M6:3131 — من مرورا قبلهٔ خود ساختم / قبله‌ساز اصل را انداختم

Translation: I made the other my qibla, / and cast aside the original qibla-maker. Meaning: This verse is a profound confession of a fundamental human error: focusing one's ultimate devotion and attention on created beings or intermediaries, thereby neglecting the true Originator and the absolute Source of all things.

This verse emerges from a sequence where Mawlana speaks through the voice of a man indebted to, and hopeful of, creation—a man now awakened to his error. With this line, he confesses how he strayed in his tawakkul (trust in God) and placed his reliance upon created beings and means, rather than the ultimate Cause of causes (musabbib al-asbab). The core insight here is that making anything other than the true Originator one's qibla becomes a veil between the human being and Reality.

I have repeatedly emphasized that Mawlana constantly calls us to vigilance against misunderstandings. One of the greatest of these misunderstandings concerns the meaning of tawakkul. Tawakkul is never an invitation to laziness or abandonment of means; absolutely not! Just as the Arab left his camel untethered, claiming tawakkul, and the Prophet instructed him, "Tie its leg, then trust in God." Means (asbab) are themselves manifestations of divine action, and trusting them is, in essence, trusting God who established these means. However, the problem arises when one halts at the means, mistaking them for the ultimate goal, and forgetting the ultimate Cause (musabbib). This is where Mawlana's verse takes on its profound meaning. The individual whose "master" (khwaja) bestowed a hat and clothes made the "master" their qibla, even though God had granted them a wise head and their very form. They received "gold" from the "master," but it was God who bestowed the hand that counts gold. Here, one realizes the error of substituting "gold" for the "gold-counter," or confusing the intermediary with the ultimate truth.

This verse is a severe critique of a particular late Sufi perspective that misconstrued idleness, seclusion, and dependence on others as tawakkul. This is not tawakkul; it is tahāmul, which means lassitude and inaction under the guise of trust. Mawlana seeks to convey that the true qibla is tawhīd al-afʿāl (the unity of acts)—the understanding that all matters, all good, and all means originate from God. When we elevate means to the status of ultimate principles and "cast aside" the ultimate Cause, we have, in effect, constructed a false qibla that is nothing short of hidden idolatry. This confession marks a crucial step in the spiritual journey and a return to pure monotheism.

Key takeaways

• The true qibla is the absolute Originator, not created beings or intermediaries.
• Reliance on means must be accompanied by vigilance toward the ultimate Cause; means should not become veils.
• Making created beings one's ultimate focus is a form of hidden idolatry that compromises monotheism.
• Laziness and inaction under the guise of tawakkul is a dangerous misunderstanding that Mawlana rejects.
• Confessing one's error and shifting focus from a false qibla to the true one is a fundamental step in the spiritual journey.