M6:3643 — صورت عاشق چو فانی شد درو / پس در آب اکنون کرا بیند بگو

Translation: When the lover's form became effaced in Him, then tell me, whom does he now see in the water? Meaning: When a lover's self is annihilated in the Beloved, he no longer perceives his own reflection; instead, he sees only the Beloved manifested in every mirror.

Here, Mawlana poses a profound question, the answer to which is, in fact, embedded within the query itself. To grasp this verse, we must recall the preceding couplet and Mawlana's overarching understanding of the relationship between lover and Beloved. The verse immediately before states: “He who is not a lover, in the water, sees his own form, O discerning one.” This signifies that anyone unaware of the path of love, when gazing into water or a mirror, perceives only their own image. This is a symbol of ‘self-regard’ or ‘ego,’ a significant trap for humanity and a veil separating us from truth.

However, Mawlana immediately follows with this penetrating question: “When the lover's form became effaced in Him, then tell me, whom does he now see in the water?” This asks, if the lover attains a station where his own form and existence are annihilated and absorbed into the Beloved, what else could he possibly perceive? The answer is clear: his own self is annihilated, so he sees nothing but the Beloved. This illustrates the alchemical role of love; love liberates humanity from the grip of selfishness and ego, fully uniting him with the Beloved.

This understanding of the lover’s annihilation in the Beloved is key to many insights within the Masnavi. As I have noted elsewhere, the most crucial function of love is to rescue humanity from this ego, from this self-regard. One no longer sees oneself; rather, one sees the Beloved. Consequently, this marks a rebirth; one is utterly transformed. When you depart from self-regard, you entirely become another person.

This leads to the concept of Divine Ghayrat (Zeal or Jealousy). God is Ghayur; that is, He consumes all partnership and accepts no rivals. As Mawlana beautifully puts it: “His zeal left no ‘other’ in the world / Necessarily, He became the very essence of all things.” Divine zeal ensures that nothing but His beauty is perceived. This is true not only in the Beloved but in all manifestations of existence. The Gnostic, wherever he turns, sees the ‘Face of God’ (Wajh-Allah), for God has made all existence a locus of His manifestation and a mirror of Himself. As the Quran states: “Wherever you turn, there is the Face of God” (Al-Baqarah: 115). This is the state where a lover declares, “By God, no sun has risen or set / But Your remembrance is linked with my breaths / And I have never intended to drink water from a cup / But I saw an image of You in the glass.” Wherever he looks, the Beloved’s image is in his cup of water, for he is annihilated and sees nothing but Him.

This annihilation of the lover’s form is akin to the alchemy of love that transforms even a ‘devil’ into a ‘Gabriel’: “If a devil falls in love, he wins the prize; he becomes a Gabriel, and that devil dies.” Love burns away impurities and purifies the individual, and in this process, everything other than the Beloved vanishes. This verse speaks not only of the lover’s inner transformation but also delicately hints at the Beloved’s continuous and omnipresent presence in the universe, visible only through the eyes of love.

Key takeaways

• Love liberates individuals from self-regard and ego, leading them to perceive only the Beloved.
• The annihilation of the lover's form in the Beloved signifies a spiritual rebirth and complete transformation of character.
• This verse extends the Yusuf and Zulaikha allegory: the world is replete with divine forms, not for deception, but for the illuminated to perceive.
• Divine Zeal (Ghayrat), being 'partnership-consuming,' ensures no 'other' remains in existence, only the Divine Face.
• The Beloved's presence is perceptible to lovers in all manifestations of existence, even in water and mirrors.
• Love is an alchemist, burning away impurities and transforming even a 'devil' into a 'Gabriel'.