M6:1866 — گردد آنگه فکر نقش نامه‌ها / این بطانه روی کار جامه‌ها

Translation: Then shall the thought and record-of-deeds This lining (baṭānah) become the outward surface of the garments (jāme-hā). Meaning: Rumi conveys that in the afterlife, the hidden intentions and true inner nature of human actions and thoughts will become manifest, with the concealed core essence emerging as the visible form. What was internal will be externalized for all to see.

Rumi, in this verse and the preceding ones, illuminates the fundamental distinction between this world of multiplicity and the unifying realm of the Hereafter. He employs the crucial adverb "ān-gah" (then, at that time), which, without a shadow of a doubt, refers to the "other world" – a realm where the hundred-hued deceptions and concealments of this earthly existence cease to be. The central concept of this couplet is the revelation of the inner reality on the Day of Judgment.

The term "baṭānah" here signifies the lining or inner layer of a garment; the part that remains hidden, overlaid by the "jāme-hā" (outer garments) or the apparent covering. This word is also used in the Quran to mean a very intimate and trusted friend, as in the verse: "Lā tattaḵiẓū al-kāfirīna baṭānatan" (Take not disbelievers as intimate friends). In this verse, Rumi draws upon this sense of hiddenness and intimacy, stating that on the Day of Reckoning, this "baṭānah" – the lining, or rather the inner truth and concealed reality of our deeds and intentions – will "come upon the surface of the garments." In other words, what was hidden behind a thousand veils of appearance and deceit in this world will be laid bare and manifest in that world, replacing the deceptive outer form.

Effectively, Rumi points to an existential and ethical principle: that the true nature of human beings and their underlying motivations will ultimately be revealed without any veil. If in this world, minds are like a "pied ox" (speckled and multi-colored) and "speech weaves a hundred hues among nations" – meaning that amidst the multiplicity of religions and schools of thought, each speaks in its own tongue and color, and truth remains hidden behind this diversity – it will not be so in the next world. That is the realm of singularity, the realm of the discovery and manifestation of unity. "For the meanings of that world shall take form, and our images shall be fitting to our qualities." This implies that true essence and meaning will assume a manifest form and image, and each person will acquire a "form" consistent with their intrinsic "quality" or disposition. As the ancients have said, the greedy person appears as an ant, or the lustful as a pig; these are parables of the very principle that in that world, the inner reality assumes an outer form.

Therefore, this verse is a testament to one of the most vital religious and mystical teachings: the end of concealment, the unveiling of truth, and the unmediated emergence of the essence and inner lining of our actions and intentions. This promise is both a harbinger of hope for believers and righteous doers, and a warning for those who seek to conceal their inner reality behind a deceptive facade.

Key takeaways

• The Day of Judgment is the time when the hidden becomes manifest; the inner truth of every action replaces its deceptive outward appearance.
• The concept of 'baṭānah' refers to the inner lining or concealed essence of deeds, which is hidden in this world but revealed in the next.
• This world is a realm of 'hundred colors and hundred hearts,' but the next is a realm of 'oneness' and the revelation of unity.
• In the Hereafter, our inner qualities and intentions will determine our outward form and appearance.
• Rumi emphasizes the self-made nature of the Resurrection: one intrinsically shapes their own destiny for the Day of Judgment.