M6:340 — هر بدی که امر او پیش آورد / آن ز نیکوهای عالم بگذرد

Translation: Whatever evil His command brings forth, That surpasses the good deeds of the world.

Meaning: In this verse, Rumi asserts that any event or suffering that appears "bad" from our human perspective, if it originates from God's command and will, holds an inner goodness that transcends and is more profound than all conventional worldly good. It is a call to a perspective of contentment and gnosis toward life's occurrences.

This verse delves deeply into the very source of "good" and "evil" in the cosmos, representing, in my view, one of Rumi's most emphatic declarations on the station of razā (contentment). Here, he unequivocally states that whatever appears undesirable or "bad" through the narrow lens of our human understanding, if it stems from divine command and will, is in truth pure goodness itself – a goodness that is superior and more fundamental than all the conventional virtues we typically recognize. This is not merely a superficial consolation; it is an invitation to the deepest layers of surrender and the tawḥīd afʿālī (unity of acts of God).

Prior to this verse, Rumi discusses the idea of not asking anything from anyone, even if that "anyone" is God Himself. This might seem contrary to the dictates of sharīʿat and the encouragement of prayer and supplication. However, Rumi speaks from a higher spiritual plane: the maqām-i razā. In this station, certain privileged saints reach a point where their tongues are sealed from prayer. Why? Because they perceive a unique delight and wisdom in divine decree (qaḍā and qadar), to the extent that seeking deliverance from it is deemed kufr. This signifies absolute surrender to the divine will, not in a passive sense, but in recognizing wisdom behind every event.

Rumi clarifies this point in the story of Daqīqī (in Book Three of the Masnavi), a narrative I believe to be Rumi's own mystical experience. In this tale, Daqīqī, a seeker, while praying with a group of saints, hears the cries of drowning sailors and prays for their salvation. Yet, after the prayer, the saints depart from him, saying, "You are not yet of our tribe; you still pray." This incident illustrates how, at the station of razā, "human compassion" gives way to "divine wisdom"; God Himself does not possess human-like sympathy, and His actions are not measured by our criteria. Even the prayers of these high-ranking saints are not born of their own desire, but are rather the "utterance of the Judge" – God Himself speaking through their lips.

Following these elevated ranks, Rumi states in the preceding verse: "Evil does not remain when the Friend gives a sign; infidelity becomes faith when infidelity is for His sake." This means that something ostensibly evil, if it falls under divine command, ceases to be evil and becomes good. This point is, undoubtedly, influenced by Ashʿarite thought, which regarded good and evil as dependent on God's command and prohibition, rather than possessing an inherent essence. However, I have always maintained that Rumi was a colossal whale who could not be contained in the small ponds of petty theological schools. He was a school unto himself, and this Ashʿarite resonance is a human fluctuation in his intellectual ebb and flow, not the totality of his thought.

Thus, this verse, which declares, "Whatever evil His command brings forth, That surpasses the good deeds of the world," expresses that even if an unpleasant event occurs by divine command, it carries beneficial consequences that transcend all conventional and apparent goodness in the world. It is precisely like an oyster whose shell breaks, seemingly damaged, yet this breaking opens the way for hundreds of thousands of shining pearls to reveal themselves within. Therefore, one should not reject that seemingly unpleasant exterior or turn away from it. This is a profound lesson in understanding the inner dimension of events and surrendering to a wisdom that lies beyond our comprehension.

Key takeaways

• Apparent evil, when divinely ordained, is in truth a superior and more fundamental goodness.
• The highest spiritual station is razā (contentment), where the seeker refrains from making demands even of God.
• At the station of razā, human compassion yields to divine wisdom; our criteria are insufficient to judge divine acts.
• Rumi here echoes Ashʿarite thought on the source of good and evil, yet his vision transcends any specific theological school.
• Adverse events, like a breaking oyster shell, may conceal the most profound and valuable truths.