In Book Four of the *Masnavi*, Jalaluddin Rumi recounts the narrative of the Sufi mystic Bayazid Bastami uttering ecstatic phrases (*shathiyat*) such as "Glory be to me" to illustrate the ultimate state of spiritual annihilation (*fana*). Rumi explains that in this state of profound divine intoxication, the mystic's individual ego is completely effaced, and the utterances are spoken by the Divine rather than the human self. This story serves to teach learners the distinction between the arrogant claims of the ego and the egoless state of a true mystic absorbed in God.

Bayazid's Ecstatic Utterance (Shath) and Fana in the Masnavi

In Book 2 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the story of the Sufi mystic Bayazid Bastami's journey to Mecca illustrates the supremacy of the purified human heart as the ultimate dwelling place of the Divine. On his way to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, Bayazid encounters a physically blind but spiritually enlightened old man who asks about his travel provisions. Upon learning Bayazid has two hundred silver dirhams, the sage instructs him to circumambulate him seven times and hand over the money, declaring this act superior to the physical pilgrimage. The old man explains that while the physical Ka'ba in Mecca is God's outward house, the heart of the saint is His innermost secret. He asserts that God has never truly entered the physical stone structure, whereas the divine presence resides exclusively in the living heart. Rumi uses this narrative to teach that the true locus of divine revelation is the spiritually realized human being, and serving such a guide is equivalent to circumambulating the Ka'ba of Truth.

The Tale of Bayazid and the Spiritual Ka'ba in the Masnavi

In Farid al-Din Attar's *The Conference of the Birds*, the anecdote of Bayazid's response to the angels of death, Nakir and Munkar, illustrates a fundamental Sufi understanding of true servitude. Bayazid asserts that his spiritual status depends entirely on God's declaration: if God accepts him as a servant, he is one; if not, his own claims of faith are merely personal desires and vanity. This narrative highlights the mystical concept that true spiritual rank and connection with the Divine cannot be achieved through human assertion, but rely entirely on divine acceptance, grace, and independence.

The Concept of Divine Acceptance and Servitude in Bayazid's Answer

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the narrative of the Sufi master Bayazid Bastami foretelling the birth and characteristics of Abu al-Hasan al-Kharaqani decades before his actual birth illustrates the metaphysical concept of spiritual perception and transmission across temporal and spatial boundaries.

Rumi employs the metaphor of **spiritual scent** (*bu-ye khosh*) to represent the intuitive recognition of divine light and sanctity. This theme is structurally connected to the Hadith of *Nafas al-Rahman* (the Breath of the Merciful), wherein the Prophet Muhammad sensed the spiritual devotion of Uwais al-Qarani from Yemen. In the *Masnavi*, the spiritual essence of the future master is carried on the wind, intoxicating Bayazid with divine knowledge.

Key aspects of this concept include:

1. **Trans-temporal Connection (Owaysi Path):** Spiritual inheritance and initiation can bypass physical proximity and lifetime overlap, as Kharaqani is spiritually guided by the essence of Bayazid.
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The Metaphor of Spiritual Scent and Foreknowledge in the Story of Bayazid and Kharaqani

Abu Yazid (Bayazid) Bastami was a prominent 9th-century Persian Sufi celebrated for his intense asceticism and ecstatic utterances (shathiyat). His primary biographical account in Attar's *Tazkirat al-Awliya* establishes him as the 'Sultan of the Mystics' (Sultan al-Arifin). In later Persian mystical literature, including Rumi's *Masnavi* and Attar's *The Conference of the Birds*, Bayazid frequently serves as a central archetype for spiritual annihilation (fana) and the profound states of a seeker fully absorbed in the Divine.

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بخش ۱۴ - ذکر بایزید بسطامی رحمة الله علیه / Section 14 - Mention of Bayazid Bastami, May Allah Have Mercy on Him

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