M6:3339 — چشم‌بند از چشم روزی کی رود / صنع از صانع چه سان شیدا شود

Translation: When will the blindfold ever be removed from the eye? / How will the creation then become manifest from the Creator? Meaning: The verse questions when the inner blindfolds will be lifted from our perception, enabling us to see the Creator and His presence in all phenomena and creations of the world.

This verse from Mawlana, beyond doubt, unveils the profound depth of his mystical insight, delving into a fundamental question of ontology and epistemology: how is the Real (God) to be perceived within creation? Mawlana here speaks of a chashm-band (blindfold), referring to the veils that obstruct the sight of truth. These blindfolds are not merely external obscurations; they are shackles upon our intellect and fetters upon our inner perception.

The question of rūzī kay ravad (when will it be removed?) expresses an expectation and hope for the advent of a moment of enlightened insight. When this blindfold is lifted, then ṣanʿ az ṣāniʿ shaydā shavad; meaning, the created (the maṣnūʿ) and all phenomena will manifest not in isolation, but in direct connection with the Creator (ṣāniʿ). This is not merely an act of seeing; it is a manifestation and a luminescence wherein creation derives its very essence from the Creator, becoming illuminated in His shadow.

I have frequently emphasized that humanity experiences three distinct levels of perception when confronting existence. The first level is seeing only the ṣanʿ; that is, perceiving only objects, phenomena, and events without apprehending any transcendent power behind them. This is the superficial view of those caught in material causes and effects.

The second level is seeing the ṣanʿ az ṣāniʿ. At this stage, the blindfold of material causality is removed, and one understands that every phenomenon, every physical entity, every event is a manifestation and product of the will and power of the Creator who brought it into being. Here, the effect simultaneously reveals its ultimate cause. To illustrate this, I offer an analogy: we see a table in the sunlight. We see both the table, and we know that the sunlight enables its vision. This perspective is that of thinkers and those with deeper insight.

However, there is also a third level, transcending these: seeing only the ṣāniʿ, such that the ṣanʿ becomes effaced and vanishes within Him. This is akin to the sun shining with such overwhelming brilliance that our eyes perceive nothing but that immense light, and the details of created things disappear within it. This is the station of annihilation in divine unity (fanāʾ fī al-tawḥīd), attainable only by God's special saints. Mawlana's verse here primarily addresses the second stage, where creation and Creator are seen simultaneously, yet it opens the door to the third stage as well.

The chashm-band can be manifold. The most significant of these is enslavement to asbāb-o-musabbabāt (causes and effects); that is, the belief that material causes are self-sufficient and independent of any higher power. This perspective conceals the hand of God behind events. Other blindfolds include carnal desires, internal envies, and angers that blind our perception. The mission of prophets and great spiritual guides is precisely this: to open the eye and free the intellect from these chains and veils. True freedom, in their view, is the liberation of the intellect from all these bonds, so that the eye of truth can open and perceive creation within the Creator, and the Creator within creation.

Key takeaways

• The verse points to inner veils that prevent seeing truth, not merely external blindfolds.
• Perception of existence has three levels: seeing only creation, seeing creation with the Creator, and seeing only the Creator.
• Overcoming materialistic causality is essential for discerning God's hand in phenomena.
• Spiritual blindfolds include carnal desires, envy, and anger, which obscure true insight.
• The mission of prophets and guides is to free the intellect and remove these blindfolds for the apprehension of truth.