M6:4376 — مکیان را عز یکی بد صد شده / تا قیامت عزشان ممتد شده

Translation: The honor of the people of Mecca, which was one, became a hundred-fold; and until Resurrection, their glory was extended. Meaning: This verse illustrates how malicious intentions to abase a divine matter ultimately lead to its magnified glory and lasting eminence.

This verse encapsulates one of the deepest insights of the Masnavi and of Islamic thought: God's 'Hidden Grace' (Luṭf-i Khafī). I have often said that this world is an island in the surging sea of knowledge, and the Masnavi itself is that island where one must sit to learn the language of the sea. This insight is neither mere philosophy nor dry theology, but a form of 'secret-knowing' (rāz-shenāsi) that Mevlana invites us to.

This particular verse concludes the story of Abraha and his intent to destroy the Kaaba. Abraha arrived with his army and elephants, imagining he could violate the sanctity of the House of God and turn the living into the dead. He sought to divert people from the Kaaba and lead them to a temple he had built in Yemen, thus abasing Mecca and re-directing the qibla. But what happened? Precisely the opposite of his intentions unfolded.

Here lies the pivot point: 'His very endeavor became the Kaaba's honor, it became the cause of that House's exaltation.' What he intended to debase led to its hundred-fold glory and its endurance until Qiyamat. He and his own Kaaba fell into a pit of disgrace, becoming 'more eclipsed' (makhsūf-tar), while the poor Arabs became 'wealthy' from the spoils left behind by his defeated army. This confirms that God is the best of planners and devisers: 'And they schemed, and God schemed, and God is the best of schemers.'

This is a brilliant example of the principle that sometimes, within what appears to be error (ḍalālat) or evil intent, guidance (hidāyat) and good are embedded. As I have mentioned in lectures, sometimes 'the very essence of misguidance' transforms into 'the path of faith.' This is the antidote (tiryāq) that the compassionate God, Ḥafī, has placed within the poison itself. It is much like vaccination, where the antidote is derived from the very venom.

This is the hidden mercy and grace that can even be found within sin, provided it leads to repentance (tūba) and remorse. Mevlana states, 'Blessed indeed is the sin that a man committed,' on the condition that repentance emerges from it. Here too, Abraha's nefarious intent, a colossal sin, was transformed by the hidden grace of God into an exaltation for the Kaaba.

Key takeaways

• Apparent Wrath, Hidden Grace: Malicious intent and seemingly destructive actions can, by divine will, yield entirely opposite and benevolent outcomes.
• Divine Scheme: God's planning and will transcend all, capable of turning the schemes of ill-wishers to the benefit of truth and righteousness.
• Hidden Grace (Luṭf-i Khafī): A key principle in the Masnavi, demonstrating how subtle divine favors emerge from within apparent calamities and evils.
• The Lesson of the Kaaba: Attempts to obliterate the sanctity and honor of a divine matter paradoxically lead to the strengthening and extension of that very honor.
• Antidote in Poison: The remedy and path to salvation can emerge precisely from that which initially appeared to be a source of destruction and hardship.