M6:20 — قوم بر وی سرکه‌ها می‌ریختند / نوح را دریا فزون می‌ریخت قند

Translation: The people poured vinegars upon him; But for Noah, the Sea poured abundant sugar.

Meaning: Though people treated Noah with harshness and bitterness, the boundless sea of divine grace and generosity poured sweetness upon him, sustaining him in his mission.

This couplet, without a doubt, is one of Rumi’s masterpieces in articulating a cosmic and mystical principle: the balance of divine wrath (qahr) and divine grace (loṭf) in the universe. We live in a world that is a mixture of good and bad, sweetness and bitterness—a blend of vinegar and honey. Rumi has previously used the metaphor of the moon and the dog, each acting according to its nature, implying that one cannot be eliminated for the sake of the other. The universe is a system where these opposites are brought forth in a particular equilibrium; they are intrinsically coupled.

The analogy of sekanjebin (oxymel) is key here. Sekanjebin, made from vinegar and honey, acquires a balanced temperament beneficial to both bilious (safrawi) and phlegmatic (balghami) constitutions, as it neutralizes the extremes of both ingredients. Similarly, in the realm of existence, divine qahr and loṭf are intertwined. Vinegar symbolizes the wrath, hardships, and bitterness we encounter in the world, while sugar or honey symbolizes divine grace, sweetness, and mercy. Neither can be negated; both emanate from God's profound wisdom, not from randomness or thoughtlessness. Humans are not the sole criterion or axis of creation, such that anything displeasing to their palate must vanish from existence.

Rumi illustrates this principle with the story of Prophet Noah. 'The people poured vinegars upon him'; this signifies the wrath and harshness Noah experienced from his contemporaries. They treated him with sourness and bitterness. In contrast, 'But for Noah, the Sea poured abundant sugar.' This Sea here refers to the 'Sea of Generosity' (bahr-e jūd) and the 'Sea of Kindness' (bahr-e karam) of God. This means God's boundless grace showered Noah with sugar and sweetness. It's a clear equation: the more the people's qahr intensified, the more divine loṭf and support increased, adding to the sweetness of Noah's experience. Thus, Rumi states, 'Then the vinegar of the world's people would increase / His sugar received aid from the Sea of Generosity.' This implies that, thanks to the people's 'vinegar,' more 'sugar' flowed to Noah from the Sea of Grace, making the sekanjebin of his life sweeter.

This insight is deeply intertwined with Rumi's worldview, which sees nothing in the universe as futile or absurd. Even what appears bitter and unpleasant can become the ground and context for the emergence of greater grace. A divine saint (walī), like Noah, is 'one equal to a thousand' (wāḥidun ka’l-alf); alone, he holds the worth of thousands of generations. Why? Because he is 'a jar connected to the sea'; his connection to the infinite sea of existence and divine generosity makes him the sea itself, even if he appears as a small jar. Therefore, opposition and objections ('vinegars') only cause the sea of grace ('sugar') to flow more abundantly, just as a nightingale never ceases its beautiful song, even when ravens caw. This lesson is not merely about Noah but about every seeker who encounters difficulties and opposition on the path of truth, and Rumi himself was undoubtedly no exception to this rule.

Key takeaways

• The world is a necessary blend of divine wrath (hardships) and divine grace (mercies), both serving a greater wisdom.
• Like sekanjebin (oxymel) made from vinegar and honey, life's bitter and sweet experiences can mix to produce a balanced and beneficial outcome.
• Opposition and hardships from people towards a divine saint (the 'vinegar') do not weaken them but rather increase God's grace and support (the 'sugar').
• An individual connected to the 'Sea of Divine Generosity' (like a jar connected to the sea) becomes like the sea itself, protected from all hardships.
• Rumi's perspective holds that even bitterness and adversity possess wisdom and can become the ground for spiritual growth and divine favor; nothing in existence is futile.