M6:3005 — در پی خو باش و با خوش‌خو نشین / خوپذیری روغن گل را ببین

Translation: Seek your own nature and sit with those of good character; behold how rose oil takes on the character of the rose. Meaning: This verse underscores the profound influence of companionship and environment on one's character, emphasizing that human nature is shaped and transformed through association.

This verse in the Mathnawi serves as a crucial conclusion to earlier narratives, in which Mowlana clearly instructs how our disposition and character are transformed. It is no coincidence that he previously recounted the angels who, while in the heavens (ʿarsh), possessed the nature of Moses, but upon descending to earth and associating with those of Pharaoh's character, themselves became pharaonic, embracing abjection and baseness. This parable is a stark warning: environment and companionship have the power to alter our inner essence from Mosaic to pharaonic.

Mowlana says in this verse: "Seek your own nature and sit with those of good character." This is a practical and vitally important directive. "Khū" means character or disposition. You must pursue your true khū, meaning that potential good character within you, and to cultivate it, you must associate with those who already possess good character. This is the only path to refining your existential core.

To elucidate this point, Mowlana turns to an ingenious and tangible example: "Behold how rose oil takes on the character of the rose." Rose oil, by itself, does not possess the fragrance of the rose; but when placed among roses, or extracted from their essence, it absorbs the rose's scent so thoroughly that it seems to become the rose itself. This is not merely imitation; it is an existential metamorphosis. Just as the dust of a grave gains honor and purity through proximity to the pure body of a saint, so too is the human soul purified and refined by association with the good. That grave dust, upon which hearts are placed in devotion, has attained a state of honor through the blessing of companionship with a pure body. This expression of Mowlana's precisely echoes what the eloquent Saʿdi also states in another anecdote: "Though I was but a worthless clod, I sat for a while with the rose / The rose spread its wings beneath me / Honoring me with its company / And as a portion of my life passed with it / The perfection of its companionship took effect in me / Otherwise, I am still the same dust I ever was.

This is, without a doubt, one of Mowlana's deepest and most fundamental teachings regarding practical ethics and the "refinement of character" (tat̤yīb al-akhlāq). If the external "khū" (company) changes, one's inner "khūy" (character) also transforms. Humanity is a vessel that its companions fill. Therefore, if you wish to reach the shore of safety, you must sail in a ship with those who know seamanship and are themselves seeking the shore. This is the only way.

Key takeaways

• Environment and companionship can fundamentally alter one's inner nature from good to ill.
• Mowlana emphasizes the conscious choice of good company for character development.
• Human nature undergoes an existential transformation, not mere imitation, by absorbing the qualities of its associates.
• This verse provides a practical instruction for "tat̤yīb al-akhlāq" (the refinement of character).
• Choosing virtuous companions is the path to spiritual well-being and self-rectification.