M6:4171 — آنچنان پا در حدید اولیترست / که آنچنان پا عاقبت درد سرست

Translation: That kind of foot in shackles is preferable, For that kind of foot eventually causes trouble. Meaning: This verse asserts that a foot which does not walk the path towards the Beloved is better off bound in chains, as otherwise, it will only lead to ultimate distress and deviation from the true goal.

Here, Rumi speaks through the voice of an impatient, restless lover, one who has broken free from the shackles of conventional reason and prudence. He has already declared, in a profound utterance, that "My patience died the night love was born," and it is with this same ardent logic that he now judges the function of the body's organs and faculties. This reveals how a true mystic views existence and human functionality from an utterly different perspective.

The logic of this lover dictates that every limb, every sense, and every power of being, if not employed in the pursuit of the Beloved, is not merely useless but becomes a source of trouble and suffering. He proclaims that a foot that does not carry him to the Beloved's abode is better kept in "hadīd" — in chains and shackles. For if left free, it will drag him in myriad directions, ultimately yielding nothing but "dard-i sar" (trouble and pain). This perspective is a form of 'monotheism of the limbs,' meaning all faculties must serve one singular purpose: union with the Beloved.

This principle can be extended to other organs, as suggested in preceding verses of this passage: a throat that does not taste the wine of love, an eye that does not rejoice in the Beloved's vision, an ear unworthy of hearing His 'secrets,' and a hand that receives no 'share' from Him are all deemed worthless, better to be nonexistent or incapacitated. This approach resonates with the mystical saying attributed to Ibn Ata al-Iskandari: "May the eye that does not behold You as its Watcher be blind." Such expressions underscore the intensity and uncompromising nature of a lover's logic at this elevated station.

Ordinary individuals, you and I, might use our feet to walk any path, our eyes to see any sight, and our ears to hear any word, often without a transcendent purpose. But the lover dedicates their entire being to a single destination. Their feet, their eyes, their ears—all yearn to function for one singular aim: reaching the Beloved. And if a foot deviates from this path, or serves any function other than this, it is, in the lover's view, a threat rather than a blessing. Therefore, to shackle such a foot is to save it from the troubles of separation and misguidance. This is a radical articulation of love that makes no compromise with a world of multiplicity and aimlessness.

Key takeaways

• For the lover, all bodily faculties must exclusively serve the Beloved.
• A foot that does not walk towards the Beloved is not just useless but a source of pain and trouble.
• Binding a foot that leads astray is preferable to letting it wander aimlessly.
• This perspective manifests the 'monotheism of limbs' within the realm of love.
• The lover dedicates their entire being to one destination and abhors any deviation.