M6:4166 — حلق کو نبود سزای آن شراب / آن بریده به به شمشیر و ضراب

Translation: The throat which is unworthy of that wine, It is better that it be severed by sword and cleaver.

Meaning: This verse declares that any bodily faculty not devoted to partaking in the wine of divine love is not only worthless but a hindrance, and thus deserves annihilation.

This beyt emerges from the fiery, audacious pronouncements of a lover who has, on the path of love, cast aside all conventional reason and caution. Immediately preceding it, he exclaims that his 'patience died the night love was born' and 'I now hoist my banner in the field; either my head falls, or I see the face of the Beloved.' In such an exalted state, Rumi, through the voice of this lover, establishes a radical criterion for evaluating bodily faculties: anything that does not serve love is not only useless but an impediment, and its very existence becomes troublesome.

I am convinced that this 'wine' is none other than the 'wine of divine love'; a wine that not only intoxicates but bestows a new life, guiding the soul to realms beyond the confines of material existence. Rumi, here, subordinates all limbs and organs to a singular ultimate purpose: Does this faculty serve the ultimate union? Is this throat prepared to drink the wine of gnosis and love? If not, what is its benefit? It is better that it simply not exist.

This perspective is one that Rumi extends to all components of human existence. He asks, 'For what does one desire a soul? For what an eye? For what an ear?' The answer is clear: if any of these fails to serve the Beloved, it has strayed from its essential purpose and lost its existential value. This idea is reiterated in the verses that follow for the 'eye,' 'ear,' 'hand,' and 'foot.' An eye that does not rejoice and find happiness in the Beloved's sight should be blind. A hand that possesses no 'portion' or share of love should be broken. And a foot that does not lead to the Beloved's 'narcissus-garden' is better off in chains.

This intensity and decisiveness of expression signify the profound existential depth and fearlessness of the lover Rumi portrays. In his view, love is not merely a path; it is the sole destination and the singular truth. The pinnacle of this thought can be seen in the Munajat (supplication) attributed to Ibn 'Ata' Illah, which states: "Amīat ʿaynun lā tarāka ʿalayhā raqīban" (Blind be the eye that sees Thee not as its Watcher). This resonance, though formed in a different cultural context, speaks to a shared mystical spirit: one of absolute devotion and sacrifice in the path of the Beloved. Rumi here clearly rejects any form of caution or fear of 'perdition' (tahluka); death and physical harm hold no meaning for one whose being is consumed by love. He stands at a station where 'dying has become for him an open door.'

Key takeaways

• Bodily faculties, if not serving divine love, are deemed worthless and even obstructive.
• The ultimate criterion for the value of any human action or organ is its alignment with the path of union.
• Love shatters the norms of reason and caution, showing no fear of even the threat of death.
• This verse symbolizes the absolute and uncompromising sacrifice of the lover on the Beloved's path.
• The telos (ultimate purpose) of human existence is to experience the wine of divine love; anything that obstructs this deserves annihilation.