M6:4150 — خندقی از قعر خندق تا گلو / پر ز سرهای بریده زین غلو

Translation: A trench, from its deepest pit up to its brink, is Filled with severed heads due to this ghuluw (exaggeration/extremism).

Meaning: This verse paints a horrific picture of a ditch overflowing with severed heads, illustrating the ghastly consequences of excessive claims and unrestrained ambition.

Here, Rumi presents us with a bloody tableau depicting the dire consequences of ambition and excess in one's claims. The verse explicitly speaks of 'severed heads' and ghuluw (exaggeration or extremism), which is not merely a literary image, but a profound ethical and existential warning. I have always emphasized that human life is sacred, and no power, no expediency, and no claim can permit us to deem it cheap or worthless.

This is the very lesson we learn from the story of Prophet David in the Torah, a narrative also recounted by Muhyiddin Ibn al-ʿArabi in his Fusus al-Hikam: David wished to build a temple, but its walls repeatedly collapsed. He cried out, asking why this was happening. The reply came that he had shed the blood of God's servants. David was a warrior, and he had fought by divine command, yet God declared: 'Life is precious to Me, even if you shed it by My command, for life is precious.' This truth must resonate deeply within us. The lives of human beings, whether unbelievers or criminals, are precious, and we have no right to cheapen them.

Rumi, with this bitter image of a 'trench full of severed heads,' teaches us how ambitious claims and quests for 'eminence' can lead to such horrific outcomes. Here, the brothers are warning their older sibling: the path you are treading leads to such trenches. We must not allow tyrannical rulers, who for the sake of expediency 'shed a hundred bloods,' to normalize this most heinous act and make us 'lenient towards the lives and blood of human beings.' This is an eternal warning for all of us: to view these historical and human scenes with 'the eye of admonition' (chashm-i iʿtibār) and to abstain from any baseless 'claim' or 'excess' (ghuluw) therein.

Key takeaways

• Human life, regardless of belief or action, is inherently precious and sacred; it must never be cheapened.
• Ambition and baseless claims, particularly in pursuit of power and eminence, can lead to devastating human tragedies.
• This verse serves as an ethical warning against tyranny and despotism that devalues human life in the name of expediency.
• Rumi emphasizes the importance of viewing history with 'the eye of admonition' to avoid repeating past errors.