M6:3742 — تا مدد گیرد ازو هر صورتی / از کمال و از جمال و قدرتی

Translation: So that every form may receive aid from it (the Formless), / From its perfection, and from its beauty, and its power. Meaning: This verse states that all manifest forms in the world derive their perfection, beauty, and power from an ultimate, formless reality.

Mowlana, in this beyt and the preceding ones, imparts a foundational gnosis: the relationship between suwar (Forms) and bi-sūrat (the Formless). I contend that this is one of the pivotal teachings of the Masnavi, demonstrating how this world of forms entirely emanates from the Formless and ultimately returns to it. Numerous examples are adduced here: a school, with all its concrete forms (walls, roof, commentaries), ultimately leads to 'knowledge,' which is formless. Or the architect's thought, itself formless, actualizes itself as a building. The forms of a sword and shield bring forth 'victory,' which is formless. These are all preludes, designed to lead us to the insight that:

This entire world, this realm of forms, is utterly 'a thought from the Universal Intellect.' In a sense, this world is the form of a thought conceived by God, the Absolute and Formless Architect. The absolute agent is Formless, and forms are merely tools in His hand to organize the cosmos. Therefore, every perfection, beauty, and power we observe in this world of forms originates from that Formless reality and is, in its true sense, a manifestation of it. God, the Formless, out of pure karam (grace) and generosity, not out of justice or merit, occasionally reveals Himself from the 'realm of non-existence' (katm-i ʿadam), from behind the veil of the unseen, in a particular form. This is so that other forms may also receive succor from that Formless source and be graced; 'from its perfection, and from its beauty, and its power,' all of which belong solely to the Formless.

The great error of humanity, and especially of naturalists and materialists, is to become 'intoxicated' by these forms, imagining that this single form is the only conceivable and possible reality. This is the 'idolatry' of forms. Mowlana emphasizes that even the denial of the Formless (the 'stubbornness' or juhūd) itself emerges from that very Formless. 'Its denial emerges from itself / This act of denial is naught but its own reflection.' This demonstrates the absolute encompassment of the Divine Truth; we cannot escape His dominion, even through disbelief.

But the tragedy begins when that Formless apparently conceals itself (as in the Torah's 'seventh day, the day of rest for God'). These forms, instead of returning to their source, resort to begging from one another. 'If one form seeks perfection from another form, / That is the essence of delusion (ḍalāl).' This is the very Quranic and mystical point: 'How can a needy one ask from another needy one?' (Kayfa yasʾalu muḥtāj muḥtājan?). This is a great aberration and delusion for a form to present its need to another form. One must go to the threshold of the Formless. But how?

Not through mere conceptual thought and the creation of ideas. Mowlana explicitly states that 'from thinking, nothing but forms will come forth.' Rather, it is through 'the annihilation of the self' (ifnā-yi khwīsh), through emptying oneself. I have often said: 'Seek not little water; bring forth thirst, / So that water may gush forth to you from above and below.' One must dig a pit; one must empty the vessel of existence from attachments and notions, so that the grace of the Formless may rain upon it. Become 'nothing' (hīch) so that something may be reflected within you—something not contingent on your effort or thought, but a thought that is poured into you.

The ultimate conclusion of this analysis is that all of us, even in our pursuit of everyday pleasures and desires, are in reality seekers of the Formless and of God. It is that 'formless delight' (dhawq-i bi-sūrat) that draws us towards the city of forms; it is that 'formless intimacy' (uns-i bi-sūrat) that draws us towards the Beloved of forms. All journeys, all paths (sayarān-i subul), are in pursuit of the formless taste and meaning. We move from coarser forms to subtler ones until we reach the 'Most Subtle of Subtleties' (alṭaf al-laṭāʾif) and the Absolute Formless. In a sense, we are all God-seekers, though we ourselves are unaware. And it is here that Mowlana, with ultimate eloquence, says: 'But some have turned towards the tail, / Though the head is the origin, they have lost the head.' That is, in this world of forms, some cling to the 'tail' and lower forms, while others cling to the 'head' and higher forms. Yet, that 'Head' extends its grace even through the 'tail' to these as well. This is the ultimate grace and encompassment of the Formless, which deprives no one of its beneficence.

Key takeaways

• Every form and manifestation in the cosmos derives its perfection, beauty, and power directly from an ultimate, formless reality.
• The material and phenomenal world is a manifestation and shadow of the Formless Architect's cosmic thought, with all phenomena serving as tools in His hand.
• Seeking perfection or satisfaction from other forms instead of the Formless is a fundamental error, as forms themselves are needy of the Formless source.
• The quest for the Formless, and its attainment, is not achieved merely through conceptual thought but through self-annihilation and emptying the self of ego.
• All human beings, even in their pursuit of worldly pleasures, are in truth seekers of the Formless and of God, though they may be unaware of this underlying truth.
• Creation is founded upon absolute divine grace; the Formless, out of its profound generosity, reveals itself through various forms.