M6:39 — جنگ فعلی هست از جنگ نهان / زین تخالف آن تخالف را بدان

Translation: The manifest war arises from a hidden war; / From this current discord, discern that concealed discord. Meaning: This verse explains that the conflicts and struggles visible in the world are, in fact, reflections of deeper, unseen antagonisms and contradictions that run through the underlying layers of existence.

In Mowlana's cosmology, this verse plays a pivotal role, unveiling one of his fundamental ontological principles. I unequivocally believe that Mowlana, in these lines, explicates not merely natural phenomena but the very architecture of existence. The lower world, this realm of nature, possesses two inherent attributes absent in higher realms: aḍdād (opposites/conflicts) and aʿdād (multiplicity). This world is thus a locus of both contradictions and pluralities, and it is precisely these inherent conflicts that render it transient and subject to perpetual decay. Every composite entity, of necessity, disintegrates because its constituents are in constant strife.

Mowlana directly links this "manifest war" (jang-i feʿlī) that we observe in the visible world – for instance, water extinguishing fire, or vinegar and sekanjebīn each possessing distinct natures – to a "hidden war" (jang-i nahān). What might this hidden war be? I discern two crucial meanings here:

Firstly, one could argue that this hidden war represents the intrinsic nature and existential structure of objects. That is, things are not fortuitously or accidentally in opposition; rather, they are created such that they are inherently antithetical to one another. This contradiction is embedded within their very being.

Secondly, and more aligned with Mowlana's mystical orientation, the hidden war is the veiled and perpetual struggle between Divine Wrath (qahr) and Divine Grace (lotf). The manifestations of God's Beauty (jamālī) and Majesty (jalālī) attributes, i.e., the Names of Grace and the Names of Wrath, become apparent in this world and initiate this very struggle. God Himself has established this war in the cosmos. This discord and opposition in phenomena stem from the discord in the manifestations of the Divine Names.

And when does this war conclude? Mowlana unequivocally responds: when everything returns to "ilayhi rājiʿūn" (to Him we shall return), meaning it reverts to its origin and becomes annihilated (fanā) in the Divine Essence. In the essence of God, there is no war or contradiction. The jalālī and jamālī Names do not contend within the Divine Essence; these conflicts emerge only when they reach their "instances" (maṣādīq) and manifest in the world of multiplicity. Thus, "Zīn takhālof ān takhālof rā bedān" means that from this manifest contradiction in creation, one must discern the hidden contradiction in the manifestation of God's Names.

Mowlana's conception of conflict differs fundamentally from that proposed by philosophers like Hegel. Hegel believed that the Absolute Spirit unfolds in history, and conflict leads to historical progress. Mowlana, however, addresses a more cosmic issue; for him, conflict is not a historical engine but an inherent attribute of the natural world, whose ultimate goal is a return to the non-contradictory Divine unity. He believes that when a particle is annihilated in the sun, "its war is beyond description and reckoning." Relying on the Quranic verse "Anā ilayhi rājiʿūn," he indicates that returning to the source – that very non-contradictory unity – abolishes all struggles and even concepts like "motion" and "rest." In the state of absolute oneness, there is no longer any place for contradiction.

Key takeaways

• The world of nature is founded upon conflict and multiplicity, ultimately leading to the decay of all composites.
• Apparent wars and conflicts in the world originate from deeper, hidden antagonisms.
• The 'hidden war' refers either to the inherent nature of objects or to the interplay of Divine Wrath and Grace.
• Contradictions do not exist in the Divine realm of true unity; they only emerge in the world of multiplicity and manifestations.
• Annihilation and return to the Origin ('Anā ilayhi rājiʿūn') is the sole path to completely resolve conflicts, where even opposing concepts like motion and rest cease to apply.
• Mowlana views conflict not as a historical engine (like Hegel) but as an inherent attribute of existence, tending towards absolute unity.