M6:3445 — کار و بار انبیا و مرسلون / هست از افلاک و اخترها برون

Translation: The work and affairs of prophets and messengers Are beyond the heavens and the stars.

Meaning: This verse asserts that while prophets and saints appear to live within the material world, their true realm of existence and action transcends the limitations of time, space, and natural laws.

From Mawlana's perspective, while prophets and messengers physically reside among us and ostensibly abide by the constraints of nature, their true 'work and affairs' transcend these confines. They are seated here, yet they journey through the boundless realms of the unseen. Our ordinary understanding of a human being is insufficient to grasp the stature of prophets and those who have reached union (wasilan); we must not assume they are bound by time, space, and material laws as we are.

Mawlana illuminates this truth with a clear analogy: just as the moon traverses all the celestial constellations in a single night, moving from one end to the other, how can it be that the elevated thoughts and lofty aspirations of prophets and divine saints cannot pass beyond the heavens and traverse transcendental realms? Thus, their true realm of dominion lies elsewhere, beyond what is perceivable by the physical eye.

This 'work and affairs' beyond the heavens signifies a domain where their souls and spirits dwell in formlessness (bi-surati) and absolute freedom. If we wish to comprehend their true work, we too must 'go beyond the heavens and their cycles' — that is, transcend the prison of nature and its repetitive motions. As long as we are confined within the material world, we lack the capacity to grasp their boundless inner journeys and their subtle interventions.

This is precisely the point Mawlana expresses with utmost clarity in his Divan-e Shams: 'I was a bird of the divine realm, you saw I became human.' He emphasizes that we should not view them with the 'physical eye' — a superficial, material gaze — but rather with the 'eye of the heart' to perceive the truth of their being, finding them in lightness and freedom in the realm of the divine (lahut). Their presence in the human world (nasut) is not born of captivity, but of 'lightness of burden' and the fulfillment of a mission they carry.

Of course, this does not imply isolation or detachment from people. Prophets are commanded to 'speak to people according to their intellects' (nuqallimu al-nasa 'ala qadri 'uqulihim). Therefore, when they speak or act in this world, their actions and words are limited by the capacity of human understanding. Otherwise, if they were to speak of pure truth from their lahuti realm, they would cast us into an unintended astonishment. Their apparent life among us is a form of concession and companionship, not a full reflection of their expansive being. They are seated here, not out of captivity, but out of choice and for the sake of guidance.

Key takeaways

• The true realm of existence and action for prophets and saints transcends time, space, and natural laws, even when they are physically present in the material world.
• Grasping this truth requires moving beyond the limitations of sensory and material perception; we must see with the 'eye of the heart'.
• Mawlana views the prophets' presence in the material world not as captivity, but as a 'light-burdened' and chosen presence for fulfilling their mission.
• Despite their inner vastness, prophets speak to people according to their intellects to avoid unintended astonishment.
• This verse emphasizes that the station of saints and those in union is beyond being imprisoned in nature; while present on earth, they journey through boundless unseen realms.