M6:1600 — آنک معصوم ره وحی خداست / چون همه صافست بگشاید رواست

Translation: That one who is immaculate, the path of God's revelation, Since all is pure, it is permissible for him to open his mouth. Meaning: This couplet refers to those who are infallible and connected to divine revelation, stating that they are permitted to speak freely, as everything they utter is pure and free from error.

This couplet from Mawlana, to my mind, delineates a crucial distinction between our ordinary human speech and the revelatory utterances of prophets and immaculate saints. Earlier, there was a discourse on the necessity of silence and restraint in speech, even if the words were beneficial, because the spring of discourse, after its initial gush, can become turbid. Yet, here, Mawlana establishes an exception, a definitive pronouncement, an explicit 'it is permissible' (ravāst). I contend that this permission to speak is reserved for those whose entire being is nourished by the spring of divine revelation and is cleansed of any trace of egoic desire. He is one who is 'immaculate, the path of God's revelation'; meaning he is not merely on the path of revelation, but is himself the pristine conduit and channel for it. Such a person, because 'all is pure' (chon hameh sāfast) – his essence, his thought, and everything that emanates from him – is entirely clear and unadulterated. Thus, his speech is not only unobjectionable but inherently correct. Undoubtedly, Mawlana alludes here to the Quranic verses, specifically from Surah An-Najm, where it states: "Nor does he (the Prophet) speak of (his own) desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed" (53:3-4). This is precisely what I refer to as 'being the Tongue of Truth.' The prophet's tongue becomes the very tongue of Truth itself. He no longer speaks from his own self, but articulates on behalf of the Divine. In such a station, there is no fear of the spring turning muddy, or 'speech being killed by other speech'; for the immaculate one's words do not originate from human thought but from a transcendent, timeless, and placeless horizon. This speech is pure essence upon pure essence, clear and healing. This, for me, is the pinnacle of eloquence, continually praised by Mawlana in the Masnavi; a station where human utterance dons the garment of revelation and becomes a guide to truth.

Key takeaways

• Permission to speak freely is granted only to the one who is immaculate and a conduit for divine revelation.
• Immaculacy signifies complete purity from egoic desires and an unmediated connection to the Divine source.
• The speech of the immaculate, like Quranic revelation, never originates from personal whim.
• Words emanating from the pure spring of revelation are always clear, infallible, and healing.