M6:2625 — قبله را چون کرد دست حق عیان / پس تحری بعد ازین مردود دان

Translation: When the Hand of Truth made the Qibla manifest, / Then deem all further taharrī (seeking direction) rejected.

Meaning: This verse states that once the ultimate truth or the true spiritual direction is clearly revealed, there is no longer any need for further investigation or searching; one should simply submit to that manifest truth.

This verse, a gem from the Masnavi, emphasizes a fundamental principle in Sufism: that inquiry, or taharrī, is only permissible as long as the Qibla (spiritual direction, ultimate truth) remains hidden. However, once the "Hand of Truth" makes the Qibla manifest, taharrī becomes not only redundant but "rejected" (mardūd). This means that any further questioning, or any demand for proof and argument, is no longer acceptable. Rumi states unequivocally that when truth fully reveals itself to you, or when you find a perfect guide (murād) or a most worthy master (shaykh-i aṣlaḥ) who is himself "the very path" (ʿayn-i rāh), there is no room for further deliberation. The Pir is the path; he is the Straight Path itself. Before him, one must be in absolute submission, not test him or demand proof from him.

Argumentation and the establishment of proofs are tools for finding truth amidst the darkness of doubt and ignorance. But when the "statue of truth" sits before us, why should we seek further arguments and proofs? This is where Rumi says: "Choose the Pir and know him as the very path." He does not offer proofs for his rectitude, but is himself the proof. He clarifies the destination and the resting place (maʿād o mustaqarr), and once the destination is clear, looking around or asking others becomes meaningless; one should simply put one's head down and follow his path.

However, I must add a critical note. In our age, advising such absolute submission is extremely difficult, even dangerous. Rumi lived in an era when perhaps distinguishing the "most worthy" from the "false" was easier, or at least there were fewer false claimants. But today, when "the high and the low are mingled" and good and bad, pure and tainted, are so intertwined that discerning them is very difficult, if not impossible for us, we cannot simply recommend this lesson to the youth. We are responsible to avoid "ingratitude for the blessing of rationality." Blind submission, in a world full of deception, leads to "selling one's intellect" (ʿaql-furūshī) and "selling one's salvation" (saʿādat-furūshī). Of course, this in no way means disregarding Rumi's teaching; rather, it emphasizes the need for constant vigilance and discernment. Rumi himself, elsewhere, speaks of the "danger of the Qibla-recognizer" (خطر قبله‌شناس): if one shows ingratitude to the one who discriminates (the tamīz-deh, the Pir) and turns away from the true Qibla, the thought of Qibla-recognition will depart from them, and they will become captive to false Qiblas. Therefore, if you do not recognize the true Qibla, you will then prostrate to every falsehood, and this is catastrophic. Thus, the principle here is the necessity of knowing and submitting to naked truth, but the path to discerning this truth in our era is itself a matter for deep contemplation.

Key takeaways

• Inquiry (taharrī) is valid only when truth (the Qibla) is hidden; once truth is manifest, further taharrī is rejected.
• The perfect spiritual guide (shaykh or murād) is himself "the very path" and a manifestation of truth; one must surrender completely to him without questioning.
• Rumi deems demanding proofs in the face of manifest truth to be futile; truth itself is its own evidence.
• In the contemporary world, advising absolute submission to claimants of truth requires immense vigilance and discernment to avoid "selling one's intellect."
• Neglecting the true Qibla and showing ingratitude towards the righteous guide leads one towards false Qiblas and spiritual disorientation.