In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the narrative of Imam Ali and the defeated adversary addresses a potential paradox regarding Ali's political power. If Ali has truly transcended physical desires and views death as a joyous "feast" and "narcissus-bed," why would he accept the earthly title of Caliph? Rumi clarifies that a spiritual master who has "rooted out the body" harbors no greed for emirship or worldly dominion. Instead, Ali's assumption of leadership is strictly an outward form, undertaken solely to guide other commanders in the ways of justice. By taking on the role of ruler, Ali aims to infuse "rulership with another soul" and cause the "palm of the caliphate to bear fruit." This passage illustrates the Sufi ideal that true, just leadership can only be exercised by one who is completely detached from the allure of worldly power.

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## Original content
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از علی آموز اخلاص عمل 
شیر حق را دان مطهر از دغل
در غزا بر پهلوانی دست یافت 
زود شمشیری بر آورد و شتافت
او خدو انداخت در روی علی 
افتخار هر نبی و هر ولی
آن خدو زد بر رخی که روی ماه 
سجده آرد پیش او در سجده گاه
در زمان انداخت شمشیر آن علی 
کرد او اندر غزااش کاهلی
گشت حیران آن مبارز، زین عمل 
وز نمودن عفو و رحمت بی محل
گفت بر من تیغ تیز افراشتی 
از چه افکندی مرا بگذاشتی؟
آن چه دیدی بهتر از پیکار من؟ 
تا شدی تو سست در اشکار من
آن چه دیدی که چنین خشمت نشست 
تا چنان برقی نمود و باز جست
آن چه دیدی که مرا زان عکس دید 
در دل و جان شعله ای آمد پدید
آن چه دیدی برتر از کون و مکان 
که به از جان بود و بخشیدیم جان
در شجاعت شیر ربانیستی 
در مروت خود که داند کیستی؟
در مروت، ابر موسیی به تیه 
کآمد از وی خوان و نان بی شبیه
ابرها گندم دهد کان را بجهد 
پخته و شیرین کند مردم چو شهد
ابر موسی پر رحمت برگشاد 
پخته و شیرین بی زحمت بداد
از برای پخته خواران کرم 
رحمتش افراخت در عالم علم
تا چهل سال آن وظیفه و آن عطا 
کم نشد یک روز زان اهل رجا
تا هم ایشان از خسیسی خاستند 
گندنا و تره و خس خواستند
امت احمد که هستید از کرام 
تا قیامت هست باقی آن طعام
چون ابیت عند ربی فاش شد 
یطعم و یسقی کنایت ز آش شد
هیچ بی تأویل این را درپذیر 
تا درآید در گلو چون شهد و شیر
زانک تأویلست وا داد عطا 
چونک بیند آن حقیقت را خطا
آن خطا دیدن ز ضعف عقل اوست 
عقل کل مغزست و عقل جزو پوست
خویش را تأویل کن نه اخبار را 
مغز را بد گوی نه گلزار را
ای علی که جمله عقل و دیده ای 
شمه ای واگو از آنچ دیده ای
تیغ حلمت جان ما را چاک کرد 
آب علمت خاک ما را پاک کرد
بازگو دانم که این اسرار هوست 
زانک بی شمشیر کشتن کار اوست
صانع بی آلت و بی جارحه 
واهب این هدیه های رابحه
صد هزاران می چشاند هوش را 
که خبر نبود دو چشم و گوش را
باز گو ای باز عرش خوش شکار 
تا چه دیدی این زمان از کردگار
چشم تو ادراک غیب آموخته 
چشمهای حاضران بردوخته
آن یکی ماهی همی بیند عیان 
وان یکی تاریک می بیند جهان
وان یکی سه ماه می بیند بهم 
این سه کس بنشسته یک موضع نعم
چشم هر سه باز و گوش هر سه تیز 
در تو آویزان و از من در گریز
سحر عین است این عجب لطف خفیست 
بر تو نقش گرگ و بر من یوسفیست
عالم ار هجده هزارست و فزون 
هر نظر را نیست این هجده زبون
راز بگشا ای علی مرتضی 
ای پس سؤ القضا حسن القضا
یا تو واگو آنچ عقلت یافتست 
یا بگویم آنچ برمن تافتست
از تو بر من تافت چون داری نهان 
می فشانی نور چون مه بی زبان
لیک اگر در گفت آید قرص ماه 
شب روان را زودتر آرد به راه
از غلط ایمن شوند و از ذهول 
بانگ مه غالب شود بر بانگ غول
ماه بی گفتن چو باشد رهنما 
چون بگوید شد ضیا اندر ضیا
چون تو بابی آن مدینهٔ علم را 
چون شعاعی آفتاب حلم را
باز باش ای باب بر جویای باب 
تا رسد از تو قشور اندر لباب
باز باش ای باب رحمت تا ابد 
بارگاه ما له کفوا احد
هر هوا و ذره ای خود منظریست 
نا گشاده کی گود کانجا دریست
تا بنگشاید دری را دیدبان 
در درون هرگز نجنبد این گمان
چون گشاده شد دری حیران شود 
مرغ اومید و طمع پران شود
غافلی ناگه به ویران گنج یافت 
سوی هر ویران از آن پس می شتافت
تا ز درویشی نیابی تو گهر 
کی گهر جویی ز درویشی دگر
سالها گر ظن دود با پای خویش 
نگذرد ز اشکاف بینیهای خویش
تا ببینی نایدت از غیب بو 
غیر بینی هیچ می بینی بگو

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## English translation
Learn sincerity of action from Ali; know the Lion of God to be purified from deceit. In battle he got the upper hand over a champion; he quickly drew a sword and rushed on. That man spat in Ali's face, the pride of every prophet and every saint. That spit struck a face before which the face of the moon would prostrate in the place of prostration. At that moment Ali threw down the sword and showed slackness in fighting him. The combatant was bewildered by this act, and by the display of pardon and mercy at so unsuitable a time. He said, "You had raised a sharp sword against me; why did you throw it down and spare me? What did you see that was better than fighting me, so that you grew slack in hunting me? What did you see that made your anger subside, after it flashed like lightning and sprang back? What did you see, from the reflection of which a flame appeared in my heart and soul? What did you see beyond being and place, that was better than life, so that you gave me life? In courage you are a lion of the Lord; in generosity, who indeed knows what you are? In generosity you are Moses' cloud in the wilderness, from which came a peerless table and bread. Clouds give wheat, which people then cook with effort and make sweet as honey. Moses' cloud opened full of mercy and gave cooked and sweet food without effort. For the sake of those who eat cooked bounty, His mercy raised a banner in the world. For forty years that provision and gift did not diminish for one day for that people of hope, until they themselves rose up out of baseness and asked for leeks, herbs, and greens. O community of Ahmad, you who are among the noble, that food remains until the Resurrection. When 'I spend the night with my Lord' was disclosed, 'He feeds me and gives me drink' became an allusion to soup/food. Accept this without interpretation at all, so that it may enter your throat like honey and milk. For interpretation is returning the gift, when it sees that reality as error. Seeing it as error comes from the weakness of one's intellect: Universal Intellect is the kernel, and partial intellect is the husk. Interpret yourself, not the reports; blame the kernel, not the rose garden. O Ali, you who are wholly intellect and sight, tell a trace of what you have seen. The sword of your forbearance has split our soul; the water of your knowledge has purified our clay. Tell it again; I know these secrets are of Hu, for killing without a sword is His work: the Maker without instrument or limb, giver of these profitable gifts, who makes consciousness taste hundreds of thousands of things of which the two eyes and ears had no news. Tell again, O falcon of the Throne, fine hunter, what you saw just now from the Creator. Your eye has learned perception of the unseen; the eyes of those present are sewn shut. One person plainly sees one moon, another sees the world dark, and another sees three moons together; yes, these three people are sitting in one place. The eyes of all three are open and the ears of all three sharp; they cling to you and flee from me. This is a magic of the eye; this is a wondrous hidden grace: to you the image is a wolf, to me it is Joseph. If the worlds are eighteen thousand and more, not all these eighteen are subdued to every gaze. Open the secret, O Ali Murtada, O good decree after evil decree. Either tell what your intellect has found, or I will tell what has shone upon me. It shone upon me from you; why keep it hidden? You scatter light like the moon without a tongue. But if the moon's disk were to come into speech, it would bring night travelers to the road sooner. They would be safe from error and heedlessness; the moon's call would overpower the ghoul's call. When the moon is a guide without speaking, when it speaks it becomes light upon light. Since you are the gate of that city of knowledge, since you are a ray of the sun of forbearance, be open, O gate, to the seeker of the gate, so that through you husks may reach the kernel. Be open forever, O gate of mercy, the court of 'He has no equal.' Every desire and every particle is itself a lookout point; if it is unopened, how could anyone say, 'There is a door there'? Until a doorkeeper opens a door, such a thought never stirs within. When a door has been opened, one is amazed; the bird of hope and longing takes flight. A heedless person suddenly found treasure in a ruin; afterward he rushed toward every ruin. Until you find a jewel in poverty, how would you seek a jewel from another poverty? If conjecture runs for years on its own feet, it will not pass beyond the clefts of its own nose. Until you see, no scent comes to you from the unseen; you see only otherness: tell me, do you see anything else?

دفتر اول - بخش ۱۶۴ - خدو انداختن خصم در روی امیر المؤمنین علی کرم الله وجهه و انداختن امیرالمؤمنین علی شمشیر از دست / Book One - Section 164 - The Adversary Spitting in the Face of the Commander of the Faithful Ali, May God Honor His Face, and the Commander of the Faithful Ali Dropping the Sword from His Hand

In Sufi pedagogical thought, spiritual leadership is defined by the total absence of 'mayl' (personal inclination or bias). This concept is frequently illustrated through the historical examples of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, whose refusal to establish dynastic succession is cited as logical proof of their impartiality. Understanding this principle of impartiality as a defense against 'ta'assub' (sectarian fanaticism) is a prerequisite for more advanced mystical interpretations of authority, such as the selfless 'outward rulership' attributed to Imam Ali in Rumi's poetry.

The Concept of Spiritual Impartiality in Islamic Leadership

https://huggingface.co/docs/transformers/model_summary

Huggingface Model Summary

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, during the tale of Imam Ali and the defeated adversary, Ali articulates a profound Sufi perspective on mortality. Explaining why he harbors no anger toward his would-be murderer, Ali reveals that he views physical death not as destruction, but as a spiritual blossoming and a joyful return to his divine "homeland." Rumi uses Ali's dialogue to reframe the concept of dying: just as leaving the womb is a departure for an embryo but a fresh awakening into a larger world, physical death is a liberation from worldly dispersion back toward divine Unity. Ali’s declaration that "in my death is my life" exemplifies the Sufi ideal of eagerly embracing the transition from the transient material world to the eternal presence of God.

Ali's Reconceptualization of Death as Spiritual Birth in the Masnavi

Imam Ali's Spiritual Motivation for Outward Rulership in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, responding to the defeated warrior's inquiry, Imam Ali reveals the profound spiritual principle guiding his actions: he operates entirely for the sake of God. Ali distinguishes himself as the "Lion of God" ($$شیر حق$$) rather than a "lion of passion" ($$شیر هوا$$), meaning his combat is a divine duty, not a pursuit of personal vengeance. He explains that when the adversary spat in his face, a personal motive—anger—was aroused. Had he struck the fatal blow at that moment, it would have been an act of ego rather than divine justice. To illustrate his absolute spiritual stability, Ali compares his soul to a mountain that cannot be moved by the "winds" of anger, lust, or greed. This explanation highlights the Sufi ideal of annihilating the ego, demonstrating that true spiritual mastery requires every action, whether giving or withholding, to be executed purely out of divine love and will.

Imam Ali's Metaphor of the Lion of God in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the narrative of Imam Ali extends to a profound revelation: the Prophet Muhammad had prophesied that Ali would eventually be killed by his own servant. Horrified by this inevitable fate, the servant repeatedly begs Ali to execute him prematurely to prevent the treacherous act. Ali steadfastly refuses, explaining that "the pen has dried" and one cannot employ tricks against divine destiny. More profoundly, Ali harbors no hatred toward his future murderer because he perceives the servant merely as "God's instrument," asserting that the true agent of all actions is God's hand. When the servant questions the purpose of divine retribution if human actions are predestined, Ali responds that retribution is a hidden divine mystery. He explains that when God breaks His own instrument or abrogates a law, He ultimately replaces it with something superior, demonstrating that divine wrath and grace originate from a single, unified source.

Imam Ali's Submission to Divine Destiny and the Instrument of God in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the conclusion of the encounter between Imam Ali and the spitting adversary highlights the transformative power of spiritual restraint, which Rumi terms the 'sword of forbearance' ($$تیغ حلم$$). After Ali explains that he spared the warrior because his personal anger had compromised his purely divine intention, the bewildered adversary experiences a spiritual awakening, severs his zunnar (a symbol of unbelief), and embraces Islam alongside fifty of his kin. Rumi contrasts physical warfare with spiritual conquest, asserting that the 'sword of forbearance is sharper than the iron sword.' While an iron weapon merely destroys bodies and takes lives, Ali's deliberate refusal to strike out of ego conquers hearts and brings true victory. This metaphor illustrates the Sufi ideal that suppressing the lower self and acting solely for God yields a far greater, life-giving triumph than any conventional battlefield success.

The Metaphor of the Sword of Forbearance in the Masnavi

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پس بگفت آن نو مسلمان ولی 
از سر مستی و لذت با علی
که بفرما یا امیر المؤمنین 
تا بجنبد جان بتن در چون جنین
هفت اختر هر جنین را مدتی 
می‌کنند ای جان به نوبت خدمتی
چونک وقت آید که جان گیرد جنین 
آفتابش آن زمان گردد معین
این جنین در جنبش آید ز آفتاب 
کآفتابش جان همی‌بخشد شتاب
از دگر انجم به جز نقشی نیافت 
این جنین تا آفتابش بر نتافت
از کدامین ره تعلق یافت او 
در رحم با آفتاب خوب‌رو
از ره پنهان که دور از حس ماست 
آفتاب چرخ را بس راههاست
آن رهی که زر بیابد قوت ازو 
و آن رهی که سنگ شد یاقوت ازو
آن رهی که سرخ سازد لعل را 
وان رهی که برق بخشد نعل را
آن رهی که پخته سازد میوه را 
و آن رهی که دل دهد کالیوه را
بازگو ای باز پر افروخته 
با شه و با ساعدش آموخته
باز گو ای بار عنقاگیر شاه 
ای سپاه‌اشکن بخود نه با سپاه
امت وحدی یکی و صد هزار 
بازگو ای بنده بازت را شکار
در محل قهر این رحمت ز چیست 
اژدها را دست دادن راه کیست

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## English translation
Then that newly converted Muslim, from intoxication and delight, said to Ali: “Command, O Commander of the Faithful, so that the soul may move in the body like an embryo. The seven stars serve every embryo for a time, O soul, each in turn. When the time comes for the embryo to receive soul, the sun then becomes its helper. This embryo is set in motion by the sun, for its sun quickly gives it soul. From the other stars this embryo received only a form, until its sun shone upon it. By what path did it find attachment, in the womb, to the fair-faced sun? By a hidden path, far from our senses; the sun of the sphere has many paths: the path by which gold receives strength from it, and the path by which stone becomes ruby; the path that reddens the ruby, and the path that gives lightning-spark to the shoeing nail; the path that ripens fruit, and the path that gives heart to the bewildered one. Speak again, O falcon with kindled wings, trained with the king and with his forearm. Speak again, O burden-bearer of the king who catches the Anqa, O army-breaker by yourself, not with an army. A single community are you, one and a hundred thousand. Speak again, O servant whose falcon has hunted you. In the place of wrath, whence is this mercy? Whose way is it to give a hand to the dragon?”

دفتر اول - بخش ۱۶۵ - سؤال کردن آن کافر از علی کرم الله وجهه کی بر چون منی مظفر شدی شمشیر از دست چون انداختی / Book One - Section 165 - That Infidel Asking Ali, May God Honor His Face, 'When You Were Victorious Over One Like Me, Why Did You Drop the Sword from Your Hand?'

In Farid al-Din Attar's 'The Conference of the Birds', the narrative of Ali (Morteza) whispering his secrets into a well—which subsequently filled with blood—is used as a rhetorical proof of his spiritual purity. Attar argues that Ali's soul was so completely absorbed in Divine Truth ('gharq-e haq') that he was incapable of harboring the sectarian prejudice ('ta'assub') or malice attributed to him by detractors. This concept emphasizes that Ali's character should be understood through his spiritual proximity to God, which transcends historical sectarian conflicts.

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