M6:757 — تا نگردی او ندانی‌اش تمام / خواه آن انوار باشد یا ظلام

Translation: Unless you become it, you cannot know it fully, be it lights or darkness. Meaning: Rumi asserts that true and complete understanding of any phenomenon, whether divine light or profound darkness, is attainable only through an internal, existential transformation into that very phenomenon. Mere intellectual apprehension is insufficient for this comprehensive knowledge.

In this verse, Rumi puts forth a profound and foundational epistemology that truly underpins his thought. He asserts that for any entity to be known fully, one must become that entity, whether it be divine 'lights' (anvār) or 'darkness' (ẓalām). This perspective is an invitation to transcend propositional and conceptual thinking, moving towards a 'pre-theoretic' mode of understanding rooted in 'being' and 'existential experience.'

As I have often emphasized, we are accustomed to dealing with acquired knowledge—concepts that reside in our minds. But Rumi calls us to go beyond the mind. He states: 'Become the Resurrection, see the Resurrection; this is the condition for seeing everything.' Understanding the Resurrection is not possible merely by observing it from the outside; the Resurrection must be established within one's own being. This is precisely what the Prophet (PBUH) experienced. As I have detailed in my book, The Prophetic Dream, the Prophet did not merely see the Resurrection, but became the Resurrection itself. He became so intimately united with that experience that no distance remained; as I once wrote in a poem: 'You are the bird of the holy garden, and you are the very flight itself.' You are both the bird and the space you fly in; you fly within yourself, and that holy garden is also you.

This understanding transcends mere intellect and argumentation. Rumi explicitly states that 'This comes by dying, not by intellect.' To understand love, one must become love itself to know its 'zubāl' (its sparks and flames). To understand intellect, one must become intellect to grasp its perfection. This is an existential transformation that alters one's taste, sight, and hearing.

Rumi clarifies this point with the parable of the 'fig-eating bird' (murgh-i qanaq-i anjīrkhvār). Figs are abundant in this world, meaning truths are manifest. But if there is no fig-eating bird—that is, if one lacks the taste and capacity to comprehend—all these figs will be useless. 'Many figs are scattered here, but it awaits a fig-eating bird.' The truth is this: your epistemic taste must change for you to see what you previously could not, and to hear what you previously did not. Otherwise, truth will be like a tasteless 'fig' for you.

Another point concerns the word 'burhan' (proof). When Rumi says, 'I would give proof of this clear claim, if there were a comprehension suitable for it,' he is not referring to 'burhan' in the Aristotelian or Avicennan logical and philosophical sense. 'Burhan' literally means clarity and elucidation, as it is used in the Quran. Instead of dry argumentation, Rumi, through continuous examples and allusions, points his finger towards the moon, until eventually, you too turn your gaze in that direction and find the moon within your field of vision. He constantly brings us closer to that destination so that we may ourselves 'become' and 'see' it, rather than merely 'understand' it.

Key takeaways

• Complete and true understanding of any phenomenon requires an existential transformation and 'becoming' that phenomenon, not mere intellectual apprehension.
• This form of knowledge is 'pre-theoretic' thinking, rooted in experience and 'being,' transcending mental concepts.
• Prophets and mystics experience truths like the Resurrection by 'becoming' it, by having it established within their own existence.
• One's cognitive senses and taste must be transformed to develop the capacity for perceiving hidden truths (the 'fig-eating bird' analogy).
• 'Burhan' (proof) in Rumi's discourse signifies clarity and elucidation, not just logical argumentation; he guides through examples.