M6:3202 — مدحت و تسبیح او تسبیح حق / میوه می‌روید ز عین این طبق

Translation: His praise and glorification are God's praise; the fruit sprouts from the very essence of this tray. Meaning: This verse asserts that when a servant achieves profound proximity to God, their praise is in essence God's praise. The fruits of divine knowledge and wisdom emerge intrinsically from their very being, rather than being merely transmitted by them.

This extraordinary verse by Mawlana articulates the pinnacle of the servant's annihilation (fanāʾ) in God; a state where the attributes and actions of the perfected saint (walī) become so intertwined with divine attributes and actions that distinguishing between them becomes challenging. Mawlana here puts forth a profound claim, one affirmed by most mystics but often difficult for theologians and jurists to grasp.

I fully endorse this understanding, and it forms the very foundation of my interpretation of revelation (waḥy). When Mawlana declares, "His praise and glorification are God's praise," he means that praising the Prophet or a saint is, in essence, praising God. It is analogous to offering salutations to a lamp; in doing so, we are truly praising the light that shines upon us through that lamp. This is precisely the meaning of the Quranic verse, "Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed God" (Quran 4:80). Obedience to the Messenger is obedience to God, because, at the stage of union (wiṣāl), the will and action of the Messenger are the will and action of the Truth.

The second part of the verse deepens this meaning with a magnificent metaphor: "the fruit sprouts from the very essence of this tray." Here, Mawlana speaks of a "tray" (tabaq) from which the "fruit" (mīveh) sprouts from its very essence (zi ʿayn-i), not merely placed upon it from elsewhere. This metaphor is key to understanding Mawlana's stance on the manifestation of Truth within the existence of the saints. This "fruit" is the divine word of revelation, knowledge, and wisdom that emanates from the blessed being of the Prophet or saint, rather than being received by them from an external source and merely transmitted. It signifies an intrinsic blossoming of truths from the very essence of the perfected servant, not a reception and retelling of them.

Mawlana elaborates on this idea in verses connected to this one: "If an apple grows from this pleasing, ripe basket / It would be no fault to call it a tree." This implies that if a basket (the walī) produces apples, it is perfectly acceptable to call that basket an "apple tree." This illustrates how the basket (the saint) has become so unified with the fruit (divine revelation/knowledge) that it has become its very origin. This is the "unqualifiable, incomparable connection" (ittiṣāl-i bī-takayyuf, bī-qiyās) that exists "between the Lord of mankind and the soul of mankind" (Mawlana, Book Three); a non-qualitative, non-comparative relationship between God and human souls.

This understanding of annihilation (fanāʾ) aligns perfectly with the Sacred Hadith (Ḥadīth Qudsī) that states, "My servant draws near to Me... I become his tongue, his eye, and his hand," and the holy verse, "It was not you who threw when you threw, but God who threw" (Quran 8:17). The Prophet's action is, in reality, God's action. In this station, the servant becomes so 'melted' (dhawb) into God that no veil or distance can be placed between them and the Truth. The servant's existence is annihilated in the absolute existence of the Truth, and whatever emanates from them will be a manifestation of the divine act and word. This is a metaphysics of 'union' (wiṣāl), in contrast to a metaphysics of 'separation' (firāq) which views God and the servant as two entirely distinct and separate beings.

Key takeaways

• The perfected servant achieves such annihilation in God that their attributes and actions become divine attributes and actions.
• Praising a saint or prophet is, in essence, praising God, as the divine light emanates through their being.
• Divine knowledge and wisdom sprout intrinsically from the Prophet's/saint's being, like fruit from a tree, rather than being merely transmitted.
• The metaphor of the 'tray and fruit' emphasizes the seamless unity and connection between the servant and God, abolishing separation.
• This verse supports Dr. Soroush's theory of 'Wahy' (revelation), asserting that the Prophet's words are intrinsically God's words.