M6:2976 — بعد نه سال آمد او هم عاریه / گشت پیدا باز شد متواریه

Translation: After nine years, he too returned, a temporary (ʿāriyeh) visit; He became manifest, then again became hidden (mutavāriyeh). Meaning: This verse describes the temporary return of Abdul-Qawwās after nine years of absence; he appeared for a brief period, then vanished once more.

This verse, continuing the story of Abdul-Qawwās and his fate, reveals a subtle yet fundamental point. Mawlānā speaks here of a return whose nature is ʿāriyeh (borrowed, temporary), like a trust that must be given back. This itself is an image of our existential realm, where every presence, even after a long absence, is but a fleeting loan. No appearance or pause in this world is inherent or lasting.

Crucially, Dr. Soroush decisively emphasizes the meaning of the word mutavāriyeh. Contrary to its common journalistic usage today, which implies 'fugitive' or 'on the run,' in classical Arabic and Persian, it means 'one who has become hidden.' The roots wārā and warī all derive from the concept of concealment and obscurity. So, Abdul-Qawwās did not flee; rather, he became hidden once more behind the veil of absence, as if returning to a hidden origin. Mawlānā states: 'For a month he was a guest to his children; / And thereafter, no one saw his form again.' This 'borrowed' return lasted only one month, and then, without a trace, he vanished again.

These comings and goings, these temporary manifestations and concealments, echo the philosophy of 'formlessness' (bī-ṣūratī) which holds a central place in the Mathnawī. The world of forms and shapes is merely 'the foam of the sea,' and the essence of existence lies in 'formlessness.' Whatever appears, it seems, is borrowed from that formlessness and inevitably returns to it. Mawlānā does not say Abdul-Qawwās went elsewhere, but rather: 'The homogeneity of fairies carried him away / Just as a spear wound takes the soul from the body.' This 'homogeneity of fairies' refers to that invisible, formless principle that drew him back to itself, just as the soul, upon separation from the body, rejoins its origin. This is not merely a simple story; it is an allegory for the fate of every existence that appears in the world of forms and then returns to the world of meaning and formlessness. All of us in this world are 'guests,' guests who will one day return to the true Host.

Key takeaways

• The precise meaning of mutavāriyeh in the Mathnawī is 'hidden,' not 'fugitive,' emphasizing a return to concealment.
• Every appearance and presence in the world of forms is temporary and borrowed (ʿāriyeh), not lasting or inherent.
• From Mawlānā's perspective, life in this world is a fleeting 'guest-stay' that leads to a return to the formless origin.
• These returns and disappearances are allegories for the impermanence of forms and the reversion to the realm of meaning and formlessness.