M6:2240 — هم‌چنین جملهٔ حروف گشته مات / وقت حذف حرف از بهر صلات

Translation: Likewise, the multitude of letters becomes effaced / At the time of omitting a letter for the sake of prayer. Meaning: This verse illustrates, through the example of Quranic orthography (the omission of the alif in bismillah), how in the sacred realm of Divine Unity, all multiplicities and mental constructs are utterly effaced and rendered ineffective.

Mowlana, in this verse, articulates a subtle and profound point regarding the annihilation (fana') of multiplicity in Divine Unity, offering a prime example of 'explaining the Masnavi through the Masnavi itself.' He illustrates this existential truth by referencing the specific orthography of 'Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim' in the Holy Quran. As we know, in writing 'Bismillah,' the alif of ism (name) is omitted. While the alif is pronounced—we say 'bi-ismi-llah'—it remains hidden in the written form; it is, as it were, effaced and absorbed. This omission is not merely a calligraphic rule; Mowlana transforms it into a mystical allegory.

In my view, this 'omission of the letter' and the 'effacement of letters' symbolize the process of Tawhid (Divine Unity). Here, 'letters' (hurūf) serve as a metaphor for the multiplicities of the world, our mental concepts, our plural identities, and all the distinctions our minds create in the universe. Our minds are naturally prone to multiplicity; they extract dozens of concepts and attributes from a single object, dissecting it into various components. We understand and present ourselves through a myriad of attributes and identities: 'I am so-and-so, I am Iranian, this is my height, that is my thought,' and so on. These are all 'letters' and 'forms' that constitute the world of multiplicity.

However, in the 'time of omitting a letter for the sake of prayer'—that is, in the sacred realm of servitude and unity, when the 'fire of unity' (ātash-i wahdat) blazes—these multiplicities cannot endure and become 'effaced' (māt). To be māt means to become ineffective, subdued, and annihilated. This fire consumes not only trees and material beings but also 'imagination' (khayāl), 'intellect' (ʿaql), and all our conceptual frameworks and sciences. This is because all these sciences and concepts are creators of multiplicity. As Imam Ali (though I am not entirely certain of the precise attribution) is reported to have said: 'Knowledge was a point, and the ignorant multiplied it' (al-ʿilmu nuqtatun kaththaraha al-jāhilūn). The true mystic, however, is one who can perceive the 'unity' and 'totality' of things without their dissolution into multiplicity.

Mowlana further draws upon the Quranic declaration: 'Everything is perishing except His Face' (Qur'an 28:88). Everything is perishable and evanescent; it is not that it 'will perish' (sayahlak), but rather that even as it exists, it is non-existent in itself. It has a dependent existence, an identity reliant on another. Beings are not self-subsistent and exist only insofar as they turn towards the Divine Face. The Face of God means the entirety of God; He has no back that is distinct from His front. This fire of unity obliterates all these multiplicities and distinctions, including 'lion and fox,' leaving only His enduring Face. It is here that the true Resurrection (qiyāmat) takes place, and the world is 'created and destroyed' (kun fayakūn).

Thus, Mowlana exhorts us to 'immerse yourself in His Face and His faces, / Like the alif in bism, become absorbed.' This means to absorb and annihilate oneself in the Divine Face and its aspects, just as the alif of ism in bismillah is hidden and effaced, yet simultaneously present. This annihilation is not absolute non-existence but rather a liberation from illusory multiplicities and an attainment of true being, which is only achieved through connection with the Face of God. This is the station of 'conscious poverty' that dervishes embrace, realizing their true inherent annihilation and submitting to it, while everything, whether aware or not, resides in this state of perishing and reliance on the Other. It is this self-awareness of the annihilation of multiplicities and absorption into unity that brings joy and freedom to the seeker's soul.

Key takeaways

• The omission of the alif in 'bism' symbolizes the annihilation of multiplicity in Divine Unity.
• The 'letters' are a metaphor for all our mental concepts, perceptions, and plural identities.
• In the sacred realm of Tawhid, these multiplicities become 'effaced' (rendered ineffective), leaving only the Divine Face.
• The 'fire of unity' consumes not only the material world but also imagination, intellect, and all sciences that generate multiplicity.
• Mowlana's call to 'be absorbed' in the Face of God signifies conscious poverty and submission to Absolute Being.
• Every being exists by virtue of its orientation towards the Divine Face; otherwise, it is 'perishing'.