M6:75 — خاک شد صورت ولی معنی نشد / هر که گوید شد تو گویش نی نشد

Translation: The form turned to dust, but the meaning did not. Whoever says it did, you tell them: "Nay, it did not." Meaning: This verse asserts that the essence and true meaning of things endure and remain eternal, even after their material forms and physical manifestations perish. True being resides beyond ephemeral forms and is impervious to annihilation.

Mowlana, with unwavering certainty, insists on the truth that 'form' (صورت) is transient and perishable, while 'meaning' (معنی), which is the essence and reality of phenomena, remains eternal and enduring. This verse explicitly declares that even if the outward appearance of anything crumbles to dust and disintegrates, the hidden meaning within it is never annihilated. Anyone who believes that meaning vanishes with the destruction of form is gravely mistaken; they must be told that the truth is otherwise. To illuminate this, Mowlana offers a beautiful simile in this very section of the Masnavi: he likens words and forms to 'chaff and rubbish' covering the surface of clear water. When a wind blows and sweeps away this debris, the pure, unblemished water beneath is revealed (M6:72-74). The reader of the Masnavi must move beyond this 'chaff' of language to reach the ocean of underlying meaning. Mowlana has repeatedly emphasized that his words are 'milk in the breast of the soul,' and for it to flow, there must be a 'suckler' who transcends 'harf o sowt o dam' (word, sound, and breath) to arrive at the 'sea'—that 'breath' which is untold and unseen.

This thought of Mowlana, undoubtedly, has strong roots in Neoplatonic philosophy and Sohravardi’s Illuminationist wisdom. Recall how an architectural blueprint persists in the architect’s mind even if the physical building is later demolished. Mowlana perceives the higher realm as functioning similarly; the origin of all forms and beings is from the formless, transcendent world. From the perspective of philosophers and mystics like Mowlana, nothing in the natural world serves as a true 'efficient cause' (علت موجده) for anything else. All causes in this world are merely 'preparatory causes' (علت معده); they only provide the conditions for the higher Agent, the superior Cause, to bring a being into existence. The actual generator of forms and the 'giver of forms' (واهب صور) resides above this world. 'Giving a morsel' is our act, but 'giving a throat' is God's. The forms of the 'speaker, listener, and words' (حرف‌گو و حرف‌نوش و حرف‌ها) or the 'bread-giver, bread-taker, and pure bread' (نان‌دهنده و نان‌ستان و نان پاک) may perish, but their meaning endures across the various levels of existence; this meaning never turns to dust.

It is for this reason that Mowlana refers to the Quranic verse, 'To Him belongs creation and command' (لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ), interpreting 'creation' (خلق) as referring to form and body, and 'command' (امر) as referring to the soul and spirit. It is this soul and spirit that ride upon the form, bestowing life and meaning upon it. The body and form merely stand at the 'threshold' of the King, but the soul and meaning are present in His 'court' and are eternal. Therefore, never assume that with the demise of appearances, truth has also departed; it is not so, and it is impossible.

Key takeaways

• Forms are transient; meaning and essence are eternal.
• To perceive truth, one must transcend appearances (words and forms) to reach the inner reality (meaning).
• Meaning originates from the transcendent realm and animates forms from there.
• Natural causes are merely preparatory (causae praeparantes), not creative (causae efficientes); the true Creator is from the higher realm.
• This verse reflects Neoplatonic and Illuminationist ideas about the endurance of archetypes and meanings.
• 'Creation' (khalq) refers to form, and 'Command' (amr) to soul and meaning; the soul always rides upon the form.