Concept

In Book Six of the Masnavi, Rumi uses the story of Abdul Ghawth—who was abducted by fairies, lived among them, and could not endure being separated from them upon his temporary return to human society—as a profound allegory for spiritual homogeneity (jinsiyyah) and the soul's natural affinity for its divine origin.

Metaphorical Interpretation

• Abdul Ghawth's Abduction: Represents the soul's migration and immersion into the spiritual, unseen realm (ghayb), with which it shares an essential, homogeneous nature.
• The Return and Inability to Stay: Symbolizes the physical embodiment or worldly life of the soul, which feels foreign and unsustainable compared to its spiritual home.
• The Fairies (Pari): Represent spiritual beings or divine elements of the unseen world. His irresistible attraction to them highlights that the soul cannot tolerate separation from its true spiritual kindred.
• Homogeneity (Jinsiyyah): The underlying spiritual law that...