M6:1006 — احسن التقویم از عرش او فزون / احسن التقویم از فکرت برون

Translation: Ahsan al-Taqwīm (Humanity in Best Form) is beyond His Throne; Ahsan al-Taqwīm is beyond thought. Meaning: This verse speaks to the supreme dignity of humanity, referred to as Ahsan al-Taqwīm (the Best of Forms) in the Quran, asserting that its true worth transcends even the Divine Throne and is beyond the grasp of human intellect or imagination.

This couplet emerges from Mowlana's profound discourse on the fundamental distinction between human beings and animals—a distinction that, while often overlooked, is deeply rooted in our very essence. I say with absolute conviction that the core of this difference lies in the human capacity for i'tibar (crediting, valuing, or considering something as something else). An animal is incapable of such attribution; for it, a glass bead and a precious jewel are one and the same, as it lacks the power to 'count' or 'regard' something as having intrinsic or ascribed value. To consider a piece of paper a vote, or calcium carbonate a priceless pearl, is uniquely human. This is the characteristic of the nafs-e nāṭiqa (rational soul) that empowers us to create meaning, value, and language. Animals do not adorn themselves because they lack this capacity for 'valuation'.

In this very context, Mowlana refers to the most vital and invaluable 'attribution' in existence: Ahsan al-Taqwīm (the Best of Forms), which has a Quranic root, borrowed from Sūrat at-Tīn: "Laqad khalaqnā al-insāna fī aḥsani taqwīm" (Indeed, We created humankind in the best of forms). This Ahsan al-Taqwīm is the very essence of human existence, that which bestows upon humanity a unique station in the cosmos. Mowlana emphatically states that this Ahsan al-Taqwīm, this human existence, is "beyond His Throne" (az 'arsh-e ū fuzūn). This is a daring and profound expression; the Throne ('Arsh) symbolizes the highest abode and the ultimate reach of divine creation, yet the human station transcends even that, as if closer to the unmediated presence of the Divine. This does not imply superiority over the Divine Essence, but rather humanity's unparalleled capacity for the manifestation and experience of divinity.

The second part of the couplet, "Ahsan al-Taqwīm is beyond thought" (az fekrat barūn), is equally significant. It means that the true value and reality of this human being, this 'best of creation,' cannot be apprehended by human thought and intellect; it lies beyond the grasp of dissecting reason. As I have often stated, Mowlana seeks maḥw (effacement) not naḥw (grammar); the fundamental truths of existence are not attained through mere calculation and logic, but must be understood through existential and intuitive experience. This human station is so exalted that even human thought is incapable of encompassing it. This is a key point in Mowlana's mysticism: many truths are of the nature of experience and union (wuṣūl) rather than analysis and conceptualization. If one were to articulate the price of this jewel, as the next couplet implies, "I would burn, and so would the listener." The truth of humanity, like divine truths, transcends verbal and conceptual expression, indicating the boundless depth of human existence.

Key takeaways

• The human station, Ahsan al-Taqwīm, transcends the Divine Throne, signifying humanity's supreme place in creation.
• The true and profound value of human existence cannot be grasped by mere thought, intellect, or rational analysis.
• The capacity for i'tibar (attributing value and meaning) is the fundamental distinction between humans and animals.
• Mowlana emphasizes that the core truths of existence and humanity are of an intuitive, experiential nature, not merely intellectual analysis.