In Book 3 of the *Masnavi*, Rumi expounds on the spiritual principle that persistent seeking inevitably leads to finding (expressed in the Persian proverb *juyandeh yabandeh ast*). Grounding this idea in the Quranic verse 'Whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it' (Quran 99:7) and prophetic sayings, Rumi uses several earthly analogies to show the certainty of cause and effect in spiritual endeavors: knocking repeatedly on a door until it opens, waiting patiently on someone's street, digging a well daily until clean water is reached, and sowing seeds to eventually reap. Through these metaphors, Rumi reassures spiritual seekers that sincere, continuous effort is never wasted and will ultimately culminate in divine union.

Google

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کان جوان در جست و جو بد هفت سال 
از خیال وصل گشته چون خیال
سایهٔ حق بر سر بنده بود 
عاقبت جوینده یابنده بود
گفت پیغامبر که چون کوبی دری 
عاقبت زان در برون آید سری
چون نشینی بر سر کوی کسی 
عاقبت بینی تو هم روی کسی
چون ز چاهی می‌کنی هر روز خاک 
عاقبت اندر رسی در آب پاک
جمله دانند این اگر تو نگروی 
هر چه می‌کاریش روزی بدروی
سنگ بر آهن زدی آتش نجست 
این نباشد ور بباشد نادرست
آنک روزی نیستش بخت و نجات 
ننگرد عقلش مگر در نادرات
کان فلان کس کشت کرد و بر نداشت 
و آن صدف برد و صدف گوهر نداشت
بلعم باعور و ابلیس لعین 
سود نامدشان عبادتها و دین
صد هزاران انبیا و ره‌روان 
ناید اندر خاطر آن بدگمان
این دو را گیرد که تاریکی دهد 
در دلش ادبار جز این کی نهد
بس کسا که نان خورد دلشاد او 
مرگ او گردد بگیرد در گلو
پس تو ای ادبار رو هم نان مخور 
تا نیفتی همچو او در شور و شر
صد هزاران خلق نانها می‌خورند 
زور می‌یابند و جان می‌پرورند
تو بدان نادر کجا افتاده‌ای 
گر نه محرومی و ابله زاده‌ای
این جهان پر آفتاب و نور ماه 
او بهشته سر فرو برده به چاه
که اگر حقست پس کو روشنی 
سر ز چه بردار و بنگر ای دنی
جمله عالم شرق و غرب آن نور یافت 
تا تو در چاهی نخواهد بر تو تافت
چه رها کن رو به ایوان و کروم 
کم ستیز اینجا بدان کاللج شوم
هین مگو کاینک فلانی کشت کرد 
در فلان سالی ملخ کشتش بخورد
پس چرا کارم که اینجا خوف هست 
من چرا افشانم این گندم ز دست
و آنک او نگذاشت کشت و کار را 
پر کند کوری تو انبار را
چون دری می‌کوفت او از سلوتی 
عاقبت در یافت روزی خلوتی
جست از بیم عسس شب او به باغ 
یار خود را یافت چون شمع و چراغ
گفت سازندهٔ سبب را آن نفس 
ای خدا تو رحمتی کن بر عسس
ناشناسا تو سببها کرده‌ای 
از در دوزخ بهشتم برده‌ای
بهر آن کردی سبب این کار را 
تا ندارم خوار من یک خار را
در شکست پای بخشد حق پری 
هم ز قعر چاه بگشاید دری
تو مبین که بر درختی یا به چاه 
تو مرا بین که منم مفتاح راه
گر تو خواهی باقی این گفت و گو 
ای اخی در دفتر چارم بجو

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## English translation
Book Three — Section 228 — The Lover Finding the Beloved, and Exposition That the Seeker Was the Finder, as in "Whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it"

That youth had been in quest and seeking for seven years,
Having become like a phantom from the phantom of union.
The shadow of the Truth was over the servant's head;
In the end, the seeker was the finder.
The Prophet said: when you knock upon a door,
In the end a head will emerge from that door.
When you sit at the head of someone's lane,
In the end you too will see that someone's face.
When you dig earth from a well every day,
In the end you will reach pure water.
Everyone knows this, even if you do not believe:
Whatever you sow, one day you shall reap.
You struck stone against iron and no fire sprang —
This does not happen; or if it does, it is a rarity.
He whose fortune and salvation have deserted him —
His mind looks nowhere but at rare exceptions:
"That such-and-such a person sowed but reaped nothing,
And that one carried off the shell, but the shell held no pearl.
Bal'am Ba'ur and the accursed Iblis —
Their acts of worship and religion availed them nothing."
A hundred thousand prophets and wayfarers —
These do not enter the mind of that ill-supposing one.
He seizes upon these two, for they give darkness;
What else but this would plant misfortune in his heart?
Many a man has eaten bread with a glad heart,
Yet it became his death, lodging in his throat.
So you, O face of misfortune, do not eat bread either,
Lest you fall like him into tumult and harm.
A hundred thousand people are eating bread,
Finding strength and nourishing their souls.
Why have you fixed upon that rarity,
Unless you are deprived and born a fool?
This world is full of sunlight and moonlight —
He has thrust his head down into a well,
Saying, "If the Truth is, then where is the light?"
Lift your head from the well and look, O base one!
The entire world, east and west, has found that light —
As long as you are in a well, it will not shine upon you.
Why dally? Go toward the hall and the vineyards;
Contend less here, knowing that contentiousness is ill-omened.
Beware, do not say: "Look, so-and-so sowed,
And in such-and-such a year locusts devoured his harvest.
So why should I labor, when there is fear here?
Why should I scatter this wheat from my hand?"
And that one who did not abandon sowing and labor —
He fills his granary, to your blindness.
As he kept knocking at a door out of consolation,
In the end he one day found a moment of solitude.
Fleeing by night from fear of the night watchman, he leapt into the garden,
And found his beloved like candle and lamp.
In that moment he said to the Maker of causes:
"O God, show mercy to the night watchman!
O Unrecognized One, You have arranged the causes;
From the gate of hell You have carried me to paradise.
For this You arranged the cause of this affair:
That I might not hold even a single thorn in contempt."
In the breaking of the foot, the Truth bestows a wing;
Even from the depths of a well He opens a door.
Do not regard whether you are on a tree or in a well;
Regard Me, for I am the key of the way.
If you desire the remainder of this discourse,
O brother, seek it in the Fourth Book.

دفتر سوم - بخش ۲۲۸ - یافتن عاشق معشوق را و بیان آنک جوینده یابنده بود کی و من یعمل مثقال ذرة خیرا یره / Book Three — Section 228 — The Lover Finding the Beloved, and Exposition That the Seeker Was the Finder, as in 'Whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it'

In Book 1 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the fable of the lion and the prey beasts serves as a profound allegorical debate between the Islamic concepts of *tawakkul* (absolute trust in divine providence) and *jahd* (personal exertion or effort). The beasts argue that since God is the ultimate provider and destiny is preordained, human effort is a form of spiritual agitation that challenges the divine decree; therefore, they advocate for passive surrender. The lion, representing the spiritual master or the active intellect, counters this by arguing that God provided humans with limbs and faculties, and failing to use them is an act of ingratitude. He cites the Prophetic tradition to 'trust in God, but tie your camel', presenting a synthesis where human effort is not contradictory to, but rather the practical manifestation of, true trust in God.

The Debate Between Trust (Tawakkul) and Exertion (Jahd) in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, during the merchant's lamentation in the Tale of the Merchant and the Parrot (Book 1, Section 92), Rumi delivers a profound discourse on the spiritual value of constant effort and inner agitation. He asserts that the Divine loves human restlessness and yearning (ashoftegi) on the spiritual path, famously stating that even seemingly useless striving is far better than passive sleep or complacency (koushesh-e bihoodeh beh az khoftegi). Rumi admonishes the seeker to keep scraping and carving (mitarash o mikharash) and never remain idle for a single moment until their final breath. This highlights the Sufi doctrine that the struggle itself, characterized by active yearning, is a form of spiritual purification and a prerequisite for receiving divine grace.

The Value of Perpetual Spiritual Striving and Restlessness 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

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اندر آن بودیم کان شخص از عسس 
راند اندر باغ از خوفی فرس
بود اندر باغ آن صاحب‌جمال 
کز غمش این در عنا بد هشت سال
سایهٔ او را نبود امکان دید 
هم‌چو عنقا وصف او را می‌شنید
جز یکی لقیه که اول از قضا 
بر وی افتاد و شد او را دلربا
بعد از آن چندان که می‌کوشید او 
خود مجالش می‌نداد آن تندخو
نه به لابه چاره بودش نه به مال 
چشم پر و بی‌طمع بود آن نهال
عاشق هر پیشه‌ای و مطلبی 
حق بیالود اول کارش لبی
چون بدان آسیب در جست آمدند 
پیش پاشان می‌نهد هر روز بند
چون در افکندش بجست و جوی کار 
بعد از آن در بست که کابین بیار
هم بر آن بو می‌تنند و می‌روند 
هر دمی راجی و آیس می‌شوند
هر کسی را هست اومید بری 
که گشادندش در آن روزی دری
باز در بستندش و آن درپرست 
بر همان اومید آتش پا شدست
چون درآمد خوش در آن باغ آن جوان 
خود فرو شد پا به گنجش ناگهان
مر عسس را ساخته یزدان سبب 
تا ز بیم او دود در باغ شب
بیند آن معشوقه را او با چراغ 
طالب انگشتری در جوی باغ
پس قرین می‌کرد از ذوق آن نفس 
با ثنای حق دعای آن عسس
که زیان کردم عسس را از گریز 
بیست چندان سیم و زر بر وی بریز
از عوانی مر ورا آزاد کن 
آنچنان که شادم او را شاد کن
سعد دارش این جهان و آن جهان 
از عوانی و سگی‌اش وا رهان
گرچه خوی آن عوان هست ای خدا 
که هماره خلق را خواهد بلا
گر خبر آید که شه جرمی نهاد 
بر مسلمانان شود او زفت و شاد
ور خبر آید که شه رحمت نمود 
از مسلمانان فکند آن را به جود
ماتمی در جان او افتد از آن 
صد چنین ادبارها دارد عوان
او عوان را در دعا در می‌کشید 
کز عوان او را چنان راحت رسید
بر همه زهر و برو تریاق بود 
آن عوان پیوند آن مشتاق بود
پس بد مطلق نباشد در جهان 
بد به نسبت باشد این را هم بدان
در زمانه هیچ زهر و قند نیست 
که یکی را پا دگر را بند نیست
مر یکی را پا دگر را پای‌بند 
مر یکی را زهر و بر دیگر چو قند
زهر مار آن مار را باشد حیات 
نسبتش با آدمی باشد ممات
خلق آبی را بود دریا چو باغ 
خلق خاکی را بود آن مرگ و داغ
همچنین بر می‌شمر ای مرد کار 
نسبت این از یکی کس تا هزار
زید اندر حق آن شیطان بود 
در حق شخصی دگر سلطان بود
آن بگوید زید صدیق سنیست 
وین بگوید زید گبر کشتنیست
گر تو خواهی کو ترا باشد شکر 
پس ورا از چشم عشاقش نگر
منگر از چشم خودت آن خوب را 
بین به چشم طالبان مطلوب را
چشم خود بر بند زان خوش‌چشم تو 
عاریت کن چشم از عشاق او
بلک ازو کن عاریت چشم و نظر 
پس ز چشم او بروی او نگر
تا شوی آمن ز سیری و ملال 
گفت کان الله له زین ذوالجلال
چشم او من باشم و دست و دلش 
تا رهد از مدبریها مقبلش
هر چه مکرو هست چون شد او دلیل 
سوی محبوبت حبیبست و خلیل

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## English translation
We were in the midst of that [story] when that person, out of fear of the night watchman,
drove his horse into the garden.

In that garden was that possessor of beauty
for whose grief this one had been in torment for eight years.

It was not possible to see even his shadow—
like the 'anqā, he heard only descriptions of him.

Except for one encounter that at first, by decree of fate,
had fallen upon him and stolen his heart.

After that, however much he strove,
that hot-tempered one gave him no opportunity—

Neither supplication availed him nor wealth;
that young sapling had full eyes and was without greed.

For every craft and pursuit that one falls in love with,
God stirs a taste at the beginning of the work.

Once they have come rushing upon that wound,
every day He sets a snare before their feet.

Once He has cast them into seeking and searching,
afterward He shuts the door: "Bring the bride-price."

Still on that scent they press and they go—
at every moment hopeful, at every moment despairing.

Every person holds the hope of a fruit
because on some day a door was opened for him.

Again it was shut, and that door-worshipper
has become fire-footed on that same hope.

When that youth entered gladly into that garden,
his foot sank suddenly into its treasure.

God had made the night watchman the cause
so that, out of fear of him, he ran into the garden at night

And saw that beloved with a lamp,
searching for a ring in the garden's stream.

Then, from the joy of that moment, he paired
prayer for the night watchman together with praise of God—

Saying: "I wronged the night watchman by my flight—
pour twenty times as much silver and gold upon him.

Free him from the constable's work;
make him as glad as I am glad.

Grant him felicity in this world and the next—
deliver him from the constable's work and its brutishness.

Though, O God, the nature of that constable
is always to wish calamity upon the people—

If news comes that the king has imposed a penalty
upon Muslims, he grows puffed up and glad;

And if news comes that the king has shown mercy
and generously removed it from the Muslims,

A grief falls upon his soul from that—
the constable has a hundred such misfortunes."

He drew the constable into his prayer,
for through the constable such ease had come to him.

For all others it was poison, but for him antidote—
that constable was the bond of that ardent lover.

Therefore there is no absolute evil in the world—
evil is relative; know this too.

In the world there is no poison and no sugar
that is not a foot for one and a fetter for another—

For one a foot, for another a foot-shackle;
for one a poison, and for another like sugar.

The serpent's venom is life to that serpent—
in relation to a human being it is death.

To a water-natured creature the sea is like a garden;
to an earth-natured creature it is death and burning grief.

Reckon up likewise, O man of work,
this relativity from one person to a thousand.

Zayd in relation to one was Satan,
while in relation to another person he was a sultan.

One says: "Zayd is a righteous and orthodox believer"—
another says: "Zayd is an infidel fit to be slain."

If you want him to be sweet to you,
then look at him through the eyes of his lovers.

Do not look at that fair one through your own eyes—
see the beloved through the eyes of those who seek.

Close your own eyes before that bright-eyed one—
borrow eyes from his lovers.

Nay, borrow eyes and sight from Him—
then look upon His face through His own eyes,

So that you may be safe from satiety and weariness.
The Lord of Majesty declared: "God is for him"—

"I am his sight and his hand and his heart,
so that the fortunate one may be freed from all misfortune."

Whatever is hateful—when it becomes a guide
toward your Beloved, it is a Ḥabīb and a Khalīl.

دفتر چهارم - بخش ۲ - تمامی حکایت آن عاشق که از عسس گریخت در باغی مجهول خود معشوق را در باغ یافت و عسس را از شادی دعای خیر می‌کرد و می‌گفت کی عسی ان تکرهوا شیا و هو خیر لکم / Book Four - Section 2 - The Complete Tale of That Lover Who Fled from the Night Watchman into an Unknown Garden, Found His Beloved in the Garden, and out of Joy Prayed for the Night Watchman, Saying, 'It May Be That You Dislike a Thing and It Is Good for You'

The Principle of Diligent Seeking (Juyandeh Yabandeh) in the Masnavi

In Book Three of the Masnavi, Rumi introduces the metaphor of the merchant's ship to illustrate how humans must act under uncertainty. A merchant loading cargo onto a ship does not know whether they will safely reach their destination or drown in a shipwreck. Despite this risk, they proceed with the journey on trust (*tawakkul*).

Rumi argues that if a merchant refused to embark until they had absolute certainty of their safety, they would never engage in trade and would remain destitute. Similarly, in the spiritual realm, individuals cannot wait for absolute foreknowledge of their ultimate destiny (salvation or damnation) before acting. Instead, they must exercise faith, embark on the spiritual journey, and exert effort (*jahd*) while relying on *tawakkul*.

The Metaphor of the Merchant's Ship and Tawakkul (Trust) under Uncertainty in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, during the philosophical debate between the lion and the beasts over exertion (*jahd*) versus passive trust (*tawakkul*), the lion argues that worldly striving is not inherently evil. To illustrate the proper relationship a believer should have with the material world, the lion uses the metaphor of water and a boat. He explains that 'water inside the boat destroys the boat,' representing worldly attachment and greed entering the heart. However, 'water beneath the boat supports it,' symbolizing wealth and earthly means acting as necessary vehicles for spiritual advancement when kept outside the heart. The lion extends this with the metaphor of a sealed jar: just as a jar floats safely because it is sealed and filled with air, a believer's heart remains steady and buoyant atop the turbulent 'water of the world' as long as it is sealed against worldly desires and filled with the 'air' of divine poverty (dervishhood).

The Metaphor of the Boat and Worldly Detachment in the Masnavi

In Book 1, Section 49 of the Masnavi, Rumi contrasts the concepts of **Tawakkul** (trust in divine providence) and **Jahd** (human exertion) through the tale of a man fleeing the Angel of Death. The man's frantic effort (jahd) to escape to India actually fulfills divine destiny, as Azrael was originally commanded to take his soul there. Rumi uses this irony to demonstrate the futility of trying to outmaneuver fate through mere physical exertion and advocates for the spiritual superiority of trust and surrender to God's will.

Tawakkul (Trust in God) vs. Jahd (Exertion) in Rumi's Tale of Azrael

In Book Four, Section 114 of the Masnavi, Rumi explores the story of the Prophet Abraham (Khalil) and the Angel Gabriel (Jibril) to illustrate the highest degree of absolute reliance on God (*tawakkul*). When Abraham is about to be cast into the fire, Gabriel offers his assistance. Abraham famously refuses, declaring that he does not need an intermediary or guide when dealing with the Divine. This narrative highlights the profound Sufi principle that the most elevated spiritual state involves seeking God directly and exclusively, perceiving even the highest angels as unnecessary intermediaries between the lover and the Beloved.

Concept of Absolute Reliance on God (Tawakkul) in the Story of Khalil and Gabriel

In Book 1, Section 92 of the Masnavi, Jalaluddin Rumi grounds his advocacy for perpetual spiritual effort in Islamic theology by citing Quran 55:29: 'Every day He is engaged in some affair' (*Kullu yawmin huwa fi sha'n*). Rumi employs this verse to illustrate that the Divine is constantly active and continuously manifesting new states in the universe. Because the Creator is never idle, Rumi argues that the spiritual seeker must mirror this dynamic divine nature through continuous inner restlessness and striving. This theological foundation justifies his assertion that even seemingly futile effort is superior to complacency, as spiritual passivity contradicts the ever-active nature of God.

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