M6:3505 — بس مناسب صنعتست این شهره زاو / کی نهد بر جسم اسپ او عضو گاو

Translation: This renowned Architect (God) is most apt in His craft; how could He place a cow's limb upon a horse's body? Meaning: This verse, posed as a rhetorical question, emphasizes the unparalleled harmony and perfection of divine creation, negating any possibility of incongruity or mismatch in God's artistry.

I find myself here at a moment of profound reflection; a moment where Mawlana questions his very words. This verse follows the king's speech in a story where the monarch challenges the minister's folly or trickery. The question is: how could anyone place a cow's head on the body of a horse or a lion and expect it to be accepted? But Mawlana elevates this specific incident to a universal truth, linking it to the very essence of divine creation.

"This renowned Architect" (shohreh-zāw), in Mawlana's parlance, is unequivocally God Almighty. Zāw etymologically means architect or builder, here referring to the craftsman and creator of existence. God, whose reputation rests on excellent and harmonious architecture and superb craftsmanship, is "most apt in His craft" (bas monāseb san'at ast); meaning, in practice, He acts with utmost precision, appropriateness, and harmony. At such a level of creative perfection, the fundamental question arises: "How could He place a cow's limb upon a horse's body?" Could God, in the act of creation, ever permit such incongruity and disharmony? Never!

This verse articulates a core principle in Mawlana's ontology: the world of creation is entirely a matter of proportion and wisdom. No discordant or unnatural combination has any place in the original act of creation. If we perceive something as disharmonious, the root lies in the imperfection of our understanding or vision, not in any flaw or defect in the work of the "renowned Architect." God has created our bodies in a suitable and harmonious manner; "the Architect made bodies fittingly." These bodies, according to Mawlana, are like palaces with intricate basins and porticos, where every part is in perfect proportion to the others. How can one imagine that such an unparalleled architect would place an unsuitable limb in the wrong place?

So, if we encounter crookedness and injustice in the world, we must know that "a crooked hair can veil the sky; if all your parts are crooked, what then?" The crookedness is in the beholder, not in the world itself. This is where the role of divine "lawful magic" (seḥr-i ḥalāl) and the "constriction and expansion" (qabż-o-basṭ) of the heart's eyes by God becomes relevant. God sometimes conceals truths from us, at times showing the moon as a nightmare and at others showing the bottom of a well as a delightful garden. This wise providence leads us to the Prophet's prayer: "My Lord, show us things as they truly are." This verse implicitly suggests that what we perceive in the world is often veiled by divine stratagems, which serve ultimate wisdoms. Yet, the essence of creation is flawless, perfect, and harmonious. Any occasional disharmony that appears is either a product of human deception or a sign of a defect in our vision, for "the heart is between the two fingers of the Divine Majesty," constantly in constriction and expansion by the wind of God's independence.

Key takeaways

• God is the unique Architect (Zāw) of existence, whose creation is entirely harmonious and perfect.
• This verse strongly affirms the inherent congruence and flawless design within all of creation.
• Any perceived incongruity or disproportion in appearances stems from our limited perception or human deception, not from a flaw in divine creation.
• Mawlana calls us to a deeper insight, to unveil hidden divine wisdom and grasp true harmony.
• This perspective aligns with the Prophet's prayer to see things as they truly are ("My Lord, show us things as they truly are").