M6:3356 — اسپ سنگین گاو سنگین ز ابتلا / می‌شود مسجود از مکر خدا

Translation: A stone horse, a stone cow, by means of affliction, / Becomes worshipped through God's craft (makr-i khodā). Meaning: This verse suggests that inanimate idols, like stone horses or cows, are worshipped not merely due to human error, but because of a hidden divine 'trickery' or subtle design. It implies that even apparent spiritual deviations have an obscure root in divine wisdom.

This verse, at first glance, might strike one as peculiar, speaking as it does of 'God's craft' (makr-i khodā) turning stone and idols into objects of worship. Yet, I consider this a fundamental point Maulana raises here, a perspective of constant novelty and unique creation in the universe. You see, in the Masnavi, the world and all that occurs within it are in a perpetual state of renewal and fresh creation; indeed, 'God's work is hourly bringing forth the new.' From this vantage, even idolatry, and humanity's turning to inanimate objects, has a root in divine orchestration.

I do not interpret 'God's craft' here in the common sense of malice or deception, but rather as a form of 'blindfolding' or divine concealment. It is as if God draws a veil over the eye of the soul, causing us to perceive certain truths, or more precisely, certain manifestations of His own Being, in alternative forms. Much like someone with open eyes, through a conjuring trick, sees something other than what is truly there. This phenomenon is astounding, and Maulana himself says: 'Eyes open and ears open, yet this blindness / Is a wonder from God's eye-binding.' Thus, this apparent blindness does not stem from a defect in the perceiver, but from the grandeur and hiddenness of the Agent's work.

The question arises: why would God engage in such 'craft,' and why would He blindfold certain eyes? Maulana himself poses this question but defers the answer to another context. What is crucial, however, is that this occurs in the world, and we are faced with a reality where even idolatry cannot be entirely excluded from the sphere of divine wisdom. How can a stone horse or a stone cow, which ostensibly possesses no grandeur, charisma, or spirituality, become the worshipped deity of a people? From the idolater's perspective, that idol is their supreme object of worship, peerless. Where does this attraction come from? Maulana himself asks: 'What is that hidden attraction within the hidden / Shining in this world from the other world?' This indicates that behind every act of idolatry, there lies an attraction from another realm that draws humanity towards it. This is a hidden, unseen truth in the world.

In essence, Maulana does not assert that idolatry is correct, but he argues that this phenomenon was not without its roots or wisdom. Prophets, of course, came to combat idolatry, but underlying this phenomenon was a root that enabled its prevalence and persistence. This hidden attraction has shone into this world from the other world, and thus, even in this error, there is a kind of divine expediency and mystery that our veiled intellects are incapable of grasping. 'The intellect is veiled, and so is the soul from this ambush; / I do not see, but you can see.' This verse guides us to a deeper understanding of the complexity of divine dispensations and their role in the path of human trial.

Key takeaways

• Divine 'craft' (makr) signifies a 'blindfolding' or subtle concealment, where hidden truths manifest in alternative, apparent forms.
• Even human errors like idolatry have roots in God's hidden wisdom and subtle dispensation; they are not arbitrary.
• The attraction of idols and false deities emanates from 'the other world' into this one, drawing our veiled intellects.
• The world and all its occurrences are a constant manifestation of God's 'unique creation' and perpetual novelty.