M6:3067 — جسمشان مشکات دان دلشان زجاج / تافته بر عرش و افلاک این سراج

Translation: Know their body as the niche, their heart as glass; / This lamp shines forth upon the Throne and the heavens. Meaning: Mowlana uses this verse to interpret the Quranic 'Verse of Light' (Ayat al-Nur), likening the bodies of divine saints to the 'niche' (mishkāt) and their hearts to the 'glass' (zujāj) which contain and radiate the divine light that illuminates all creation.

This couplet follows Mowlana's profound exegesis of the 'Verse of Light' (Ayat al-Nur) in Surah An-Nur (24:35), where it states: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche (mishkāt) in which there is a lamp (miṣbāḥ), the lamp is within a glass (zujāj), the glass as if it were a brilliant star..." Here, Mowlana undertakes a wondrous esoteric interpretation (ta'wil), applying this divine allegory to the very being of God's saints.

I have always insisted that Mowlana's interpretation is not merely a metaphorical rephrasing, but an exposition of an existential truth. He states unequivocally: the physical body of these divine men, God's awliyā (saints), is the mishkāt or lamp-stand; and their heart is the zujāj or glass that contains the divine lamp of truth. This sirāj (lamp), this peerless light, radiates not just on earth, but shines upon the Divine Throne ('arsh) and the heavens, illuminating them.

Mowlana asserts that the very light which shattered Mount Sinai (Tur) and which no earthly power can withstand, remarkably finds its abode within the fragile 'bottle' (qārūre) of the saint's existence, radiating from there. The light of the Throne and the heavens themselves are astonished by the brilliance of this light, just as stars fade and disappear in the intense brightness of the rising sun. This interpretation is deeply connected to a well-known Hadith Qudsi, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) quotes God: "My heavens and My earth cannot contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant does." Mowlana identifies this 'believer's heart' (qalb-e mo'men) with the zujāj in the Verse of Light.

The hearts of the awliyā, purified and polished, become treasuries of divine lights. God shines into these hearts, and through them, His lights, blessings, and graces are distributed among all creation. These hearts act as channels of divine grace (vasā'et-e fayẓ). This heart of the 'Perfect Human' (Insān-e Kāmil) or 'Perfect Saint' (Walī-e Kāmil), in essence, becomes the 'comprehensive name of God' (Ism-e Jāme'e Khodavand), manifesting all divine attributes, and from this locus, all beings in the cosmos benefit from the divine light.

Key takeaways

• Mowlana interprets the 'mishkāt' and 'zujāj' of the Quran's Verse of Light as the bodies and hearts of divine saints, respectively.
• The bodies of saints are the vessel for divine light, and their hearts are the transparent glass through which it radiates.
• This light, emanating from the hearts of saints, illuminates the Divine Throne and heavens, signifying its immense power.
• Divine saints act as channels of divine grace (vasā'et-e fayẓ) and treasuries of God's lights in the world.
• Mowlana's interpretation is profoundly linked to the Hadith Qudsi: 'The heart of My believing servant contains Me.'
• The light radiating from the heart of the Perfect Human illuminates the cosmos, even overshadowing the light of celestial spheres.