M6:3046 — آن یکی چشمش بکندی از ضراب / وان دگر گوشش دریدی هم به ناب

Translation: One would gouge out its eye with a blow (żarāb), And another would tear its ear with a fang (nāb). Meaning: This couplet vividly depicts the potential ferocity and destructive power of a unified, albeit individually weak, group. It illustrates how collective action, even by seemingly insignificant beings, can inflict severe harm upon a formidable foe.

Here, Rumi uses a striking and vivid example to point to one of the deepest insights of the Masnavi: the power of jamʿiyyat, or inner unity and solidarity. This couplet is embedded within the allegory of mice and a cat—a seemingly simple tale that, in its essence, imparts profound lessons about social organization, collective will, and spiritual accord.

Many mistakenly believe that strength lies in numerical abundance and physical mass. Rumi, however, dismisses this notion as zhāzh and feshār, meaning empty and baseless talk. He emphasizes, “Jamʿiyyat is not from many bodies; / Regard the body as fleeting as a name.” Bodies, much like names, lack true stability and fundamental reality. A name is merely a convention, not a substantive reality; and bodies, if they do not emanate from a singular spirit and soul, are nothing more than shadows on the wind. True solidarity resides in the ‘hearts’ (del), not in mere ‘bodies’ (jism).

This beyt meticulously describes the calamity that mice, despite their physical weakness, could unleash upon a cat if they possessed jamʿiyyat (unity) and hamiyyat (zeal and resolve). Disjointed mice fall into stupor at a single cry from the cat; but united mice, each with a specific and coordinated task, would attack the cat so fiercely that no “way out” (bīrūn-sho) would remain for it. One would gouge out its eye with a blow, another would tear its ear with a fang, and a third would pierce its flank. This imagery not only speaks to the power of accord but also serves as an allegory for the might of the fada’iyyan—those who, with ardour and self-sacrifice, confront their adversaries.

In Rumi’s view, this inner unity and spiritual coherence is not something humans can conjure on their own; rather, it is a blessing from God. “He is the Lord of the Kingdom; He grants unity.” Unity is a manifestation of divine grace. Just as a butcher is unafraid of a multitude of sheep, or infinite wakefulness cannot prevent the onset of sleep, so too is apparent multiplicity powerless against spiritual and inner unity. It is here that the depth of Rumi’s vision becomes clear: true power resides not in outward form, but in the inward realm—in the unity of hearts and divine guidance.

Key takeaways

• True power lies not in physical numbers, but in 'unity of heart' and inner solidarity.
• Unity and cohesion can empower the weakest beings to confront the strongest foes.
• This couplet serves as an allegory for the spirit of self-sacrifice and coordinated attack to achieve a common goal.
• Genuine 'unity' and solidarity are divine blessings, granted by the 'Lord of the Kingdom'.