M6:72 — حرف‌گو و حرف‌نوش و حرفها / هر سه جان گردند اندر انتها

Translation: The speaker of words, the hearer of words, and the words themselves— All three shall, in the end, turn into soul.

Meaning: Mowlana asserts that in the ultimate journey of existence, the outward forms and material manifestations of speech—the one who speaks, the one who listens, and the very words spoken—will all transform into their spiritual essence and revert to the primordial Soul.

Mowlana, that tumultuous sea of meanings, perpetually beckons us to transcend the shores of appearances. He states elsewhere in the Masnavi, 'First I said come to the island of Masnavi, now I say you reach the sea itself.' The beyt before us precisely illustrates this transition from the 'island of words' to the 'sea of meaning.' Words and forms are like the straw and debris floating upon the clear waters of the sea. If the wind of discernment blows and sweeps away this debris, then the pristine, undifferentiated water of truth will be revealed.

I have emphasized for years that Mowlana consistently speaks of a spirit and a meaning hidden within his words, which must be perceived beyond the mere letter. It is akin to the well-known dictum: 'Do not look at the finger, look at the moon it points to.' Here, he declares, 'When word, sound, and breath become one / It leaves all behind and becomes the sea.' This means that once we shed the confines of speech, sound, and breath, the very soul transforms into the sea. This beyt continues and underscores this theme: the speaker of words (the agent of speaking), the hearer of words (the agent of listening), and the words themselves (the object of speaking and listening)—all three, which are the outward and sensory forms of the act of speech, ultimately transform into 'soul' (jān). The reference is to the soul of meaning, the inner spiritual reality.

These words of Mowlana resonate deeply with Platonic and Neo-Platonic thought, echoing the concept of 'Forms' (Muthul) and 'Perfect Natures' (Tibā‘-i Tām). Philosophers like Suhrawardi have also affirmed this. It is as if the higher realm is the formless world of Forms and Meanings, and the lower realm is the world of forms and multiplicities. Consider an architect who conceives a design in mind and then constructs it in the external world. The external building may crumble, but its form persists in the architect's mind. It is not the case that with the disappearance of the external form, the mental perception also vanishes. The metaphysical realm is similar; everything we see and feel has an origin in that formless world.

From Mowlana’s perspective, and that of many mystics and sages, nothing in the natural world is an 'efficient cause' (illat-i moojedeh) or a true originator of anything else. We humans are merely 'preparatory causes' (illat-i mo’iddeh); that is, we prepare and set the stage. The act of granting existence is not ours. If I conceive a thought, I am not its creator; I have merely prepared the ground for that thought to emerge from a higher source. Any form that manifests here has its generator and giver of forms (wāhib-i suwar) in a realm beyond this one. The 'Creation' (khalq) and 'Command' (amr) mentioned in the Holy Quran can be interpreted as these very 'form' (ṣūrat) and 'soul' (jān): 'Indeed, to Him belong the creation and the command.' 'Creation' pertains to forms and molds, and 'Command' pertains to souls and inner realities. Ultimately, these forms turn to dust, but the soul of meaning never dies and returns to its origin. Whoever claims that meaning also perishes holds an incorrect understanding of existential truth. In the realm of the spirit, these truths await to be divested of forms and return to their essence; they appear by divine command and by His command, return to transcendence.

Key takeaways

• The essence of the speaker, the listener, and the words themselves ultimately merge with the soul of meaning.
• Mowlana instructs us to transcend outward appearances (words and sounds) and access deeper realities (the soul).
• Material and superficial forms are transient, but inner and spiritual meaning is enduring and eternal.
• True, existential causality does not reside in this world; we are merely preparers for being to manifest from a higher source.
• This verse emphasizes the evolutionary journey from apparent multiplicity to inner unity, moving from the 'island of Masnavi' to the 'sea of truth'.