M1:2481 — یا نه جنگست این برای حکمتست / همچو جنگ خر فروشان صنعتست

Translation: Or is this conflict not for a higher wisdom? / Rather, it is an artifice, like the war of donkey sellers. Meaning: Rumi suggests that many conflicts and disagreements we observe in the world are not genuine battles. There is a profound wisdom behind these apparent veils and struggles, a deliberate artifice designed to ensure that the deep secrets of existence are not easily revealed.

This verse, in my view, unveils one of Rumi's most profound perspectives on the nature of this world and its inherent hiddenness. When asked whether it is ethical for secrets to remain concealed and truths unrevealed, I unequivocally assert that yes, many truths must remain hidden; for their disclosure would utterly disrupt the order of the cosmos. Rumi here explicitly states that many conflicts and divergences we witness in daily life, and even in deeper realms such as beliefs, are not genuine battles. He employs the phrase "war of donkey sellers" (jang-i khar-foroushān), which signifies a "sham war" (jang-i zargari) – a fabricated, pre-designed conflict whose sole purpose is to shroud and safeguard a greater secret.

Imagine if all the world's secrets were laid bare. If each of us knew everything transpiring in the heart of another, or if the future were apparent to all, could human life, as we know it, fundamentally persist? Certainly not. Human relations, ethics, and even the very motivations for living would be utterly transformed. It is precisely this distance and absence of complete knowledge that creates space for choice, morality, and meaning.

Rumi takes this further, not viewing this concealment merely as an absence of awareness, but rather as an "artifice" (san'at) and "wisdom" (hikmat). "Artifice" here means a deliberate arrangement or design carried out with intention and consciousness, while "wisdom" points to its lofty purpose and goal. This world, in Rumi's interpretation, is built upon a foundation of hiddenness. The conflicts and disagreements existing among humans, and even among religions and sects, where each group claims to possess the ultimate truth, are not merely random occurrences. Instead, they are part of this sagacious design. The Holy Quran itself alludes to this: "Indeed, your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ" (Quran 32:25); meaning that in this world, absolute truth is not meant to be fully revealed to all. This concealment of truths is itself for a great wisdom. It is a secret so valuable and immense that it cannot be easily discovered or made accessible to everyone. This very secrecy is part of the majesty and splendor of existence, and true gnosis is attained not by unveiling these secrets, but by living within this mysterious space and cultivating an existential openness towards it.

Key takeaways

• Many apparent conflicts in the world are not genuine battles, but rather wise artifices designed to keep the deep secrets of existence concealed.
• If all the world's secrets were revealed, the order of human life and moral relations would be transformed; thus, hiddenness itself is a wisdom.
• Rumi views the concealment of truths not as a flaw, but as a divine 'artifice' and 'wisdom'—a conscious design to preserve the value of the secret.
• The full understanding of truths is deferred until the Day of Judgment; conflict and disagreement in this world are part of this wise concealment.
• True gnosis involves accepting and living within the mysterious nature of the world, rather than seeking to uncover every secret.