M6:2881 — عشق حق و سر شاهدبازیش / بود مایهٔ جمله پرده‌سازیش

Translation: Divine Love, and the secret of its playful beholding of the Beloved, / Were the source of all its veil-making (creation of forms). Meaning: This verse asserts that God's intrinsic Love and His playful self-manifestation through various beloved forms are the fundamental origin of all creation and phenomena in existence.

I (Soroush) have previously delved into the concept of "Shāhid" as understood by Mawlana; the "Shāhid" as an impartial witness and keen beholder of truth, akin to the Prophet who is a "Shāhid" bearing witness to the states of all creation. However, Mawlana here penetrates a deeper, more subtle layer, expanding the meaning of "Shāhid." In Persian literature, especially in ghazals, "Shāhid" also carries the meaning of an enchanting and captivating Beloved – the one who steals hearts and displays beauty in gatherings, as Hafez famously says: "Let both transient and eternal worlds be sacrificed for the Beloved (Shāhid) and the Cup-bearer." It is this Beloved who enthralls and manifests splendor. Mawlana now elevates this very notion of "Shāhidbāzī" – the act of playfully interacting with the Beloved or beholding beauty – to the divine realm. Here, the discussion is no longer about the keen eye of a witness or giving testimony in the divine court; it is about God's own act of loving. God Himself is the "Shāhid," meaning the Absolute Beloved, and simultaneously the "Shāhidbāz"; that is, He loves and manifests Himself through His beloveds (who are His various manifestations in existence). This "Shāhidbāzī" is the secret (sirr) alluded to in the verse. Mawlana calls this "Love of God" (ʿishq-e Ḥaqq) and this "secret of Shāhidbāzī" the "source of all His veil-making" (māye-ye jumle pardeh-sāzī-ash). "Pardeh-sāzī" signifies creation and bringing into being. Our existence, this vast and diverse world, are all "veils" that God has cast forth out of love and for His own manifestation. Each "veil" is a concealment, yet, at the same time, each concealment is a revelation of that unveiled Beauty. This perspective views the cosmos not as the result of mere will, but as the offspring of an active and dynamic Love. The Divine Essence, out of the intensity of Love and to reveal its own Beauty, has brought forth all these forms and shapes. This is the very secret I alluded to earlier: that "the transcendent becomes natural"; the transcendental takes on natural forms for the sake of manifestation. This verse asserts that the root of all existence, all this multiplicity and display, lies in that very unity of Divine Love and His inclination to behold and manifest Himself. These multiplicities and "veils" arise from that "Love of God" which desires to see itself in countless mirrors of creation and to engage in self-love.

Key takeaways

• God's Love is the ultimate source of creation; the cosmos is a manifestation of His affection.
• The concept of "Shāhid" in this verse expands from a "witness" to a "captivating Beloved," with "Shāhidbāzī" referring to God's self-love or His loving interaction with His manifestations.
• "Veil-making" (pardeh-sāzī) signifies the creation of myriad forms in existence, each veil simultaneously concealing and revealing divine Beauty.
• The multiplicity of being is not merely the outcome of divine will, but the dynamic product of God's active Love, yearning to behold and manifest Himself.