M5:2884 — هین چه می‌گردی تو جویان با چراغ / در میان روز روشن چیست لاغ

This beyt is the pivotal question posed to the ascetic (or 'monk' as Rumi sometimes uses the term for a solitary seeker) who is seen walking through the marketplace in the middle of a bright day, carrying a lit lamp. The questioner, described as a 'busybody' (bulfuzuli), finds the act absurd and asks, 'What are you doing, seeking with a lamp in broad daylight? What kind of joke is this?'

This seemingly simple question sets up the entire narrative. The busybody represents the conventional, unseeing world, unable to comprehend actions that transcend ordinary logic. For Rumi, the 'bright day' signifies the apparent abundance of people and things in the world, yet the ascetic's search implies a deeper, hidden scarcity. The lamp, usually a tool for dispelling darkness, here highlights a different kind of darkness – the spiritual blindness of the masses. The questioner's 'jest' (lagh) implies a lack of seriousness, unaware that the ascetic's quest is profoundly earnest and spiritual.