In this story from Book Four of the Masnavi, Rumi uses the advice of Ali to illustrate the mystical and philosophical principle of homogeneity (jinsiyya) and spiritual affinity.

When a mother seeks help to rescue her infant who has crawled onto a dangerous drainpipe, Ali advises her to place another child of the same age on the roof. Upon seeing its peer, the infant is naturally drawn back to safety.

Rumi uses this story as a metaphor for spiritual attraction and guidance: souls are drawn to those of a similar nature (jins). Spiritual guides and prophets descend to the human level to present a familiar peer, allowing human souls to recognize their own spiritual affinity and safely return to their source.

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## Original content
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یک زنی آمد به پیش مرتضی 
گفت شد بر ناودان طفلی مرا
گرش می خوانم نمی آید به دست 
ور هلم ترسم که افتد او به پست
نیست عاقل تا که دریابد چون ما 
گر بگویم کز خطر سوی من آ
هم اشارت را نمی داند به دست 
ور بداند نشنود این هم بدست
بس نمودم شیر و پستان را بدو 
او همی گرداند از من چشم و رو
از برای حق شمایید ای مهان 
دستگیر این جهان و آن جهان
زود درمان کن که می لرزد دلم 
که بدرد از میوهٔ دل بسکلم
گفت طفلی را بر آور هم به بام 
تا ببیند جنس خود را آن غلام
سوی جنس آید سبک زان ناودان 
جنس بر جنس است عاشق جاودان
زن چنان کرد و چو دید آن طفل او 
جنس خود خوش خوش بدو آورد رو
سوی بام آمد ز متن ناودان 
جاذب هر جنس را هم جنس دان
غژغژان آمد به سوی طفل طفل 
وا رهید او از فتادن سوی سفل
زان بود جنس بشر پیغامبران 
تا بجنسیت رهند از ناودان
پس بشر فرمود خود را مثلکم 
تا به جنس آیید و کم گردید گم
زانک جنسیت عجایب جاذبیست 
جاذبش جنسست هر جا طالبیست
عیسی و ادریس بر گردون شدند 
با ملایک چونک هم جنس آمدند
باز آن هاروت و ماروت از بلند 
جنس تن بودند زان زیر آمدند
کافران هم جنس شیطان آمده 
جانشان شاگرد شیطانان شده
صد هزاران خوی بد آموخته 
دیده های عقل و دل بر دوخته
کمترین خوشان به زشتی آن حسد 
آن حسد که گردن ابلیس زد
زان سگان آموخته حقد و حسد 
که نخواهد خلق را ملک ابد
هر کرا دید او کمال از چپ و راست 
از حسد قولنجش آمد درد خاست
زآنک هر بدبخت خرمن سوخته 
می نخواهد شمع کس افروخته
هین کمالی دست آور تا تو هم 
از کمال دیگران نفتی به غم
از خدا می خواه دفع این حسد 
تا خدایت وا رهاند از جسد
مر ترا مشغولیی بخشد درون 
که نپردازی از آن سوی برون
جرعهٔ می را خدا آن می دهد 
که بدو مست از دو عالم می دهد
خاصیت بنهاده در کف حشیش 
کو زمانی می رهاند از خودیش
خواب را یزدان بدان سان می کند 
کز دو عالم فکر را بر می کند
کرد مجنون را ز عشق پوستی 
کو بنشناسد عدو از دوستی
صد هزاران این چنین می دارد او 
که بر ادراکات تو بگمارد او
هست میهای شقاوت نفس را 
که ز ره بیرون برد آن نحس را
هست میهای سعادت عقل را 
که بیابد منزل بی نقل را
خیمهٔ گردون ز سرمستی خویش 
بر کند زان سو بگیرد راه پیش
هین بهر مستی دلا غره مشو 
هست عیسی مست حق خر مست جو
این چنین می را بجو زین خنبها 
مستی اش نبود ز کوته دنبها
زانک هر معشوق چون خنبیست پر 
آن یکی درد و دگر صافی چو در
می شناسا هین بچش با احتیاط 
تا میی یابی منزه ز اختلاط
هر دو مستی می دهندت لیک این 
مستی ات آرد کشان تا رب دین
تا رهی از فکر و وسواس و حیل 
بی عقال این عقل در رقص الجمل
انبیا چون جنس روحند و ملک 
مر ملک را جذب کردند از فلک
باد جنس آتش است و یار او 
که بود آهنگ هر دو بر علو
چون ببندی تو سر کوزهٔ تهی 
در میان حوض یا جویی نهی
تا قیامت آن فرو ناید به پست 
که دلش خالیست و در وی باد هست
میل بادش چون سوی بالا بود 
ظرف خود را هم سوی بالا کشد
باز آن جانها که جنس انبیاست 
سوی ایشان کش کشان چون سایه هاست
زانک عقلش غالبست و بی ز شک 
عقل جنس آمد به خلقت با ملک
وان هوای نفس غالب بر عدو 
نفس جنس اسفل آمد شد بدو
بود قبطی جنس فرعون ذمیم 
بود سبطی جنس موسی کلیم
بود هامان جنس تر فرعون را 
برگزیدش برد بر صدر سرا
لاجرم از صدر تا قعرش کشید 
که ز جنس دوزخ اند آن دو پلید
هر دو سوزنده چو ذوزخ ضد نور 
هر دو چون دوزخ ز نور دل نفور
زانک دوزخ گوید ای مؤمن تو زود 
برگذر که نورت آتش را ربود
می رمد آن دوزخی از نور هم 
زانک طبع دوزخستش ای صنم
دوزخ از مومن گریزد آنچنان 
که گریزد مومن از دوزخ به جان
زانک جنس نار نبود نور او 
ضد نار آمد حقیقت نورجو
در حدیث آمد که مومن در دعا 
چون امان خواهد ز دوزخ از خدا
دوزخ از وی هم امان خواهد به جان 
که خدایا دور دارم از فلان
جاذبهٔ جنسیتست اکنون ببین 
که تو جنس کیستی از کفر و دین
گر بهامان مایلی هامانیی 
ور به موسی مایلی سبحانیی
ور بهر دو مایلی انگیخته 
نفس و عقلی هر دوان آمیخته
هر دو در جنگند هان و هان بکوش 
تا شود غالب معانی بر نقوش
در جهان جنگ شادی این بسست 
که ببینی بر عدو هر دم شکست
آن ستیزه رو بسختی عاقبت 
گفت با هامان برای مشورت
وعده های آن کلیم الله را 
گفت و محرم ساخت آن گمراه را

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## English translation
A woman came before Murtaza,
Saying, 'My infant has gone onto the gutter.
If I call him, he doesn't come to my hand,
And if I leave him, I fear he will fall down.
He is not rational to understand like us,
If I say, 'Come to me from danger.'
He also doesn't understand hand gestures,
And if he did, he wouldn't listen; this too is out of hand.
I have shown him milk and breast a lot,
He keeps turning his eyes and face away from me.
For the sake of God, you are, O great ones,
The helpers of this world and that world.
Quickly provide a remedy, for my heart is trembling,
Lest I be torn in pain from the fruit of my heart.'
He said, 'Bring another infant up to the roof as well,
So that the boy may see his own kind.
He will come swiftly towards his own kind from that gutter,
Kind is eternally in love with kind.'
The woman did so, and when her infant saw
His own kind, he happily turned his face towards him.
He came towards the roof from the middle of the gutter,
Know that the attractor of every kind is its own kind.
Crawling, the infant came towards the infant,
He was saved from falling downwards.
For that reason the prophets are of the human kind,
So that through homogeneity they may be saved from the gutter.
So He commanded the human, 'I am like you',
So that you come to your own kind and are less lost.
Because homogeneity is a wondrous attractor,
Its attractor is its kind, wherever there is a seeker.
Jesus and Idris went up to the heavens,
Because they became homogenous with the angels.
Again, those Harut and Marut from high up,
Were of the kind of the body, therefore they came down.
The disbelievers became homogenous with Satan,
Their souls became students of Satans.
Having learned hundreds of thousands of bad habits,
Having sewn shut the eyes of intellect and heart.
The least of their habits in ugliness is that envy,
That envy which struck the neck of Iblis.
From those dogs they learned malice and envy,
Who do not want the eternal kingdom for the creation.
Whoever saw perfection from left and right,
From envy his colic came, pain arose.
Because every wretch whose harvest is burnt,
Does not want anyone's candle lit.
Beware, acquire perfection so that you too,
Do not fall into sorrow from the perfection of others.
Seek from God the repulsion of this envy,
So that your God may deliver you from the body.
May He grant you an inner occupation,
So that you don't attend to the outside.
God gives that sip of wine,
By which He makes him drunk to both worlds.
He has placed a property in a handful of hashish,
That for a time delivers him from himself.
God makes sleep in such a way,
That it uproots thought from both worlds.
He made Majnun a skin out of love,
Who does not recognize enemy from friend.
He has hundreds of thousands of such wines,
Which He appoints over your perceptions.
There are wines of wretchedness for the ego,
Which take that ominous one out of the way.
There are wines of felicity for the intellect,
Which finds the abode without transfer.
The tent of the sky, out of its intoxication,
He uproots, and takes the way forward from that side.
Beware, O heart, don't be deceived by every intoxication,
Jesus is intoxicated with Truth, the donkey is intoxicated with barley.
Seek such wine from these vats,
Its intoxication is not from the short-tailed ones.
Because every beloved is like a full vat,
One is dregs, and the other pure like pearl.
O wine-taster, beware, taste with caution,
Until you find a wine free from mixture.
Both give you intoxication, but this one,
Brings you intoxicated, dragging you to the Lord of Religion.
So that you may be freed from thought, whisperings, and tricks,
Without hobble, this intellect in the dance of the camel.
Since prophets are of the kind of spirit and angel,
They attracted the angels from the sky.
Wind is of the kind of fire and its companion,
Since the tendency of both is upwards.
When you tie the mouth of an empty jug,
And put it in the middle of a pool or stream,
Until resurrection it will not sink down,
Because its heart is empty and there is wind in it.
Since the inclination of its wind is upwards,
It pulls its container upwards too.
Again, those souls that are of the kind of prophets,
Are dragged towards them like shadows.
Because his intellect is dominant, and without doubt,
The intellect in creation is of the kind of the angel.
And that desire of the ego, dominant over the enemy,
The ego is of the lowest kind, and went to him.
The Copt was of the kind of the blameworthy Pharaoh,
The Israelite was of the kind of Moses the converser.
Haman was more of the kind of Pharaoh,
He chose him and took him to the head of the house.
Consequently, it dragged him from the head to the bottom,
Because those two filthy ones are of the kind of hell.
Both are burning like hell, opposite to light,
Both, like hell, averse to the light of the heart.
Because hell says, 'O believer, you quickly
Pass by, for your light has snatched away the fire.'
That hellish one flees from the light too,
Because he has the nature of hell, O idol.
Hell flees from the believer in such a way,
As the believer flees from hell with his soul.
Because his light is not of the kind of fire,
In truth, the seeker of light is the opposite of fire.
It has come in a hadith that when a believer in prayer,
Seeks safety from hell from God,
Hell too will seek safety from him with its soul,
Saying, 'O God, keep me far from so-and-so.'
It is the attraction of homogeneity, now see,
Whose kind you are, of infidelity and religion.
If you are inclined to Haman, you are Haman-like,
And if you are inclined to Moses, you are divine.
And if you are provoked to be inclined to both,
You are both ego and intellect, both mixed together.
Both are in a war; beware, beware, strive,
So that meanings become victorious over forms.
In the war of the world, this joy is enough,
That you see the defeat of the enemy every moment.
That quarrelsome faced one, with hardship in the end,
Spoke to Haman for consultation.
The promises of that Converser with God,
He told, and made that misguided one his confidant.

دفتر چهارم - بخش ۱۰۴ - قصهٔ آن زن کی طفل او بر سر ناودان غیژید و خطر افتادن بود و از علی کرم‌الله وجهه چاره جست / Book Four - Section 104 - The Story of That Woman Whose Infant Crawled Onto the Gutter and Was in Danger of Falling, and Who Sought a Remedy From Ali, May God Honor His Face

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, a foundational Sufi principle is the absolute necessity of a spiritual guide—often referred to as a Sheikh, Pir, or 'the Wise' ($$عاقل$$)—to safely traverse the spiritual path. Rumi emphasizes that individual intellect and isolated acts of worship are insufficient against the subtle deceptions of the ego (Nafs) and inner enemies. Seekers are instructed to take refuge under the "shadow" of a perfected master. This theme is explicitly established when the Prophet advises Imam Ali to prioritize companionship with a divine guide over all other forms of devotion, asserting that such a guide serves as an indispensable spiritual protector, shielding the disciple much like Noah's Ark saves believers from a flood.

The Necessity of a Spiritual Guide (Pir) in the Masnavi

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Spiritual Homogeneity and the Principle of Peer Attraction: The Child on the Gutter in the Masnavi

In Book Three of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, a central didactic theme is the proper etiquette (adab) and receptivity required of disciples when receiving wisdom from a spiritual guide or Sheikh. Rumi emphasizes that spiritual teachers and divine messengers need attentive, humble, and eager listeners to effectively impart their knowledge. He asserts that without genuine respect, humility, and an enthusiastic readiness to receive, the outpouring of divine wisdom is obstructed. The success of spiritual transmission, therefore, depends heavily on the disciple's sincere state of need and respectful demeanor.

The Etiquette of Receiving Spiritual Wisdom in the Masnavi

In Book 3 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the gathering of afflicted people at the monastery of Jesus serves as a profound allegory for the seeker's relationship with a spiritual master. Rumi describes how the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed would gather at dawn, hoping to be cured by Jesus's miraculous breath. However, once healed, they would hastily depart in joy, quickly forgetting the source of their cure. Rumi sharply criticizes this ingratitude, urging the spiritual seeker to remain steadfast at the threshold of the enlightened guide. To emphasize this necessity, he employs the metaphor of a loyal dog, advising the seeker to hold fast to the "first door" where they received spiritual nourishment and to never abandon it. Just as fidelity is the defining mark of a dog, Rumi insists that the disciple must remain fastened "like a ring" to the master's door, maintaining constant devotion and never rebelling against their spiritual benefactor.

The Metaphor of the Monastery of Jesus and Spiritual Fidelity in the Masnavi

In Book 2 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, within the narrative of the Prophet Muhammad visiting a dying companion, Rumi underscores the absolute necessity of maintaining close proximity to spiritual masters (*awliyā'*). He warns that becoming "distant from the presence of the saints" is tantamount to becoming "distant from God." Rumi elevates these enlightened guides by referring to them metaphorically as "kings," asserting that if separation from ordinary companions causes grief, isolation from the saints brings profound spiritual detriment. Consequently, he issues a direct imperative to "seek the shadow of the kings at every moment." Rumi promises that by dedicating both one's travels and stillness to seeking this transformative presence, the seeker will be elevated to a spiritual state "better than the sun."

The Imperative of Seeking the Presence of Saints in the Masnavi

In Book Three of the *Masnavi*, Rumi employs the narrative of Jesus healing the afflicted as a profound allegory for spiritual medicine. He equates the 'Monastery of Jesus' (صومعه عیسی) to the 'table of the people of the heart' (خوان اهل دل), which represents the presence and threshold of the perfect spiritual guide or Saint. In this metaphor, the physical ailments of the gathered crowd—such as blindness, lameness, and paralysis—symbolize the spiritual afflictions and moral sicknesses of humanity. Rumi instructs seekers not to abandon the door of the spiritual master, as the master's divine connection and spiritual breath (comparable to the miraculous, life-giving breath of Jesus) serve as the ultimate cure for the ailments of the soul.

The Metaphor of the Monastery of Jesus in the Masnavi

In Book Three, Section 87 of the *Masnavi*, Rumi uses the Quranic narrative of Moses seeking Khidr as an analogy for Daquqi's search for the hidden saints (awliya). Rumi emphasizes that even Moses, despite his exalted status as a law-giving prophet who spoke directly to God (*Kalimullah*), humbled himself, abandoned self-conceit (*khud-bini*), and left his followers to seek Khidr's esoteric wisdom (*'ilm al-ladunni*). This illustrates the fundamental Sufi teaching that formal, exoteric knowledge and high spiritual rank are insufficient without the guidance of a master possessing hidden divine insight. The story serves as a profound lesson in spiritual humility and the absolute necessity of seeking a spiritual guide (*Pir*).

Moses's Quest for Khidr as a Model for Seeking Esoteric Knowledge

In Book 1 of the *Masnavi*, Rumi warns against the spiritual peril of following false guides or charlatans. He explains that spiritually impoverished seekers often fall prey to these pretenders because they lack the inner light necessary for true discernment. Using the metaphor of a visually impaired person unable to distinguish between genuine eye medicine and ordinary stones, Rumi illustrates how naive disciples mistake outward eloquence and feigned piety for true divine realization, rendering them unable to tell the difference between superficial imitation and genuine spiritual growth.

The Danger of False Spiritual Guides and Blind Disciples in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the Prophet Muhammad delivers a profound discourse on the necessity of spiritual intermediaries for seekers who cannot yet bear the direct light of the Divine. Rumi illustrates this concept using astronomical metaphors, comparing the Prophet's companions to guiding "stars" and the prophet or saint to the "moon." Just as the moon receives light from the sun and reflects it in a gentler, more endurable form for those in darkness, spiritual guides transmit overwhelming divine revelation in a capacity that ordinary human souls can tolerate. Rumi further uses the medical metaphor of mixing "honey and vinegar" to describe how spiritual teachings are intentionally blended with worldly or relatable forms to cure the spiritually ailing. Once the seeker's heart is purified and "freed from illness," they can eventually dispense with these intermediaries and experience unmediated communion with God.

The Metaphor of Spiritual Intermediaries as the Moon and Stars in the Masnavi

In the *Masnavi*, Jalaluddin Rumi warns that the inner state and silent disapproval of a spiritual master (pir or king) have real, immediate consequences for a disciple's soul. Even if the master is outwardly unaware or consciously forgives the disciple's pride and rebellion (*tughyan*), their grieved heart or subconscious thought (*khatir*) can strike a devastating inner wound (*zakhm*) to the disciple's spirit. Rumi uses the story of the prince who became self-sufficient (*istighna*) and rebelled to illustrate how the master's aching heart acts like an automatic spiritual reflex, leading to the disciple's spiritual ruin or physical death before they can achieve full perfection.

The Spiritual Consequences of a Guide's Disapproval and Hidden Inner Wounds in the Masnavi

In the *Masnavi*, Jalaluddin Rumi warns seekers about a subtle spiritual hazard: the state of spiritual self-sufficiency (*istighna*) and pride that can arise after receiving high spiritual revelations (*kashf*) or blessings from a guide. Using the story of the prince who attained spiritual illumination from the king of the heart, Rumi illustrates how a disciple, feeling newly empowered and independent, can be tempted into ingratitude and rebellion (*tughyan*). Believing they no longer need their guide, the disciple mistakenly views themselves as an equal ('both king and prince') and resents submission, unaware that their spiritual light is entirely dependent on the master's grace, just as the moon depends on the sun.

The Concept of Spiritual Self-Sufficiency (Istighna) and Temptation in the Masnavi

In Rumi's *Masnavi*, the relationship between the spiritual seeker (the disciple) and the guide (the master) is often allegorically described as the moon reflecting the light of the sun.

Key aspects of this concept include:
- **Spiritual Melting (Gudaz):** The seeker's ego melts away in the presence of the spiritual guide, a process Rumi describes as growth (*namu*) rather than destruction.
- **Reflection of Light:** Just as the moon has no light of its own and must reflect the sun, the disciple's soul (*mah-e jan*) is illuminated and nourished by the spiritual light of the master's soul.
- **The Paradox of Waning:** The melting of the lover is necessary for their spiritual completion and renewal, mirroring how the moon's waning eventually leads to its full illumination.

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