M6:1865 — که معانی آن جهان صورت شود / نقشهامان در خور خصلت شود

Translation: That in that other world, meanings shall become forms, And our images shall be commensurate with our inner dispositions.

Meaning: This verse explains that in the afterlife, our inner essence and hidden truths will manifest as our outward forms. Our physical appearance and state will directly reflect our intrinsic qualities and character.

I must begin by stating that in this couplet and those preceding it, Mowlana offers a profound and singular image of the other world, the afterlife. He states that that world is a world of 'unity' (جهان وحدت) and a 'salt-marsh of meanings' (نمک‌زار معانی). This means that, unlike this world, which is a realm of multiplicity, opposites, and concealment, in the hereafter, the truth of everything is revealed without veil.

This beyt explicitly states: 'that in that other world, meanings shall become forms.' This means that what is meaning, inner essence, and hidden in this world, in the other world, takes on form and becomes a concrete manifestation. Mowlana intends to convey that in that other world, there is no longer any separation between outward appearance and inner reality. Nothing remains hidden. This is precisely the Quranic concept of 'Yawm Tablī al-Sarāʾir' (the Day when secrets are revealed); a day when hidden truths come to light. Imagine an 'X-ray' being cast upon the souls and inner beings of humans, revealing all virtues and vices, all qualities and dispositions, transparently to all.

The second hemistich, 'And our images shall be commensurate with our inner dispositions,' further emphasizes this point. Our outward form and appearance in that world will be precisely proportionate to our inner character and disposition. If we have been 'wolves' in this world, we will be resurrected with a wolf-like nature; if we have borne the 'scorpion's mark,' that form will be imprinted upon us. This is the very same expression Mowlana uses elsewhere: 'O you who have torn the coats of Josephs, you shall rise as a wolf from this heavy sleep.'

The phrase 'worldliness does not remain' (دنیویت نمی‌ماند), to which Hakim Sabzevari also alluded, is key here. It means that the other world is not merely a continuation of this one, but is 'fundamentally different' (از بیخ و بن دیگر است). Its structure and content are entirely distinct. What we understand of fire, wine, and hūris in this world should not serve as models or examples for that world. Just as divine wrath is more agonizing than a thousand fires and tortures, His union is more delightful than a thousand heavens, wines, and hūris. Our mystics would not exchange a single moment of union for a world full of these pleasures. Mowlana strives to elevate our understanding of that world and its rules beyond our sensory and worldly perceptions.

This is, in essence, the manifestation of the principle that 'the soul is the origin, and the body is the branch' (جان اصل است و بدن فرع), which Mowlana emphasizes throughout the Masnavi. If the forms of this world are foam on the sea, in that world, this foam directly arises from the depths of the sea and its meaning. There, there are no 'opposites' (ضد), no 'peers' (ند), and no 'number' (عدد); for the reality of a thing is 'lā yatathnī wa lā yatakarrar' (it neither repeats nor is it duplicated). This is a colorless world that gives birth to colors from its own essence, not a world where colors are fixed and independent. Formlessness is the origin, and forms are the manifestation of that formlessness in another realm. Thus, every form is a testament to the meaning that brought it into being.

Key takeaways

• In the other world, there is no longer a separation between outer appearance and inner reality; our internal meanings become manifest and take form.
• Our outward form and image in the resurrection will be a direct reflection of our inner character and disposition from this world.
• That world is fundamentally different from this one; our understanding of it should not be based on worldly sensory perceptions.
• The Quranic concept of 'Yawm Tablī al-Sarāʾir' (the Day when secrets are revealed) is clearly articulated in this verse.
• This beyt emphasizes that the soul is the essence, and the body is secondary; thus, our inner truth determines our outer form and manifestation.