M6:180 — عیب‌چینان را ازین دم کور دار / هم به ستّاری خود ای کردگار

Translation: Keep the fault-finders blind to this very breath, / And by Your own Concealing, O Creator! Meaning: In this verse, Rumi prays that the profound spiritual truths flowing through him remain hidden from superficial critics and fault-finders, asking God to safeguard these realities by His attribute of the All-Concealer.

This verse, appearing at a peak of Rumi's discourse in the sixth book of the Masnavi, is a prayer; a prayer in which the speaker seeks protection for the truths emanating from his very breath. I have often pointed out that Rumi, this dweller of the neyestān (reed-bed) of truth, considers himself a conduit for the Divine Breath. "This breath" (azin dam) refers precisely to this divine inspiration that flows from his reed-like being, from his very existence, and from his Masnavi. This is not mere human speech, but the wahy-i del (revelation of the heart), which is aware of God, and how could it be wrong when it is His dwelling place?

Rumi's plea is to "keep the fault-finders blind to this breath." The fault-finders ('ayb-chinan) are those whose gaze is superficial, who see only the external, and who are incapable of grasping the hidden secret within every profound word and every truth bubbling from the sea of knowledge. These are the same ones of whom Rumi says elsewhere, "Each became my companion according to his own conjecture / And sought not my secrets from within my inner being." Fault-finding is the bane of truth-seeing. One who seeks flaws instead of meaning will inevitably be deprived of seeing the hidden light in every word.

This prayer follows verses where Rumi speaks of the meaning of nakh'tim 'ala afwahihim (We seal their mouths) from the Quran. This sealing of mouths, in the case of prophets and knowers of secrets, is not about enforced silence, but rather about guarding secrets that are beyond the comprehension of all. Some points are like "sharp steel swords" that, without a shield, can be harmful. Rumi himself uses the pen-name Khamoosh (Silent) not out of modesty, but to protect the audience from truths they are not yet ready to receive. Hence, the request to "blind the fault-finders" is not out of narrow-mindedness, but from the perspective of divine guardianship.

The second part of the prayer, "And by Your own Concealing, O Creator!" (ham ba sattāri-yi khod ay Kerdagār), adds further depth to the discussion. Sattārī is an attribute of God, meaning the One who veils and conceals. God Himself is the concealer of the secrets of existence, and His wisdom dictates that not everything should be entirely manifest. This sattārī of God is a protection for lofty truths, so that they may be safe from the intrusion and defilement of impure gazes. Rumi leverages this divine attribute to veil and protect his own words. He says, O Lord, just as You Yourself are the Veiler, protect these words of mine, which are from Your breath, from the harm of superficial glances and misguided judgments, by Your own veil of concealment.

This verse paints a picture of the mystic's sensitivity to the sanctity of speech and truth, as well as his awareness of the dangers of misunderstanding and misinterpretation. This is not a lament of being misunderstood, but a prayer for the preservation of the sanctity of sacred discourse. In this manner, Rumi separates the realm of rāz (secret), which must be "entered into" rather than "solved," from the realm of the "outward," which is prone to fault-finding, and entrusts it to the Creator.

Key takeaways

• A prayer for divine protection of spiritual truths from superficial and critical gazes.
• Emphasizes God's attribute of Sattār (the Concealer) in veiling and guarding the secrets of existence.
• The distinction between rāz (secret), which must be entered into, and the external, which is prone to fault-finding.
• Rumi's awareness of the depth and sanctity of his own words and the potential for their misinterpretation by the unworthy.
• Connects this prayer to the idea of 'sealing mouths' (nakh'tim 'ala afwahihim) to protect prophetic truths.