M6:2442 — وآن بیابان سر به سر در ذیل کوه / پر خلایق شکل موسی در وجوه

Translation: And that entire desert, at the foot of the mountain, / Was full of people with faces like Moses'. Meaning: The Jewish traveler, in his dream, witnessed a vast desert surrounding Mount Sinai, teeming with individuals whose countenances resembled that of Prophet Moses.

This couplet marks a pinnacle in the Jewish traveler's dream narrative—a dream that Mawlana recounts with such precision and depth, it's as if he himself witnessed it. These scenes, undoubtedly, reflect Mawlana's own mystical experiences, echoing the tale of Daquqi in Book Three of the Masnavi, which illustrates how profound dreams mirror the mystic's inner states.

Here, following the immense divine light's manifestation that split Mount Sinai, sweetened bitter sea waters, and brought forth medicinal springs from the earth, we witness a new phase of this revelation: the desert surrounding the mountain is filled with countless beings whose faces bear 'the form of Moses.' This image transcends a mere individual encounter; it's a collective vision of spiritual unity. All these people, it seems, have attained a singular countenance—that of the seeker who utters 'Arani' ('Show me!'), the visage of the great Prophet who symbolizes this yearning and confrontation with transcendent reality.

I have previously noted that Mawlana calls this manifestation of divine light 'Wahy' (revelation), which always speaks without words but carries a heavy, transformative impact, as stated in the Quran: 'Indeed, We will cast upon you a weighty word.' This weight of revelation, just as it shatters the mountain, also shatters the observer's perception, only to reconstruct it anew. Here, this reconstruction manifests as a multitude, unified in a shared quest and a singular prophetic form.

Yet, the subtle and precise point is this: while this dream outwardly takes on a 'Mosaic' form, aligning with the Jewish dreamer's prior beliefs (just as a Christian might see Jesus), Mawlana swiftly breaks free from this formal exclusivity. Later in the narrative, he quotes the same Jewish traveler saying, 'The unity of the prophets became clear to me.' This implies that the form that initially appears as 'Moses' is, in truth, a manifestation of a single reality that expresses itself through all prophets. This Moses-like desert symbolizes seekers of truth from every faith and tradition, all collectively, with a hidden 'Arani' cry, yearning for the vision of the Divine.

This scene, in essence, affirms the 'pluralism of salvation' that Mawlana later explicitly articulates: 'Do not look with contempt upon any infidel, / For it is hoped that he may die a Muslim.' Here, in this collective dream, we encounter a multitude of 'Ahl-e Vadd' (people of divine love) who have transcended the apparent boundaries of religions and reached an existential unity in their pursuit of the Divine essence. This dream demonstrates that the core of religion is that formless yearning and the sublime 'motivation' that guides humanity toward its true destination, with outward forms merely serving as garments for this singular truth.

Key takeaways

• Even spiritual revelations, though outwardly aligned with one's prior beliefs, point to the fundamental unity of truth.
• The manifestation of divine light can cause profound transformation in perception and even apparent identity.
• The 'unity of the prophets' and the singular spiritual essence among them and their followers is revealed even in individual dreams.
• Beyond names and religions, all seekers share a common yearning for the vision of God (the 'Arani' cry).
• Mawlana, through this image, lays the groundwork for the pluralism of salvation: whoever seeks truth ultimately finds salvation.