In Section 153 of Book Five of the Masnavi, Rumi contrasts the spiritual reality of the Hereafter (akhirat) with the transient, lifeless nature of the material world. He comments on the Quranic verse, 'And the Home of the Hereafter—that is the Life, if they but knew' (Quran 29:64), asserting that every element of the spiritual world—including its walls, water, fruits, and trees—is fully alive, conscious, and capable of speech.

Rumi contrasts this animate, vibrant realm of the Hereafter with the material world, which he equates to a dead carcass (jifah), referencing the prophetic tradition, 'The world is a carcass and its seekers are dogs.' He argues that a carcass is called such not because of its foul smell, but due to its inherent lack of spiritual life. Consequently, pure souls naturally seek the highest spiritual realms (Illiyyin), while those consumed by worldly desires are like worms content in dung or blind birds drinking salty water, entirely unaware of the living g...