M6:2925 — می‌چرد در نور گوهر آن بقر / ناگهان گردد ز گوهر دورتر

Translation: That sea-cow (baqar) grazes in the jewel's light, Then suddenly wanders further from the jewel. Meaning: This verse recounts a tale of a sea-cow grazing by the light of a precious jewel, only to lose sight of it and abandon it when a merchant covers it with mud.

This verse is embedded within a profound and enigmatic story that Mawlana recounts concerning the Kāviyān Jewel and the Gāve Baḥrī (sea-cow or ambergris-whale). The narrative tells of a sea-cow bringing a luminous jewel from the ocean depths to the shore, where it grazes in the radiant glow of its light. However, a shrewd merchant, aware of the jewel's true worth, lies in wait for the cow to wander away from it. He then covers the jewel with mud and clay, concealing it from the cow's sight. The cow returns, sees the mud, and, assuming it's a worthless object, turns away and departs, unaware that beneath the mud lies a royal jewel.

Mawlana employs this story as an allegory for the concealment of truth and the essence of existence behind an unappealing facade. He links this to the practice of the Malamatīya, those Sufis who deliberately brought ill repute upon themselves, committing outwardly impious acts (or seemingly so) to fall from the esteem of the public. They sought to distance themselves from human praise and greed, thereby turning solely towards God. Sometimes, divine saints (awliyāʾ Allāh) adopt a guise that makes them unrecognised, protecting them from the harm and avarice of others. This is akin to 'blackening' gold to safeguard it from plunder and harm.

Yet, Mawlana's interpretation reaches its zenith when he explains that Iblis (Satan) made the same mistake. Instead of perceiving the divine spirit breathed into Adam, Iblis only saw the 'clay' (tin) and 'mud' of his existence, refusing to prostrate. Mawlana states: 'For that Iblis is blind and deaf to the text of clay / How can a cow know there is a jewel in the mud?' Iblis failed to see that this mud was the dwelling of a jewel.

Mawlana further connects this concealment of the jewel in mud to the divine command 'Ahbatū' (descend), which cast the absolute soul into the 'lowest depths' (ḥazīz) of the earthly body. This descent, it seems, hid the jewel of our existence within the mud of the body, alienating us from our true selves. Not only Iblis and others, but we ourselves often become so heedless that we forget our own jewel amidst the 'mud' of our bodies, believing ourselves to be mere clay. Mawlana emphasizes that 'merchants' (truth-knowers) recognize the jewel beneath the mud, but 'mud-diggers' (gulkāvān) who only scrutinize the surface are deprived of this truth. This allegory serves as a warning not to judge by appearances and not to disdain those of ill repute, for sometimes the most precious jewel lies hidden in the most unsightly exterior.

Key takeaways

• Appearances can be deceptive; true essence sometimes lies hidden beneath what seems unsightly.
• The tale of the sea-cow illustrates the Malamatīya's practice of concealing truth to guard it from worldly greed.
• Iblis's failure to see the divine spirit in Adam exemplifies a lack of inner perception.
• The divine command 'Ahbatū' (descend) hid the soul's jewel within the bodily clay, causing self-alienation.
• True 'merchants' (truth-seekers) discern the hidden jewel, while 'mud-diggers' who only see the surface remain oblivious.