M6:3141 — انبیا را داد حق تنجیم این / غیب را چشمی بباید غیب‌بین

Translation: God granted the prophets the 'astronomy' of this [man-astrolabe], For the unseen requires an unseen-seeing eye. Meaning: This verse asserts that God endowed prophets with a unique insight, enabling them to decipher the intricate secrets of human existence and the hidden dimensions of the world, as perceiving the unseen truth necessitates an extraordinary, unseen-seeing eye.

In this verse, Rumi points to one of his most fundamental insights: man as the astrolabe of divine attributes. I have often stated that this world, and everything within it, is but a shadow, an image of a higher, more perfect realm. Man, specifically, is like an astrolabe—an astronomical instrument that locates stars and, through its intricate markings, reveals the conditions of the celestial spheres. Rumi employs this metaphor profoundly: 'Man is the astrolabe of the highest attributes; the attribute of man is the manifestation of His signs.'

Our human astrolabe possesses lines that Rumi calls 'spider-web markings' (نقوش عنکبوت). These lines are enigmatic and perplexing, as if a divine decree is inscribed upon the very fabric of our being, which only its true specialists can read. Just as a lung X-ray cannot be entrusted to anyone for interpretation, or a Chinese script can only be read by one familiar with the language, 'this astrolabe of guidance has fallen into the hands of the common folk without an astrologer.' This means that man, with all his mysteries and symbols, has been left without a true guide or 'astronomer' to ordinary people, who either understand nothing or misinterpret it.

Who are these true 'astronomers' of this complex astrolabe? Rumi immediately answers: 'God granted the prophets the 'astronomy' of this.' That is, the science of tanjim—the very discipline of astrology and interpreting celestial phenomena—is bestowed upon the prophets concerning man and his unseen states. This tanjim is not merely the knowledge of stars but the knowledge of the hidden secrets of human existence and the unseen world. Why? 'For the unseen requires an unseen-seeing eye.' The unseen cannot be perceived with the physical eye, understood by ordinary intellect, or analyzed by pure logic. The unseen demands an eye of its own kind, an eye that tears through veils and looks beyond appearances.

This thought of Rumi has deep roots in Neoplatonic philosophy, which views this world as a shadow of the world of Forms and ultimate realities. In this perspective, everything we see in this world is an imperfect copy of a perfect original in a higher realm. Particular beauties are a reflection of absolute beauty; humans are imperfect versions of the Perfect Human. Recall the difference between the Platonic (sky-gazing, mathematical) and Aristotelian (earth-bound, naturalistic) views. Our mystics, without doubt, in this field, were enamored with Plato. Rumi says that we humans, like a foolish lion, 'each saw his own reflection in the well' and took it for reality, whereas prophets possess an unseen-seeing eye that perceives beyond these shadows and reflections, leading them to the celestial sphere of the unseen and the sun of the soul. They not only read this enigmatic astrolabe but also comprehend its meaning, which is why God entrusted them with the tanjim of this world and man.

Key takeaways

• Man functions as an astrolabe, reflecting divine attributes and harboring the mysteries of existence within himself.
• The intricate complexities of human existence (spider-web markings) are enigmatic, not easily deciphered by ordinary perception.
• Only prophets possess the true 'science of astrology' (tanjim), bestowed by God, to accurately read and interpret this human astrolabe.
• To comprehend the unseen realm (ghayb), an eye that is inherently 'unseen-seeing' (ghayb-bīn) is indispensable, capable of perceiving beyond mere appearances.
• This world and all its contents are but reflections and shadows of higher truths; prophets possess the capacity to perceive the original source, not just its reflection.