M6:4168 — گوش کان نبود سزای راز او / بر کنش که نبود آن بر سر نکو

Translation: An ear that is not worthy of His secret, Tear it off, for it is not good upon the head. Meaning: Here, Rumi asserts that every bodily organ, especially the ear, must serve the purpose of perceiving and receiving the Beloved's secrets; otherwise, its existence is futile and even detrimental.

This couplet, like the ones preceding and following it, describes the state of a lover who has transcended the stages of fear and hope, reaching a realm of absolute fearlessness and surrender. I have often stated in my lectures that Rumi sometimes adopts the voice of an impassioned lover for whom everything but the Beloved is worthless. This radical perspective on existence is not the product of conventional reasoning but rather the outcome of an inner burning. Rumi, in this passage, considers the bodily organs as mere instruments for achieving union with the Beloved. If an ear is not for hearing the Beloved's secret, if an eye is not for beholding His face, and if a hand is not raised in His service, then their existence is meaningless. This expression is the very impatience of the lover who declares to the admonishers: “If a hundred trenches are full of severed heads / Before my pain, it is absolute jest.” Such words are for one who has placed their head on the palm, crying out: “Either my head falls, or I see the face of the Beloved.” This is not merely a literary metaphor; it is a reflection of the pragmatic philosophy of love. In the mystic's view, every limb and every sense has an ultimate function: to perceive and apprehend the existential reality of the Beloved. If these instruments deviate from their primary function, what good are they? Rumi's words here strongly echo the mystical supplication of Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allah al-Iskandarī, where he says: “May the eye that does not see You as its watchful guardian be blinded.” Rumi and Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allah were contemporaries, and this shared sentiment in their discourse points to a deep commonality in the philosophy of love: the function of the bodily organs is to serve the soul's quest for perfection. Do we want ears to hear nonsense, or eyes to gaze upon futile sights? Undoubtedly, in the school of love, all organs have but one Qibla: reaching the Beloved. The existence of these organs upon the head or within the body is good and permissible only on the condition of serving this ultimate goal.

Key takeaways

• In the school of love, every bodily organ is an instrument for perceiving and attaining union with the Beloved.
• Fearlessness and absolute surrender in love, transcending conventional hopes and fears, are paramount.
• An ear unworthy of receiving divine secrets holds no value.
• Rumi considers bodily organs meaningless if they do not fulfill their ultimate function of serving the Beloved.
• This radical view of the body reflects the utmost sincerity and seeking on the path of love.