M6:1848 — خفض و رفع این زمین نوعی دگر / نیم سالی شوره نیمی سبز و تر

Translation: The lowering and raising of this earth is of another kind; Half the year it is barren, half green and fresh. Meaning: The earth itself is in a constant state of flux, shifting between barrenness and lush fertility, thereby mirroring the broader reality of the cosmos.

This verse presents the 'lowering and raising' (خفض و رفع, khafḍ va rafʿ) of the earth as another type of transformation within the cosmos. I understand this concept in Mawlana's work as a cosmic principle that transcends its literal meaning of elevation and descent, pointing instead to the incessant metamorphoses and upheavals of the world—akin to the spiritual states of contraction and expansion (qabḍ va basṭ). The very work of God is khafḍ va rafʿ, as described in the opening of Surah Al-Waqi'ah where the Day of Judgment is 'the one that lowers, the one that raises' (khāfiḍah rāfiʿah); it brings some down and elevates others. The entire fabric of the world is interwoven with these two attributes.

Just as the sky is high and the earth low, this is an obvious instance of divine khafḍ va rafʿ. Yet, this verse goes further, stating that the earth itself undergoes its own internal khafḍ va rafʿ: 'Half the year it is barren, half green and fresh.' This is an apt metaphor for the ceaseless and alternating changes that occur in nature. Nature is never constant; at times it is dry and unproductive, at others green and fertile. This illustrates that stability and permanence are not the governing rules of this world; rather, it is change and transformation that prevail.

This principle is not confined to the earth alone. Mawlana extends this concept of transformation to human temperament, to historical epochs, and to all conditions of the world. Our own disposition fluctuates between health and illness; time is half day and half night, constantly accompanied by suffering and anguish (karb). Even peace and war, famine and abundance, stem from these very changes. Ultimately, these mutable conditions serve as 'testing' (iftitān) and trial for creation. I maintain that Mawlana is telling us here that these transformations are an inescapable part of existence, not an incidental or random phenomenon.

This world is perpetually 'borne on these two wings' (of lowering and raising), trembling ceaselessly like a leaf, exposed to favorable north winds and scorching ill winds (samūm), which sometimes bring resurrection and life, and at other times death and destruction. These are the winds of history, or indeed the winds of divine needlessness, that continually blow through the long alley of existence, opening some doors and closing others. Our own souls, in turn, are perpetually suspended between hope and fear. Therefore, this constant flux within existence is not a flaw but the very architecture of the cosmos, which continually subjects our souls to trial and transformation.

Key takeaways

• The world is in a constant state of flux, with no static condition.
• The principle of transformation and upheaval is a manifestation of divine attributes of Lowering and Raising.
• The earth's changing states (barren to green) mirror the mutable conditions of the human soul.
• These ups and downs are not accidents, but part of existence's architecture, serving as divine testing.
• The winds of history, or divine needlessness, continually open and close doors of possibility.