M6:3743 — باز بی‌صورت چو پنهان کرد رو / آمدند از بهر کد در رنگ و بو

Translation: Then, when the Formless veiled its face, The forms in the world of color and scent resorted to beggary. Meaning: This verse asserts that when the primal, formless source of existence conceals itself from our direct perception, the beings of the sensory world, instead of turning to that Formless Origin, begin to seek fulfillment and beg from one another.

In this verse, Rumi touches upon one of the most pivotal insights of the Masnavi: the narrative of the Formless (bi-ṣūrat). I have often stressed that our world of forms (bā-ṣūrat) originates and receives its being from the realm of the Formless—much like a building is the shadow of an architect's thought. The architect conceives a design in their mind, which is not yet stone or wood, but ultimately that very thought manifests as a physical structure. God, as the Architect of the cosmos, has likewise conceived a thought, and this world with all its 'color and scent' (rang o bū) is the external manifestation of that thought. He is the absolute and Formless Agent, and these forms serve as instruments in His hand. Even the denial of His existence, paradoxically, emanates from Him, for nothing in the world is not His creation, woven by His very hand.

Here, Rumi reaches a profound point: "Then, when the Formless veiled its face, / The forms in the world of color and scent resorted to beggary." When the Formless, which is the fount of all perfections, beauties, and powers, 'conceals its face' from us—not in the sense of absence, but in our inability to perceive it directly—the forms become restless. Yet their great error is that, instead of returning to the Formless, they turn to other forms. It is as if one needy person has gone to the door of another needy person. "If a form seeks perfection from another form, / That is verily pure delusion." This is what I call 'the blind leading the blind.' Rumi unequivocally labels this behavior 'pure delusion' (ʿayn-i ḍalāl). How can one take a need to another who is equally needy?

However, Rumi's words here are not a complete rejection of seeking assistance from means and forms in material life. As I have repeatedly stated, it is a 'melancholy' (mālīkhūlīyā)—a lunacy—to imagine that one should not seek help from a doctor or medicine, but only from God. No prophet has ever advocated such monastic passivity. Rumi's intent behind 'pure delusion' here pertains to reliance on God (tawakkul) in its ultimate, gnostic sense: one should not confine oneself to concepts and thought-forms when seeking God and truth. These concepts are themselves forms, requiring other forms for their explanation and elaboration. On this path, one must empty oneself, becoming 'nothing,' so that the Formless may be reflected within. "Seek less water, bring forth thirst / So your water may well up from above and below." This is akin to the allegorical story of digging a ditch for rain; when the vessel is empty, divine bounty descends.

In a sense, all our movements and strivings in this world, even in pursuit of apparent pleasures and perfections, are in reality a journey towards the Formless. We seek perfection, and absolute perfection is God. Even when we attain a material pleasure, we are in fact transcending its form and immersing ourselves in a kind of formlessness, albeit at lower degrees. Thus, all of us are in fact 'Formless-seekers' and 'God-seekers,' though many of us are unaware of this truth and have lost ourselves in 'color and scent.' But those who are more discerning turn directly to the Formless and flee from 'beggary in color and scent,' for they know that every perfection in this world is a reflection of the absolute Formless, and clinging to these reflections only distances one from the Source.

Key takeaways

• The world of forms (the sensory realm) originates from the Formless (the absolute Creator).
• When the Formless conceals itself from our direct perception, seeking perfection from other forms (begging from the needy) is 'pure delusion.'
• True reliance on God (Tawakkul) does not mean passive inaction; one must empty oneself and prepare for reception, rather than merely awaiting miracles.
• Every quest and endeavor in this world, even for material pleasures, is ultimately a journey towards the absolute Formless.
• Humans are unconsciously 'Formless-seekers,' and the truth is that all things return to a single Origin.
• The path to discovering the Formless involves letting go of mental forms and concepts, and emptying one's self.