M6:3744 — صورتی از صورت دیگر کمال / گر بجوید باشد آن عین ضلال

Translation: If one form seeks perfection from another form, That very act is naught but pure error. Meaning: This verse asserts that seeking true perfection from any created being, which is itself deficient and needy, constitutes absolute misguidance. True perfection must be sought from its formless Origin.

Here, we encounter one of the foundational teachings of the Masnavi, concerning the true source of perfection and the error in seeking it. This verse follows directly from Rumi's assertion that the universe is a "thought from the Universal Intellect," a form overlaying the absolute formless. The multitude of forms and phenomena in this world are but manifestations of the formless reality, God. The Absolute Agent is formless, and these forms are merely instruments in His hand.

Thus, when the absolute formless (God) seemingly withdraws His face from the world of forms—an idea echoed in the Torah's metaphorical "seventh day of rest"—these forms stir and embark upon "kod," or begging. But here, a grave error occurs: If one form seeks perfection from another form, That very act is naught but pure error.

This verse unequivocally states that if a needy, constituted being seeks perfection from another needy, constituted being, that is utter misguidance. It is akin to one pauper begging at the door of another, or one blind person leading another. The Sahifa Sajjadiyya asks: "How can one in need ask of another in need?" All these forms, in themselves, possess nothing; they are empty vessels that the Formless fills through His grace and generosity. All are servants at this threshold, and as the saying goes, "the richer they are, the more dependent they become."

This teaching seemingly bears direct relevance to concepts like tawakkul (trust in God), qana'at (contentment), and tawhid (Oneness of God). However, we must exercise caution here and not stretch Rumi's words to an extreme. Some Sufis of the past indeed fell into such excesses, abstaining from medicine or work, expecting sustenance to descend from the heavens. Rumi never intended such a meaning. As I have often remarked, it is "melancholy" and "lunacy" for someone to sit idle, expecting food to drop from their ceiling! The Prophet of Islam was Nabiyy al-Sayf (the Prophet of the Sword), and his community must likewise be "champions and magnanimous"; in our faith, struggle and jihad are expedient, not monastic seclusion and idleness. Tawakkul means to "tie the camel's knee, then trust in God," not to abandon action.

So, what is the clear and definite meaning of Rumi's statement? He teaches us that in seeking the Formless, one must not become fixated on "forms," especially conceptual forms and mental constructs. Seek God in "self-annihilation" (efnā-ye khish), not in "conceptual thought" (tafakkoor). As long as you exist and create forms, you will not reach Him. You must become "nothing," the "shadow of nothing," like an empty bowl awaiting rain. This is captured in the remarkable anecdote of God's revelation to the Prophet: "Go tell your community to dig pits, to make empty containers, so that the rain may come." Rumi himself says: "Seek little water, but bring forth thirst / So your water may well up from above and below." Empty yourself to be filled.

Rumi reveals that every quest, even the pursuit of material pleasures, is unconsciously a quest for the absolute Formless. We move from coarser forms towards more subtle forms, until we reach the Most Subtle of Subtleties and the absolute Formless. In this world, we are all seekers of perfection and seekers of God, even if we err in identifying the specific manifestation of that perfection. The crucial point is to seek the "head" rather than the "tail"—the essence of truth, not merely its external manifestation. Yet, divine mercy reaches even those who have lost the "head," through the "tail"; but those who lose themselves in the absolute Formless seek neither head nor tail, and this is true perfection.

Key takeaways

• Seeking perfection from created, dependent beings is an act of pure misguidance.
• All constituted forms are themselves needy and subservient to the absolute Formless.
• True reliance on God (tawakkul) does not imply inaction; rather, it means striving and exerting effort alongside trust.
• God must be sought through "self-annihilation" (efnā-ye khish) and emptying oneself, not through conceptual thought or intellectual constructs.
• Every pursuit of perfection or pleasure is, consciously or unconsciously, a quest for the absolute Formless.
• One must progress from grosser forms towards subtler ones, ultimately reaching the absolute Formless.