M6:1304 — بر جمادات آن اثرها عاریه‌ست / از پی روح خوش متواریه‌ست

Translation: Those effects upon inanimate objects are borrowed (ephemeral), For the sake of the joyous, hidden spirit they are manifested. Meaning: This verse suggests that miracles appearing on inert matter are temporary effects, primarily intended to awaken and impact the hidden, joyful spirit within human beings.

Mowlana, throughout the Masnavi, consistently invites us from the manifest to the hidden, from the apparent to the essential, from the husk to the kernel. This verse stands as a pinnacle of that very interpretive and ontological method. I have reiterated in my lectures that miracles revealed upon inanimate objects are not ends in themselves; rather, they are merely bridges to transmit their effect into the realm of the human spirit. These are borrowed effects, meaning they do not impart a lasting or fundamental change upon the essence of the inanimate object. Moses' staff transforms into a serpent, yet the serpent is not the staff's true nature; it has assumed a borrowed form. The moon splits, but its essence remains unaltered. Such an effect lacks existential permanence.

What, then, is the purpose? The purpose is for these external effects to act upon the internal realm, upon the 'joyous, hidden spirit' (rūḥ-i khush-i mutawāriya). I have emphasized that the term mutawāriya here means 'hidden,' not 'fugitive' or 'fleeing.' The human spirit is hidden, concealed; yet this hidden spirit is 'joyous' (khush), meaning it is predisposed to happiness, delight, and blossoming. A miracle, or the subtle spiritual graces (karāmāt-i khafī) of saints whose warmth and intoxication permeate hearts, does not seek to alter the nature of a stone, but rather to soften human hardheartedness. It aims to awaken our dormant, hidden soul, so that from that 'inanimate' (jāmid) – that is, the apparent miracle upon inert matter – our 'consciousness' (ḍamīr) may be affected. This effect is direct and unmediated upon the soul, connecting one to that 'hidden relationship' which Mowlana describes.

This is a profoundly deep point in Mowlana's epistemology. He tells us that God and His saints often 'bake bread without the dough-potential' (nān bī hayūlā-yi khamīr); that is, they bestow and create existence without pre-existing material or capacity. Hayūlā, understood here as the prime matter or potentiality of anything, plays a fundamental role in Aristotelian and Islamic philosophy. Bread, by nature, must be made from dough. But divine bestowal and the influence of saints sometimes transcend these rules; it does not require pre-existing aptitude. They bestow with their gaze, without expectation of recompense or prior qualification. Of course, this 'bread without dough' is not palatable to everyone; a miracle is like a sea that drowns the 'deficient' (nāqiṣ) and 'land-bird' (murgh-i khāk), and only the 'water-bird' (murgh-i ābī) is 'safe from perishing' (āmin az halāk) within it. This signifies that even if the bestowal is unconditional, the capacity to receive it is vital. These miracles are 'sources of helplessness for every stranger' (ʿajz-bakhsh-i jān-i har nāmaḥramī) and simultaneously 'sources of power for the soul of the intimate companion' (qudrat-bakhsh-i jān-i hamdamī). This is the very pluralism of Mowlana's worldview: a single truth manifests different effects in different hearts.

In essence, this verse underscores that all material manifestations and apparent miracles are but instruments towards a higher aim: the awakening and cultivation of the human spirit. The goal is inner transformation, not external alteration. And this inner transformation is sometimes so unruly and unheralded that it can be likened to 'bread without the dough-potential,' a new creation and a boundless, unquestioning gift.

Key takeaways

• Miraculous effects on inanimate objects are temporary and borrowed; their ultimate purpose is to impact the human spirit.
• The term mutawāriya here means 'hidden'; the human spirit is concealed but predisposed to joy and awakening.
• Miracles serve as a bridge to transmit influence from the outer world to the inner soul, not to fundamentally alter inanimate matter.
• Saints sometimes create 'bread without dough-potential,' bestowing grace unconditionally, without requiring prior merit or capacity.
• Despite unconditional grace, the reception of miraculous effects still depends on an individual's inner spiritual capacity.
• This verse emphasizes the primacy of inner transformation over external changes; all external phenomena are means to an internal end.