M6:966 — از تنش صد جای خون بر می‌جهد / او احد می‌گوید و سر می‌نهد

Translation: From his body, a hundred places bleed forth; / He utters 'Ahad' and bows his head in submission.

Meaning: This verse vividly portrays a lover in the throes of physical torture and torment, who continuously invokes the name of 'Allah' and bows in absolute submission to the Beloved, without a hint of doubt or complaint.

This verse emerges within Rumi's extended allegory of the owls and falcons, an allegory that pits deniers and world-seekers (the owls) against the proponents of truth (the falcons). The owls accuse the falcons of seeking power and worldly gain, echoing the very accusations leveled against prophets and saints. Yazid's notorious words, 'The Hashimites played with kingship; no news came, no revelation descended,' perfectly encapsulate this perspective. Here, Rumi draws upon Abu Bakr's report to the Prophet (PBUH) concerning Bilal, who is depicted crucified under the scorching sun, his body lashed with thorny whips. His blood gushes forth, yet what does he do? 'He utters 'Ahad' and bows his head in submission.' This image is a condensation of ultimate surrender and pure monotheism in the face of extreme tribulation.

I interpret this as a narrative of the truth of love, not a complaint of pain. As Rumi himself says elsewhere, 'Am I complaining about the Soul of the soul? I am not the complainer, I am narrating.' Here too, Bilal does not lament; rather, with his entire being, with every drop of his blood, he narrates the truth of 'Ahad.' This is the essence of self-negation and the affirmation of absolute Being, which forms the bedrock of gnostic progression. He practically demonstrates 'fanā fī Allah' – annihilation in God.

Bilal's utterance of 'Ahad' in this state signifies that for the lover, Qiyama (the Resurrection) has already arrived. As traditions state, 'When a person dies, their Qiyama begins.' For the lover, as soon as love enters their being, their Qiyama is established. The path of return and repentance is closed to them; there is no longer any opportunity for regret. In such a state, patience and repentance are incompatible with love. It is an impossibility for a lover to be patient or to repent from love. Rumi clearly states this: 'Love and repentance with the possibility of patience / This would be a dire impossibility, O soul.' The patience of the lover dies the night love takes its stand.

Love is an attribute of the Self-Sufficient God; 'Repentance is the attribute of creation, and that [love] is the attribute of God.' Repentance is the act of humans returning from sin, but love, that cosmic gravitational force, is an attribute of the Real. Bilal, in this moment, is indeed a manifestation of this divine attribute that has shone forth from his being. He neither contemplates repentance nor adopts patience; he simply and solely utters 'Ahad,' meaning there is none but Him, and bows his head in submission to His will, as if nothing but the Beloved holds any significance. This is the ultimate presence in the 'present moment' and the negation of past and future, which Rumi elsewhere refers to as 'the Sufi, child of the moment.' Bilal, in that instant, is the 'child of the moment' of pure Tawhid, oblivious to his shattered body and worldly life.

Key takeaways

• The utterance of 'Ahad' amidst torture is the ultimate manifestation of the lover's absolute monotheism and unconditional surrender.
• This verse is not a complaint of pain, but a narration of the truth of love and annihilation in God (fanā fī Allah).
• For the true lover, Qiyama (the moment of ultimate union or surrender) has arrived, leaving no room for repentance or patience.
• Love is a divine, cosmic attribute, transcending human concepts like repentance and patience.
• Bilal's declaration of 'Ahad' symbolizes complete presence in the moment and the negation of anything other than the Beloved.