souls superior and loftier than itself, until it reaches the station of eternity and divinity. This is the true meaning of resurrection (maʿād), where souls connect with souls greater than themselves and settle into a boundless existence. It is for this reason that the greatest tragedy in the human world is not poverty or illness, but "separation" (jodāyi). Rumi consistently speaks of separation, for it is the state of being severed from that source of life and light. Yet, this "badness" that he speaks of should never, in Rumi's view, be eradicated. As he says elsewhere, if you possess a wild and "backward-walking" horse, instead of destroying it, turn its back towards your destination and use its very backward movement to advance towards your goal. Our intellect, our body, and our appetitive and wrathful faculties, though they may at times seem "foul" or unruly, should not be annihilated. Rather, they must be placed in the service of the "spirit" (rūḥ) and "love" (ʿishq). It is this reform and proper orientation that makes them "good" and bestows upon them "light." This "seeking of goodness" (nīkūjūyī) and connection to the right path is the miracle of the human world.

Key takeaways

• "Connection" (peyvastan) is the alchemical miracle that brings the dead to life, transforms bad into good, and illuminates darkness.
• Nothing is inherently evil; every "foul" element can attain light through its connection to the "soul" (jan).
• The true tragedy in the human world is "separation" (jodāyi), not inherent flaws, as separation means death and loss of life.
• Natural bodily and psychic faculties should not be eradicated, but rather reformed and transformed through "seeking goodness" (nīkūjūyī) and serving the "spirit" and "love."
• Life at every level, from atoms to plants to humans, attains vitality and perfection by connecting to its higher ontological stage.