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.

Google

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

بر ملولان این مکرر کردنست 
نزد من عمر مکرر بردنست
شمع از برق مکرر بر شود 
خاک از تاب مکرر زر شود
گر هزاران طالب‌اند و یک ملول 
از رسالت باز می‌ماند رسول
این رسولان ضمیر رازگو 
مستمع خواهند اسرافیل‌خو
نخوتی دارند و کبری چون شهان 
چاکری خواهند از اهل جهان
تا ادبهاشان بجاگه ناوری 
از رسالتشان چگونه بر خوری
کی رسانند آن امانت را بتو 
تا نباشی پیششان راکع دوتو
هر ادبشان کی همی‌آید پسند 
کامدند ایشان ز ایوان بلند
نه گدایانند کز هر خدمتی 
از تو دارند ای مزور منتی
لیک با بی‌رغبتیها ای ضمیر 
صدقهٔ سلطان بیفشان وا مگیر
اسپ خود را ای رسول آسمان 
در ملولان منگر و اندر جهان
فرخ آن ترکی که استیزه نهد 
اسپش اندر خندق آتش جهد
گرم گرداند فرس را آنچنان 
که کند آهنگ اوج آسمان
چشم را از غیر و غیرت دوخته 
همچو آتش خشک و تر را سوخته
گر پشیمانی برو عیبی کند 
آتش اول در پشیمانی زند
خود پشیمانی نروید از عدم 
چون ببیند گرمی صاحب‌قدم

</div>

## English translation
For the wearied, this is repetition;
to me it is a life lived over and over.

The candle rises higher through repeated sparks;
clay becomes gold through repeated heat.

If there are thousands of seekers and one who is wearied,
the messenger is held back from his mission.

These messengers—revealers of the heart's secret—
require a listener with the nature of Israfil.

They hold a pride and grandeur like kings,
and require servitude from the people of the world.

Until you render their proper courtesies in their rightful place,
how will you benefit from their mission?

How will they convey that trust to you,
unless you are bowed double before them?

How could any courtesy content them,
when they have come from a lofty court?

They are not beggars who, for any service,
would hold themselves obliged to you, O pretender.

Yet, with all your indifference, O inner self,
scatter the Sultan's alms—do not hold them back.

Spur your horse, O messenger of heaven;
look not at the wearied, nor at the world.

Blessed is that Turk who sets himself to striving,
whose horse leaps into the trench of fire—

urging his steed with such heat
that it makes for the zenith of heaven,

his eyes sewn shut to other and otherness,
like fire, burning both the dry and the wet.

If regret should find fault with him,
he first sets fire to regret itself.

Indeed, regret does not grow from nothingness
when it beholds the ardor of the master of dignity.

دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۷۳ - آداب المستمعین والمریدین عند فیض الحکمة من لسان الشیخ / Book Three - Section 173 - The Etiquette of the Listeners and the Disciples at the Outpouring of Wisdom from the Tongue of the Sheikh

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

In Book 1, Section 4 of the Masnavi, Rumi introduces the foundational concept of *Adab* (spiritual courtesy, respect, or proper conduct). He illustrates its absolute necessity on the spiritual path by asserting that disrespect (*bi-adabi*) deprives a person of divine grace and brings destruction not just to the individual, but to the entire world. To exemplify this, Rumi references the stories of the Israelites who ungratefully demanded worldly food instead of divine sustenance, and the followers of Jesus who hoarded the heavenly banquet (Ma'idah) out of greed and a lack of trust. Through these examples, Rumi teaches that abandoning *Adab* severs the seeker from God's continuous blessings.

The Concept of Adab (Spiritual Courtesy) in the Masnavi

Root URL: https://ganjoor.net/
Source URL: https://ganjoor.net/

This Reference node represents the source used by the Literature-to-1Cademy migration agent.

Ganjoor

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* (Book One, Section 80), Rumi explores the theological tension between divine destiny (*qada*) and human free will (*ikhtiyar*) through the contrasting responses of Adam and Iblis to their transgressions. Although Rumi asserts that God is the ultimate creator of all actions, he argues that humans must assume moral responsibility for their errors. Iblis embodies blind determinism (*jabr*), insolently blaming God for his fall ('Because You led me astray') to mask his own ego. Conversely, Adam models spiritual courtesy (*adab*) and free will by taking ownership of his mistake ('Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves'). Rumi teaches that acknowledging personal agency and demonstrating humility are essential prerequisites for repentance and divine grace.

Learn Before

Related