M6:3729 — فعل بر ارکان و فکرت مکتتم / لیک در تاثیر و وصلت دو به هم

Translation: Action is manifest upon the limbs, but thought is concealed; Yet in their effect and connection, the two are together. Meaning: This verse states that our visible actions emanate from our hidden thoughts. While distinct in appearance, the two are so deeply intertwined in their influence and relationship that they are inseparable.

In this verse, Rumi delves into one of the most fundamental ontological and epistemological questions: the relationship between ṣūrat (what is manifest and perceptible) and bī-ṣūrat (what is hidden and imperceptible). This discussion is central to the Masnavi, as I have often emphasized, and understanding it is vital for grasping Rumi's worldview. This very verse attests to this claim: although "action is manifest upon the limbs" (فعل بر ارکان), meaning our actions and behaviors are visible on our body parts, "thought is concealed" (و فکرت مکتتم), meaning the underlying thought, intention, and will remain hidden and veiled.

But Rumi does not stop there. He immediately clarifies the relationship between these two: "Yet in their effect and connection, the two are together" (لیک در تاثیر و وصلت دو به هم). This means that despite their difference in being manifest or hidden, these two operate in complete unity and interconnectedness in their impact and in achieving their purpose. It is as if they are inseparable; one is the manifestation of the other, and the other is its origin and source.

This statement by Rumi stands in stark contrast to materialistic viewpoints and even certain postmodern narratives. I have previously mentioned Rumi's belief that "Infinite creeds and professions / All are shadows of the form of thoughts" (بی‌نهایت کیش‌ها و پیشه‌ها / جمله ظل صورت اندیشه‌ها). This means that religions, philosophies, and even modes of livelihood and professions, are all reflections and echoes of fundamental thoughts that have taken shape in our minds. This is akin to what Hegel also, in a way, emphasized in his Phenomenology of Spirit: it is thought that constructs and gives form to reality. In contrast, Marx inverted this relationship, asserting that it is material conditions and circumstances that shape our thoughts and worldview. But Rumi, like traditional philosophers, grants primacy to the bī-ṣūrat, meaning thought and the realm of meaning. It is this bī-ṣūrat that takes form and renders the world visible.

Rumi offers numerous examples to elaborate on this relationship. He says you drink wine (ṣūrat), but its benefit is ecstasy and unconsciousness (bī-ṣūrat). A man and woman engage in intercourse (ṣūrat), but the pleasure derived (bī-ṣūrat) is hidden from sight. You eat bread and salt (ṣūrat), but the strength and energy it provides (bī-ṣūrat) cannot be depicted. You wield a sword and shield (ṣūrat), but the outcome is victory (bī-ṣūrat). Even schools, books, and commentaries (taʿlīq) are all ṣūrat, but their goal is to attain "knowledge" (دانایی), which is a bī-ṣūrat affair. Once knowledge is attained, those ṣūrat are "folded away" (گشت طی) and lose their former importance.

I call this the "ladder of formlessness." Forms are servants of the formless; they both originate from the formless and return to it. "Form came forth from the formless / And returned, saying 'Verily, unto Him we shall return'" (صورت از بی‌صورتی آمد برون / باز شد که انا الیه راجعون). This is a precise articulation of Tawḥīd al-Afʿāl (unity of actions), where all existence originates from and returns to God, and all forms are but manifestations and "garments" of that formless existence.

Finally, Rumi warns: "Since these forms are servants of the formless / Why then do they deny their Benefactor?" (این صور چون بنده بی‌صورت‌اند / پس چرا در نفی صاحب نعمت‌اند؟). How can these forms, which came into existence from the formless and serve it, deny their Benefactor? This is precisely the predicament of naturalists, positivists, and materialists. They perceive only the ṣūrat and content themselves with it, remaining oblivious to the hidden bī-ṣūrat which is the origin and principle of everything. This "intoxication with the goblets of forms" (مستی زین قدح‌های صور) leads humanity to "idolatry and idol-worship" (بت‌تراش و بت‌پرست); that is, worshipping merely one form among the countless possible forms that existence could assume. Rumi instructs us to be vigilant and refrain from this intoxication, lest we worship only a single form in place of the absolute Reality.

Key takeaways

• Action (f'il) is manifest and apparent, but the underlying thought (fekrat) remains hidden and concealed.
• Despite their apparent distinction, action and thought are inextricably linked and interdependent in their effect and purpose.
• For Rumi, thought and the realm of meaning (bī-ṣūrat) are the origin and principle, while action and the material world (ṣūrat) are their manifestation and reflection.
• This worldview contrasts sharply with materialistic perspectives that prioritize material conditions and external actions.
• Ignoring the bī-ṣūrat and being content with ṣūrat leads to idolatry, worshipping a single manifestation of reality instead of the absolute Truth.