M6:2931 — کان بلیس از متن طین کور و کرست / گاو کی داند که در گل گوهرست

Translation: That Iblis was blind and deaf to the essence of clay (from which Adam was formed); How would the cow know that within the mud, there is a jewel?

Meaning: This verse explains that Iblis refused to prostrate before Adam due to his inability to perceive the inner essence and true jewel, much like a cow cannot discern a gem hidden in mud and thus flees from it. This blindness to inner truth is the root of profound errors.

I hold that in this verse and similar ones, Mawlana illuminates one of his most fundamental concepts: the distinction between outward form and inner reality, and the critical importance of perceiving the essence. The couplet, “That Iblis was blind and deaf to the essence of clay; How would the cow know that within the mud, there is a jewel?” stands as clear testimony to this assertion.

In my previous lectures, I have repeatedly emphasized that Mawlana does not simply recount stories for mere entertainment; rather, each narrative serves as an allegory for a deeper truth. The story of the “sea-cow and the Kavian jewel,” which precedes this verse, functions precisely in this manner. The sea-cow, descending to the ocean depths to bring luminescent jewels to the shore and grazing by their light, symbolizes a soul that draws from the realm of meaning and manifests it in this world. However, when a merchant covers that jewel with mud, the cow, upon its return, sees only the mud and flees from it, unable to perceive the essence hidden beneath. This is the entire point.

Mawlana immediately connects this allegory to the story of Iblis and Adam, and indeed, to our own experience. Iblis made precisely the same mistake. When he looked at Adam, he saw only “ṭīn,” meaning his clay nature. In his view, Adam was nothing but a handful of dust, and considering himself made of fire, which is outwardly more noble than dust, he refused to prostrate before Adam. He was blind and deaf to the “jewel” hidden within Adam’s “clay”—that very divine spirit breathed into him. This blindness and superficiality of Iblis became the root of his disbelief and arrogance. He saw the “form” but failed to perceive the “content.”

I have previously quoted Mawlana, who says, “Many were misled by form; they aimed for form and struck at God.” This statement precisely targets the same point. Many humans, like Iblis and the cow in this allegory, become entangled in outward appearances and remain oblivious to the inner reality. They fail to see the Kaaba in the synagogue, or to recognize Gabriels within humanity. The cow sees only mud and flees, not from the jewel. Iblis, too, flees from Adam’s clay, while within that clay, a divine jewel was hidden.

Mawlana extends this truth to ourselves as well. That divine command of “Ihbiṭū” (descend), which cast our soul from the heights of the heavens to the “ḥaẓīẓ” (nadir) of this world, imprisoned us in the cage of the body. In this descent, our essential jewel became hidden in the mud of the body, and perhaps we ourselves fell into a state of “self-alienation,” forgetting that we are, in our essence, a jewel, not just mud. We, too, like Iblis, sometimes fail to prostrate to ourselves—not in the sense of arrogance, but in the sense of being oblivious to the divine spirit breathed into us. We perceive our body as an alien thing and become sorrowful because of it, while our true essence is hidden within this very earthly body.

It is here that Mawlana introduces the distinction between “traders” and “mud-diggers.” “The trader knows it, but not the cow; the people of heart know, but not every mud-digger.” The traders of truth are the “people of heart” (ahl-i dil) who perceive the jewel beyond the mud and mire. But “every mud-digger” (har gilkāv), meaning anyone who only seeks to dig into the mud and outward appearance, is incapable of discerning this jewel. This is an insight gained not by the partial intellect, but by the eye of the heart—an eye that can see beyond forms and grasp the hidden meaning. This is a lesson for all of us to avoid superficiality and seek the hidden jewel in every being, even if it appears to be covered in mud and mire.

Key takeaways

• Iblis's Error: He failed to see Adam's divine essence, focusing solely on his earthly form.
• Form vs. Essence: Truth is often hidden beneath appearances; only those with insight (ahl-i dil) can perceive it.
• Self-Perception: We, like Iblis, often become oblivious to our own inner jewel, mistaking it for the clay of our body.
• Allegory's Role in Masnavi: Stories like the sea-cow are not mere narratives but tools to illuminate profound metaphysical truths.
• Alienation and Descent: The soul's descent into the body can conceal its essential jewel, leading to forgetfulness of its origin.