Rumi's Interpretation of the 'Two Greedy Ones' Hadith in Masnavi Book Six
In Book Six, Section 110 of the Masnavi, Rumi provides a logical commentary on the Prophetic tradition (Hadith): 'Two greedy ones are never satisfied: the seeker of the world and the seeker of knowledge.' Rumi argues that for this division to be meaningful, the 'knowledge' sought must be distinct from the 'world.' If worldly knowledge were intended, it would be identical to seeking the world, making the phrase a redundancy ('the seeker of the world and the seeker of the world') rather than a true categorization. Therefore, Rumi concludes that the 'knowledge' mentioned in the Hadith refers strictly to the knowledge of the Hereafter, which detaches the seeker from material attachments and guides them spiritually.
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Persian Literature Prerequisite Course