M6:3331 — دم به دم در صفحهٔ اندیشه‌شان / ثبت و محوی می‌کند آن بی‌نشان

Translation: Moment by moment, on the page of their thoughts, / That Signless One inscribes and effaces. Meaning: This verse asserts that the unseen God constantly alters the states of our minds and hearts, creating and effacing qualities within our very being.

This profound verse offers a vivid depiction of God's continuous and vital intervention in the human being, which Rumi terms the "tablet of effacement and affirmation" (lawḥ-i maḥw wa ithbāt). Prior to this couplet, Rumi had referred to humans as "forms" (naqsh-hā) that are "alive in the painter's hand" (dar kaff-i naqqāsh bāshad muḥtaḍir), implying that we are paintings actively present, yet without agency, in the hand of the Eternal Painter. It is then that this verse states:

Moment by moment, on the page of their thoughts, / That Signless One inscribes and effaces.

I believe that "the page of their thoughts" (ṣafḥa-yi andīsha-shān) here signifies not merely intellect, but the broader expanse of human existence, encompassing the heart and soul. God is the "Signless One" (ān bī-nishān), transcendent beyond all description and form, yet His traces are manifest throughout the cosmos and especially within our inner selves. It is He who performs "inscription and effacement" (sabt u maḥv) on this inner page; that is, He writes something and then erases something else.

This concept finds its root in the divine word that states: "God erases what He wills and establishes what He wills, and with Him is the Mother of the Book" (Quran 13:39). It is as if man himself is a microcosm, a smaller version of the grand Divine "tablet of effacement and affirmation." If we observe closely, we see our inner states transforming moment by moment, and these changes are often beyond our will. Rumi himself illustrates this with examples:

He brings anger and takes away contentment; / He brings avarice and takes away generosity.

One moment, a person is in a state of spiritual contraction (qabḍ), and the next, in expansion (basṭ). Sometimes the heart yearns to be kind to everyone, and other times, one cannot even tolerate oneself. This "contraction and expansion," which mystics speak of, refers to precisely these shifts in spiritual states, as if an unseen hand guides us back and forth. We are but a feather before this tempest of divine will. If it were up to us, we would always soar in supreme joy and happiness, allowing no sorrow into our hearts. But this is not reality; storms rage, carrying us wherever they will.

Rumi clarifies this idea with other tangible metaphors: a pot that does not become wide or long by itself, but is shaped by the potter; wood that is cut and joined in the carpenter's hand to take form; a garment that the tailor shapes. And just like a "waterskin with its carrier" (mashk bā saqqā), we too are vessels that are "every moment filled, then emptied." Therefore, we must know that "you are in the hand of His making" (dar kaff-i ṣunʿ-i way-ī). This means that these states, these contractions and expansions, these inner transformations, all stem from the agency of that "Signless One."

It is here that Rumi introduces the point of "vigilance" (murāqabah). If a person is attentive and vigilant of their own states, they can perceive the subtleties of God's manipulation within themselves and discern the outcome of their experiences. But as long as the "dust of desires" (gard u ghubār-i hawā u hawas) obscures our being, these truths remain hidden from us; much like someone with clear sight still sees nothing in a dust storm. This verse is an invitation to reflect on our lack of agency in the face of changing states and to accept this hidden divine artistry.

Key takeaways

• Human spiritual and mental states are in constant flux, continuously influenced by God's hidden will.
• Human existence is a 'tablet of effacement and affirmation' upon which the Signless One inscribes and erases, mirroring the Quranic concept of yamḥū Allāhu mā yashāʼu wa yuthbitu.
• Shifts in inner states, from contraction to expansion, or from anger to contentment, are signs of this divine interplay.
• Like figures in a painter's hand or tools in a craftsman's, we are potential causes shaped by the Divine Agent.
• Through vigilance (murāqabah) and awareness, one can perceive the subtleties of these divine influences within oneself.
• Understanding this truth means accepting the absolute divine will in the continuous alteration of human states.