M6:1812 — آن موالید از تجلی زاده‌اند / لاجرم مستور پردهٔ ساده‌اند

Translation: Those creations are born of manifestation (tajallī), Therefore, they are veiled by a simple, unadorned curtain. Meaning: This verse posits that true, spiritual creations do not arise from material causes but from divine manifestation, and thus remain hidden from ordinary sensory perception.

This verse unveils a profound and pivotal truth in mysticism concerning the mode of the universe's emergence. Here, Rumi ascends beyond conventional philosophical thought, declaring that authentic māwālid (creations or offspring) — the genuine fruits of existence — are not born of the four elements, nor are they subject to material causality. This means material causes and natural conditions are insufficient to explain their genesis; they come into being in another way, from an unseen, transcendent realm.

I have long held the conviction that Rumi's statement here places him at the apex of mystical and even philosophical thought. He asserts: Those creations are born of manifestation (tajallī). This is an extraordinarily important point. Our mystics and philosophers, such as Mulla Sadra, ultimately arrived at the same conclusion in their philosophical journeys: this world is not merely an maʿlūl (effect) of God, but rather a tajallī (manifestation) of God. The distinction between an effect and a manifestation is fundamental and defining. An effect is often understood as something separate from its cause, but a manifestation signifies the appearance of the cause itself in another form.

As Mulla Sadra explains in his Asfar, the emergence of an effect from its cause does not mean that the cause projects something external to itself; rather, the cause itself transforms into another state, becoming taṭawwuruhu bi-ṭawr wa taḥīṣuhu bi-ḥaythiyya. This is a tashaʿʿun (ramification or mode); meaning the effect is another aspect of the cause, where the cause descends to the level of objects and takes their form. This is a profound insight: God is spiritual with the spiritual, and physical with the physical; thus, the entire spiritual and physical cosmos are both His effects and His manifestations.

Therefore, this world is neither merely an effect of God nor born of God in the conventional sense. Instead, this world is the tajallī of God. This assertion, though simple in its expression, holds immense depth and is supported by robust philosophical underpinnings. Consequently, because these creations are born of divine manifestation, they are mastūr parde-ye sāde-and (veiled by a simple, unadorned curtain). Mastūr means hidden, and parde-ye sāde signifies an unadorned veil. They are hidden from sight because they do not originate from the material world and are not perceivable by the physical senses. Philosophical inquiry, based on material causes, finds no path to them.

Rumi himself recognizes the profundity of this statement, emphasizing in another verse: We said 'born', but in truth it is not born; This expression is but for the sake of guidance. That is, although he used the term born, in reality, these are not literally born; rather, this term is employed solely for ershād (guidance), to lead the listener to the deeper meaning and truth of tajallī. This is Rumi's characteristic method: using apparent language to guide us beyond the surface to the profound depths of meaning.

Key takeaways

• True creations (māwālid) are born not of material causes, but of divine manifestation (tajallī).
• The world is not merely an effect of God, but His actual appearance and manifestation; cause and effect are ultimately inseparable.
• Divine manifestation implies that God reveals Himself in the form of beings; He is present in all things.
• Creations born of tajallī transcend the grasp of ordinary senses and limited philosophical reason, hidden by a simple veil.
• Rumi uses the term 'born' as a tool for 'guidance' (ershād) to convey the deeper meaning of 'manifestation'.
• This verse represents the pinnacle of mystical thought, viewing every existence as an aspect of the Divine Essence.