Part Four – Where Does Human Suffering Begin? Rumi’s Answer

Part Four – Where Does Human Suffering Begin? Rumi’s Answer
In Part Four of the Masnavi Interpretation series, Dr. Amirmehrdad Khosravi turns to one of the most fundamental and deeply familiar verses of Rumi:

“Whoever remains far from their original source
Will seek again the time of reunion.”

In this episode, the verse is interpreted not merely as poetry, but as a map for understanding human inner suffering. Dr. Khosravi explains that many forms of anxiety, restlessness, emptiness, and inner turmoil experienced by modern humans are rooted in “separation from the origin”—an origin that may be understood as one’s innate nature, true essence, spirituality, or the authentic self.

This interpretation emphasizes that even if a person appears to have everything outwardly, they will not find peace as long as they are disconnected from their true origin. When Rumi speaks of union (wasl), he does not mean an external event, but rather an inner return—a return from a superficial, imitative, and imposed way of living to a conscious, rooted, and authentic mode of existence.

Key messages and insights from this verse in this episode:

Human suffering is a sign of being lost, not a sign of weakness

True peace is the result of returning to one’s authentic self

Many wrong choices stem from forgetting one’s “origin”

The search for union is an existential need, not a luxury of spirituality

In Rumi’s view, spirituality responds to a real and lived human pain

This episode is an invitation to pause, reflect, and ask a fundamental question:
When—and from where—did we drift away from our true origin?