M6:1194 — تا ز چونی غسل ناری تو تمام / تو برین مصحف منه کف ای غلام

Translation: Until from 'chūnī' (how-ness/form) you have not fully washed (performed ghusl), Upon this scripture, do not place your hand, O slave (ghulām).

Meaning: The verse cautions that one must purify themselves from the limitations of form and quality before attempting to grasp sacred knowledge, yet it immediately leads into a profound reflection on divine mercy.

This couplet emerges during the mystical climax of the story of Hilal, who, upon awakening from a dream, sees himself transformed from a 'filthy dog' into a 'lion,' and from a snake coiled in dirt into one residing in a 'garden of spring.' Maulana, speaking through Hilal yet articulating his own profound insight, identifies this transformation as the apex of liberation from chūnī and arrival at bī-chūnī.

Chūnī here signifies 'form' (ṣūrat) and 'quality' (kayfiyyat); it denotes being bound by limitations, attributes, and worldly definitions. Maulana clarifies: "Chūn rescues one from chūnī and brings them to the garden of bī-chūnī. Chūn means form, it means quality. It rescues a form from being merely a form, taking it to the realm of formlessness." This is a passage from the finite to the infinite, from limitation to boundlessness, and from decay to eternity. At this juncture, a person is no longer contained within a finite vessel but attains boundlessness, and then, as Maulana suggests, "they themselves become a giver of chūn, that is, a bestower of form upon others."

However, Maulana abruptly pauses, as if addressing himself at this peak of discourse. This self-address manifests in the verse: "In janābat tan zan, īn sūrah ma-khwān / Tā zi chūnī ghusl nārī tū tamām / Tū bar īn muṣḥaf ma-nih kaff ay ghulām." This means, O seeker, you who are still shackled by chūnī are like one in a state of janābat (ritual impurity) attempting to recite the Quran. You are not yet freed from physical constraints and material qualities, and therefore, you lack the worthiness to place your hand upon the muṣḥaf (sacred scripture), which symbolizes ultimate truth and divine knowledge.

Yet, Maulana does not stop there. Immediately, he offers a fervent plea on behalf of the longing and the impure, a defense of those who are in a state of defilement but yearn for purity. He asks: If the 'waters' (symbolizing divine mercy and purity) lack the generosity and grace to invite and accept the impure, then who will ever become clean? If the water tells the impure person, "Do not approach until you are clean," and outside the water there is nothing but dust and contamination, then no path to purification remains. Maulana, appealing to the inherent generosity of 'water' (of which he says elsewhere in the Mathnawi, "The water said, 'Hurry to me, O impure one!' / The impure one said, 'I feel shame before the water.' / The water replied, 'How can this shame depart without me?'"), demonstrates that the water not only accepts the impure but even washes away their shame.

This is a profound lesson in divine optimism and absolute mercy, which Maulana emphasizes throughout the Mathnawi and Dīwān-i Shams. It is a message that tells us, despite all our errors, crookedness, and deficiencies, never to despair of God's presence. The 'water,' or divine mercy, not only does not reject us but eagerly calls us to itself to free us from the bonds of chūnī and lead us to the 'garden of bī-chūnī.' Thus, the initial injunction to keep away from the muṣḥaf ultimately transforms into an invitation to enter the boundless ocean of divine grace.

Key takeaways

• The journey from chūnī (limitation, form, quality) to bī-chūnī (boundlessness, formlessness) is a central mystical transformation in the Masnavi.
• Accessing divine truths (the muṣḥaf) requires an inner ablution, a purification from material and conceptual constraints.
• Maulana presents a paradox: if 'water' (divine mercy) were to reject the impure until they are clean, then no one would ever achieve purity.
• Divine mercy, like water, is inherently generous; it invites the impure to itself and even washes away the shame of their defilement.
• This couplet, and its commentary, conveys the Masnavi's deeply hopeful message regarding the continuous and unconditional accessibility of divine grace and spiritual cleansing.