M1:614 — ور بگیری کیت جُست و جو کند / نقش با نقّاش چون نیرو کند

Translation: And if You withdraw (Your gift of being), who will seek You? How can a painting contend with its Painter? Meaning: This verse articulates the absolute dependency of the created on the Creator, positing that our existence and every motion derive entirely from God, without whom we possess neither the capacity to seek nor the power to resist.

This verse belongs to that profound category of Mowlana's poetry where he expounds upon the doctrine of Functional Monotheism (Tawḥīd-e Afʿālī) and the inherent ontological emptiness (fanā-ye dhātī) of created beings before the Absolute Existence of God. Following his elucidation of the ney (reed) metaphor and its dual meaning of 'no' (نَه) – signifying our existential hollowness when compared to Divine Absolute Being – Mowlana poses a crucial question: "And if You withdraw (Your gift of being), who will seek You?" This query unequivocally states that even the capacity to 'seek' and 'desire' is not intrinsically ours, but a grace bestowed by the Divine. If God were to revoke this capacity, how then could we possibly search for Him? This is the essence of Functional Monotheism: all our actions and movements, including our will and our yearning, ultimately trace back to Divine action. We are dependent upon Him not only for our existence but also for our very ability to act.

The second part of the verse deepens this truth with a potent and unparalleled metaphor: "How can a painting contend with its Painter?" How can an image imprinted on a canvas possibly stand against or exert force equal to its own artist? A painting possesses neither will nor an existence independent of its Painter. This similitude perfectly illustrates the position of the contingently existent being (momken-ol-wojūd) before the Necessarily Existent (wājeb-ol-wojūd). We are, in our essence, 'nothingnesses' (عدم‌ها) clothed in the garment of being by His grace; like the lion on a flag whose 'attack' and movement arise from the wind, not from its own essence (as Mowlana states elsewhere: "We are all lions, but lions on a banner / Our assault comes from the wind, moment by moment"). We are a mountain in which the echo is from Him, and a reed in which the melody is from Him. This existential hollowness does not signify nihilism, but rather the ultimate poverty and need for the wellspring of existence.

Mowlana elaborates further, stating that "A painting before the painter and the pen / Is helpless and bound, like a child in the womb." This image of a "child in the womb" powerfully conveys ultimate helplessness and dependency. The child not only lacks any independent will but is also devoid of independent existence; its life is entirely contingent upon the mother's being. Created beings stand thus before God. While this perspective of Mowlana's might initially suggest determinism (jabr), Mowlana himself, with mystical subtlety, refines it, saying, "This is not compulsion (jabr), this is the meaning of Divine Omnipotence (jabbārī) / The mention of Divine Omnipotence is for supplication (zārī)." That is, the articulation of this immense Divine Omnipotence is not to negate human responsibility, but to strengthen the sense of helplessness, supplication, and yearning within the individual. It is an acknowledgment of our inherent poverty and our identity with the reed, whose melody comes from the player's breath, not from the reed itself.

Key takeaways

• The inherent perishing (fanā-ye dhātī) of creatures before God's Absolute Being is the essence of this verse.
• The "painting and Painter" metaphor vividly illustrates the creature's ultimate dependence and lack of independent power.
• Functional Monotheism (tawḥīd-e afʿālī): even our seeking and longing originate from God; we lack all capacity without His grace.
• Our existence is "hollow" (tū-khālī) and contingently existent, reliant on the bestowal of being and power from the Necessary Existent.
• The creature's utter helplessness before the Creator, akin to a fetus in the womb, signifies absolute dependence.