M6:184 — مثنوی را مسرح مشروح ده / صورت امثال او را روح ده

Translation: O Ḍiyāʾ-al-Ḥaqq Ḥusām-ad-Dīn, come! Grant the Mathnawi an expansive, wide arena; Imbue the forms of its parables with spirit. Meaning: Mowlana addresses his scribe, Husam al-Din, asking him to make the Masnavi an open, vibrant space, and to breathe life and soul into its stories and metaphors, transforming them from mere forms into living essences.

Undoubtedly, this verse is Mowlana's direct address to Husam al-Din Chelebi, without whose presence the Masnavi would simply not exist. This is no mere gesture of gratitude; rather, it is a profound description of Husam al-Din's pivotal role in imbuing Mowlana's words with life. Mowlana asks him to grant the Masnavi an "expansive, wide arena" (masraḥ-i mashrūḥ). The word masraḥ is used today for 'theater' in Arabic, but its root sarḥ signifies openness and release. Mowlana desires Husam al-Din to unfurl the Masnavi as an open, boundless, and liberated space, not a closed or confined text. It is as if Husam al-Din must provide a vast arena for these spiritual insights to spread their wings and soar, rather than remain imprisoned in the narrow confines of form. This 'expansive arena' stands in contrast to the 'trap of letters' (dām-i ḥarf) that Mowlana himself refers to in a subsequent verse; it is as if Husam al-Din is commissioned to transform the trap into a launching pad for flight.

Mowlana then emphatically declares: "Imbue the forms of its parables with spirit" (ṣūrat-i amthāl-i ū rā rūḥ dih). All these narratives, allegories, and words of the Masnavi are, in Mowlana's view, mere 'forms' (ṣūrat) and husks that have manifested from the realm of meaning into this world. It is Husam al-Din's task to breathe rūḥ (spirit or soul) into these forms. The Masnavi, as Mowlana sees it, is not a lifeless body into which he has simply poured words; rather, it is a collection of meanings that initially, through Husam al-Din, were brought forth from the world of spirits and captured in the 'trap of letters.' Now, this trap must be transformed into a spiritual flight. Husam al-Din is not merely a scribe, but an intimate confidant and fellow spirit whose sacred breath instills life into these otherwise 'dead' words, propelling them toward the paradise of the soul.

This is the apex of Mowlana's humility and generosity. He never claims the Masnavi entirely for himself. He repeatedly states that it was Husam al-Din who 'drew out' (kashīda bīrūn) these meanings and 'added' (afzūda) to them. He attributes not only the merit but the very existence of the Masnavi to Husam al-Din. This stands miles apart from the petty disposition of ordinary individuals who jealously guard even a single word of their own. The grandeur of Mowlana's spirit lies in perceiving himself as a conduit of divine grace and attributing the primary agency to Husam al-Din's soul. It is here that we see, as I have stated elsewhere, Mowlana never possesses the 'craftsmanship' (ṣanaʿat-garī) of Hafez; he flows like a gushing river, and it is Husam al-Din who gives this flood of meaning a form and spirit capable of comprehension and flight.

The result of this spiritual infusion is made clear in the subsequent verses: "So that its letters may wholly become intellect and soul / And fly towards the soul's garden of eternity." These words must take flight, break free from the cage of form, and transform into the intellect and soul of the listener, propelling them towards the paradise of the soul. Husam al-Din is not merely a mediator, but the very sustainer of this flight. This spirit breathed into the forms is precisely the quality of 'light-heartedness' (sabuk-rūḥī) that I have repeatedly emphasized; the Masnavi is not meant to imprison the mind, but to open and elevate the soul to soar.

Key takeaways

• The Masnavi would not exist in its present form without Husam al-Din; he was far more than a mere scribe.
• Mowlana requests Husam to infuse the Masnavi's narratives with 'spirit' (rūḥ), elevating them beyond mere 'form' (ṣūrat).
• The 'expansive arena' (masraḥ-i mashrūḥ) of the Masnavi is an open space for divine insights, meant to be liberated from the 'trap of letters' and forms.
• Mowlana's boundless generosity in attributing the Masnavi to Husam underscores his magnanimity of spirit.
• The ultimate goal of this spiritual infusion is to enable the reader to soar from the realm of form into the paradise of the soul.