M6:3354 — گر نماید غیر هم تمویه اوست / ور رود غیر از نظر تنبیه اوست

Translation: If something appears as Other, that is His tamwīh (deception/semblance). And if the Unseen withdraws from sight, that is His tanbīh (warning/awakening). Meaning: This couplet suggests that any appearance in the world that deviates from its true nature, or any disappearance of the unseen from perception, are both manifestations of God's tamwīh (strategic veiling/deception) or tanbīh (warning/awakening).

This couplet, nestled within the thrilling tale of the horse and the king, articulates a profound and pivotal point about the workings of God and the nature of His manifestation in the world. Mawlana states here that whenever something in the world presents an appearance other than its true essence, this itself is His tamwīh. Tamwīh, as per its etymological root, means to make copper appear as gold through trickery; that is, deception, presenting something in a form other than what it truly is. Therefore, wherever an appearance misleads us or a truth is veiled, this is an act by the Creator Himself, a form of divine strategem whose ultimate goal is spiritual cultivation and guidance.

And then the second aspect: "And if the Unseen withdraws from sight, that is His tanbīh (warning/awakening)." If that very 'other' – meaning that deceptive appearance or that hidden truth – disappears from our field of vision or becomes absent, this too is His tanbīh. Tanbīh here carries two significant meanings: one, as punishment or reprimand, and the other, which in my view is deeper and more original, as an awakening or making one aware. The word intibāh means awareness, so tanbīh means leading another towards awareness. This unveiling or veiling, concealing or revealing, are all instruments in the hand of God for the training of seekers.

Following this couplet, Mawlana concludes: "Then he was certain that the attraction was from that secret source / For God’s work is every moment a new wonder." Here, Mawlana unveils a general and fundamental rule that holds a high place in Islamic philosophy and mysticism, especially with Ibn al-ʿArabī: "Lā takrār fī al-tajallī" (there is no repetition in divine manifestation). God never manifests Himself in a repetitive form. Every moment is a new manifestation, a rare and unprecedented event. We, due to the errors of our senses and intellect, and our habit of viewing the world as old, fail to perceive this 'new wonder' and imagine everything to be stale and repetitive. But in reality, the world is every moment renewing itself and presenting a fresh manifestation of the Real. These tamwīh and tanbīh are also facets of these non-repetitive divine manifestations, whose purpose, whether through apparent deception or the warning of absence, is always to liberate us from heedlessness and lead us towards truth.

Key takeaways

• Every deceptive appearance or hidden truth is a manifestation of divine Providence (tamwīh and tanbīh).
• Divine tamwīh (deception) is the veiling of truth in a misleading guise, intended for the seeker's spiritual training.
• Divine tanbīh (warning/awakening) can mean both punishment and a call to awareness.
• In Mawlana's worldview, everything that occurs originates from God and serves a pedagogical purpose.
• God's work is perpetually a 'new wonder'; divine manifestations are ever-fresh and unrepeated (Lā takrār fī al-tajallī).
• Our sensory and intellectual errors prevent us from perceiving the world's constant newness, making us see it as stale.