In Book 3 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the poet contrasts the anxieties of worldly commerce with the profound rewards of the prophets' spiritual trade. Rumi observes that ordinary tradesmen are driven by a volatile mixture of hope for profit and the primal fear of deprivation, rushing to their shops daily based on the uncertainty of "perhaps." He then challenges the spiritually hesitant, asking why they allow the fear of loss to paralyze them in matters of religion and divine trust. To illustrate the ultimate value of spiritual exertion, Rumi points to the prophets and saints, questioning what "mine" they discovered in their divine marketplace. Through their absolute devotion and spiritual commerce, they achieved mastery over the physical world itself. Rumi elegantly alludes to their prophetic miracles—fire becoming a tame anklet for Abraham, the sea acting as a porter for Moses, iron softening like wax for David, and the wind serving as a subject for Solomon. This metaphor demonstrates that fearless spiritual trade transcends material limits and subdues the very elements of nature.

The Contrast Between Worldly Commerce and the Prophets' Spiritual Trade 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*.

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انبیا گفتند با خاطر که چند 
می‌دهیم این را و آن را وعظ و پند
چند کوبیم آهن سردی ز غی 
در دمیدن در قفض هین تا بکی
جنبش خلق از قضا و وعده است 
تیزی دندان ز سوز معده است
نفس اول راند بر نفس دوم 
ماهی از سر گنده باشد نه ز دم
لیک هم می‌دان و خر می‌ران چو تیر 
چونک بلغ گفت حق شد ناگزیر
تو نمی‌دانی کزین دو کیستی 
جهد کن چندانک بینی چیستی
چون نهی بر پشت کشتی بار را 
بر توکل می‌کنی آن کار را
تو نمی‌دانی که از هر دو کیی 
غرقه‌ای اندر سفر یا ناجیی
گر بگویی تا ندانم من کیم 
بر نخواهم تاخت در کشتی و یم
من درین ره ناجیم یا غرقه‌ام 
کشف گردان کز کدامین فرقه‌ام
من نخواهم رفت این ره با گمان 
بر امید خشک همچون دیگران
هیچ بازرگانیی ناید ز تو 
زانک در غیبست سر این دو رو
تاجر ترسنده‌طبع شیشه‌جان 
در طلب نه سود دارد نه زیان
بل زیان دارد که محرومست و خوار 
نور او یابد که باشد شعله‌خوار
چونک بر بوکست جمله کارها 
کار دین اولی کزین یابی رها
نیست دستوری بدینجا قرع باب 
جز امید الله اعلم بالصواب

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## English translation
The prophets said within their hearts: "How long
shall we give sermon and counsel to this one and that?
How long shall we beat cold iron of waywardness,
blowing into a cage — hark, until when?
The movement of the people is from qaḍā and the promise;
the sharpness of the teeth comes from the burning of the stomach.
The first breath drives on the second;
fish rots from the head, not from the tail.
But still, know this and drive the donkey straight as an arrow;
since the Ḥaqq said 'Convey,' it has become unavoidable.
You do not know which of these two you are;
strive until you see what you are.
When you place cargo upon the back of a ship,
you perform that work through tawakkul.
You do not know which of the two you are —
drowned in the voyage, or one who is saved.
If you say: 'Until I know who I am,
I will not rush into ship and sea —
Am I in this path one who is saved or one who drowns?
Reveal to me from which group I am;
I will not travel this path on mere conjecture,
on dry hope like the others' —
No commerce will come from you,
for the secret of these two faces lies in the Ghayb.
The merchant fearful by nature, glass-souled,
in seeking has neither profit nor loss —
nay, he suffers loss, for he is deprived and degraded;
light is gained by one who feeds on flame.
Since all affairs rest on 'perhaps,'
the work of religion is most worthy — from it you find release.
Here there is no leave to knock at the door
except through hope — Allāhu aʿlam bi'l-ṣawāb.

دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۴۴ - نومید شدن انبیا از قبول و پذیرای منکران قوله حتی اذا استیاس الرسل / Book Three - Section 144 - The Despair of the Prophets Regarding the Acceptance and Reception of the Deniers, His Word 'Until When the Messengers Despaired'

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

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Ganjoor

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داعی هر پیشه اومیدست و بوک 
گرچه گردنشان ز کوشش شد چو دوک
بامدادان چون سوی دکان رود 
بر امید و بوک روزی می‌دود
بوک روزی نبودت چون می‌روی 
خوف حرمان هست تو چونی قوی
خوف حرمان ازل در کسب لوت 
چون نکردت سست اندر جست و جوت
گویی گرچه خوف حرمان هست پیش 
هست اندر کاهلی این خوف بیش
هست در کوشش امیدم بیشتر 
دارم اندر کاهلی افزون خطر
پس چرا در کار دین ای بدگمان 
دامنت می‌گیرد این خوف زیان
یا ندیدی کاهل این بازار ما 
در چه سودند انبیا و اولیا
زین دکان رفتن چه کانشان رو نمود 
اندرین بازار چون بستند سود
آتش آن را رام چون خلخال شد 
بحر آن را رام شد حمال شد
آهن آن را رام شد چون موم شد 
باد آن را بنده و محکوم شد

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## English translation
The driver of every trade is hope and "perhaps,"
Though their necks have grown like spindles from toil.
At dawn, when he heads toward his shop,
He runs on hope and "perhaps" for his daily bread.
"Perhaps your provision will not come" — why do you go?
The fear of deprivation exists — how are you strong?
The primal fear of deprivation in seeking provision —
Why did it not make you slack in your pursuit?
You say: "Though the fear of deprivation lies ahead,
This fear is even greater in idleness.
In striving, my hope is greater;
In idleness, my peril is increased."
Then why, O mistrustful one, in the work of religion,
Does this fear of loss seize you by the hem?
Or have you not seen — idle one in our marketplace —
In what did the prophets and the saints trade?
From going to this shop, what mine revealed its face to them?
How did they bind their profit in this marketplace?
Fire became tame for him, like an anklet;
The sea became tame for him, became his porter.
Iron became tame for him, became like wax;
Wind became his servant and subject.

دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۴۵ - بیان آنک ایمان مقلد خوفست و رجا / Book Three - Section 145 - Explaining That the Faith of the Imitator is Fear and Hope

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

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.

The Principle of Diligent Seeking (Juyandeh Yabandeh) 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.

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