January 2, 2015
Smash a rock against the jar of companionship with the ignorant,
And clutch the hem of the robes of the wise ones in the world.
Don’t pause for a moment with the unworthy,
For the iron mirror collects rust when you put it near water.
(adapted from The Quatrains of Rumi,
translated by Ibrahim Gamard and Rawan Farhadi, p. 503)
* * *
This quatrain deals clearly with the issue of companionship, who we choose to have in our lives as friends, lovers, and fellow seekers. Many people tend to be causal with who they allow and keep in their lives, even if such persons are not sincerely committed to living a genuine spiritual life. Yet this goes against the guidance of Jalaal ud- Diin Rumi and other wise ones who draw an uncompromising line between the wise and the ignorant.
First, let’s settle on a working definition of ignorant. Islam holds that Allaah, the Absolute, is the only Reality, the only (ultimate) Truth. In this regard, anything that turns a person away from, distracts, or makes a person forgetful of Truth is ignorance. And those who live in ways in which ignorance is the predominant force in their lives would be considered ignorant. In traditional Islam, there is no judgment assigned to this designation since, except for a rare select, we can all fall into ignorance. A person can have clear knowledge of that which turns and directs one to Truth, spend many devoted years living such, and in a moment can fall into ignorance. There is even the danger that the things that turn us in the direction of Truth can be a basis for ignorance if we make these more important than surrendering to be brought to Truth.
To the contrary, wisdom is that which removes those things that turn us away from, distract, or make us forgetful of Truth so that we can be brought to Truth. The wise caution that humans cannot find Truth, it is a grace bestowed. Ironically, this grace already exists within our hearts, but we often ignore it and, therefore, live in ignorance.
One of the reasons deliberate consideration is given to the company of ignorant (as well as the wise) is because of the contagiousness of ignorance. Even masters carefully consider whether potential students are serious about becoming free from ignorance before accepting them as students. And if students regress back to unrestrained ignorance, traditionally, many masters would send them away until they returned to being serious about renouncing ignorance. There is a metaphor within the Sufi lore: if you want to smell like roses, go sit in a rose garden. By keeping the consistent company of roses, their fragrance will effortlessly settle upon you. And roses are often used as metaphors for the wise. Being that wisdom and ignorance are opposites, you can choose an appropriate metaphor for the fragrance of ignorance, that which a person will smell like if one keeps the company of the ignorant.
It is our responsibility to be aware of these dynamics when choosing who we allow and keep in our lives. This is a choice of utmost importance: it literally affects the core of our spiritual practice and our lives. Therefore, Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi is explicit and direct when he says: Smash a rock against the jar of companionship with the ignorant. A person can be established in a disciplined, fruitful spiritual practice, and have this completely undercut by keeping a single ignorant person as a companion: a friend, lover, fellow seeker. And the line is clear: it says smash the jar of companionship with such persons, not to smash those persons. At issue is our choice to interact with such persons beyond what is absolutely necessary. For example, if you have a job that requires you to work with ignorant people, in the scope of your job duties you work with them. But with anything beyond the duties of the job: pause! The same applies to other duties such as family, neighbors, people in need that destiny places before us.
Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi, as well as other masters, warn us against trying to change or “save” people immersed in ignorance. In another quatrain, Jalaal ud-Diin states:
From [the influence of] the sun’s face you may become moon- like,
But from companionship with sulfur you will become fire.
You strive so that an unpleasant one may become pleasant;
That one will never become pleasant, but you will become unpleasant!
(Quatrains p. 501)
Many of us encounter these warnings after already being in relationships with ignorant people, so what to do? Again, Jalaal ud- Diin Rumi’s advice is explicit: he advises us to smash the jar of our interactions with such persons.