M1:3767 — یا تو واگو آنچ عقلت یافتست / یا بگویم آنچ برمن تافتست

Translation: Either you recount what your intellect has found, Or I shall tell what has shone upon me from you. Meaning: This verse, spoken by the knight to Imam Ali, is adopted by Rumi as his own voice; the knight (Rumi) asks Ali to reveal the secret of his action, or else he will articulate what he has inwardly grasped and received as illumination from Ali.

This verse, although placed in the mouth of the knight addressing Imam Ali within the story, is unequivocally Rumi's own voice speaking to Ali. I have often emphasized that Rumi saw himself as a mirror reflecting Ali. A mirror in which Ali's light shines, and from this radiance, Rumi himself becomes illuminated, in turn reflecting that light to others. Here, the knight asks Ali to unveil the secret of his action, not in common parlance, but in the language of gnosis: "what your intellect has found," meaning what your divine and pure intellect has discovered. And he immediately adds: "or I shall tell what has shone upon me from you." This phrase, "has shone upon me," refers to the light and grace that has radiated from Ali onto Rumi's heart, leading him to an inner, intuitive knowledge.

The realm of souls and the world of meanings are like mirrors facing each other. An exalted personality casts its existential and spiritual light upon the mirror of another's heart. In this context, Ali is the source of light, and Rumi, embodied as the knight, is the mirror that has absorbed this light and now wishes to reflect it. This is not a claim of equality, but a claim of profound reception and understanding. Rumi grasps what Ali has perceived in this act and what truth has been revealed to him. Therefore, he says, either you speak (O source of light), or I shall speak (O mirror of light).

For me, this verse is a key to understanding spiritual communications in the realm of mysticism. Just as Iqbal Lahori could say to Rumi, "it shone upon me from you," Rumi too utters these words before Ali. This is a form of "wahy-i dil" (revelation of the heart), as I have previously mentioned; a message transmitted without direct words, through the radiance and absorption of spiritual lights, from one heart to another. Here, it is no longer merely "speaking" and "listening"; rather, it is "radiating" and "receiving" that forms the basis of intuitive knowledge. With this verse, Rumi not only expresses his deep devotion to Ali but also affirms his own capacity to receive and interpret divine lights. He knows what has shone upon him and is ready to articulate it. This is the zenith of a mystic's insight: simultaneously a receiver and an articulator, and an acknowledgement that the source, prior to any utterance, is itself radiant.

Key takeaways

• This verse is Rumi's own voice addressing Imam Ali, not merely the knight's words.
• Rumi perceives himself as a mirror reflecting Ali's light and wisdom.
• Intuitive knowledge arises through 'radiance' (from the source) and 'reception' (by the mirror), not just through speaking and hearing.
• "What your intellect has found" refers to Ali's divine intellectual perception, and "what has shone upon me" refers to Rumi's inner knowledge.
• The verse highlights the depth of spiritual connection and the transmission of lights of gnosis among mystics.