THE CRY OF THE SOUL
Listen to the reed — how it tells a tale,
Complaining of the separations (that prevail).
- The Reed as the Human Soul
When Moulana Rumi (Rahmatullahi alayh) says “Bishnaw az nay” (Listen to the reed), he commands us to listen not with the outer ear but with the inner ear (sama‘-e dil).
The reed was once a living reed bed by a flowing stream—tall, fresh, united with its source. Then it was cut, hollowed, pierced with holes. That separation is the soul’s fall from the world of pure spirits (‘alam-e-arwaah) into the prison of the physical body (nāsūt).
- Why “complaint of separations” (plural)?
Moulana Thanwi (Rahmatullahi alayh) explains beautifully: the soul has many praiseworthy attributes—love (muhabbat), knowledge (ma‘rifat), perpetual remembrance (zikr), yearning (shauq), humility, modesty, etc. Each of these is veiled or weakened by the dominance of shahwat (desire) and ghazab (anger) when attached to the body. So, the lament is not for one loss but for every noble trait that lies buried under worldly habits.
- The Awakening
As Moulana Thanwi (Rahmatullahi alayh) says, if a person is stirred by:
Jazb-e-ghaybi (a divine spiritual pull), or
Suhbat of a kaamil (company of a perfected guide), or
Studying the states of the lovers of Allah,
then the soul suddenly remembers its original state. And that memory brings both joy and intense grief—joy at recognition, grief at how far it has fallen.
- Why call it “complaint”?
Allah Ta’ala’s Awliya complain only to Allah—and even that complaint is a form of du‘a and tawajjuh. Moulana Rumi (Rahmatullahi alayh) says elsewhere: “My complaints are actually praises—don’t mistake them for ordinary wailing.” The reed’s cry is not rebellion; it is a lover’s longing for the Beloved.
- Practical wisdom from Kaleed-e-Mathnawi:
Mawlana Thanwi (Rahmatullahi alayh) constantly reminds us: do not read the Mathnawi as mere literature or emotional poetry. Every verse is a diagnosis of the spiritual heart’s disease and a prescription. Here, the prescription is:
Recognize your separation. Don’t be content with this worldly life. Let the pain of distance drive you towards seeking union.
And the first step towards union? Finding a Shaykh-e-Kāmil—because the reed’s cry becomes a song only when the reed is in the hands of a master flutist (the Inheritor of Nabi Sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
A final reflection:
When you feel that ache in your chest—that restlessness with the world and with yourself—know that it is the Rooh inside you trying to speak. Do not silence it. Follow it back to its source.
May Allah fill your journey with nūr and zawq. And may the Key to the Mathnawi open for you what is closed to others. Aameen.
(Munsha’ib)