M6:73 — نان‌دهنده و نان‌ستان و نان‌پاک / ساده گردند از صور گردند خاک

Translation: The bread-giver, the bread-taker, and the pure bread (nān-e pāk), They all become simple, losing their forms (ṣūvar), and turn to dust.

Meaning: This verse articulates that all physical manifestations—be it humans who give or receive, or the sustenance itself—are transient forms destined to return to dust. Yet, it implicitly states, their underlying meaning or spiritual essence transcends this physical decay.

Mowlana here introduces a profound and foundational discussion that is central to the Masnavi and his mystical philosophy: the distinction between form (ṣūrat) and meaning or spirit (maʿnī/jān). This couplet, like many in the Masnavi, is an invitation to move beyond the husk to the kernel, from the apparent to the real. As I have always maintained, Mowlana views words as mere chaff and debris upon pure water; the reader must transcend this surface to reach the ocean of meaning. He emphasizes, “I will shatter speech, word, and sound / So that I may commune with you without these three.” This couplet precisely aligns with that principle.

What Mowlana means is that all beings in this world, everything that has taken on a form and mold, is subject to decay and demise. The bread-giver, a human with a particular body; the bread-taker, also possessing a material form; and even the pure bread itself, an objective form—all return to dust, and their forms vanish. But the crucial point is that this end of form does not signify the end of meaning. Mowlana explicitly states in subsequent verses: “The form turned to dust, but the meaning did not / Whoever says it did, tell him, ‘No, it did not.’” The meaning of things persists in another realm, independent of their formal determinations.

These statements clearly carry the scent of Neoplatonic philosophy and Plato's Forms; particularly the idea of ṭibāʿ-i tām (perfect nature) evident in Suhrawardi’s works. To grasp this idea, let us turn to our own mental world: when an architect conceives of a building, that building first exists as a mental form. This mental form then manifests into an objective, external form. Now, if this external building collapses, its mental form remains in the architect’s mind and does not perish. The transcendent realm (ʿālam-e bī-ṣūrat) operates similarly; the higher world is the source and grantor of all forms. Everything—be it bread, soul, or our thoughts—has a root in the formless realm.

Another vital point Mowlana touches upon is causality. In the natural world, nothing is a true causa movens (creative cause) in the real sense; rather, all are merely causae remotae (preparatory causes). The act of granting existence does not originate from us humans. We are merely facilitators and preparers for that higher agent and ultimate cause to bring something into existence. It's like the “giving of a morsel” that comes from us, while the “granting of a throat” to swallow it is the work of God. Therefore, every form that appears in this world has its originator and grantor from the higher realm, from that formless world. These forms come into being by divine command (amr) and are stripped of form by divine command. As the Quran states: “To Him belong creation and command (Lahul-Khalqu wal-Amr).” Creation (khalq) is the form, and command (amr) is the spirit and meaning. The spirit rides upon the form, and both are under the command of the Absolute King. The body is at the threshold, and the soul is in the court.

Key takeaways

• Material forms and manifestations are destined to perish.
• The true meaning and essence of things persist even after their forms decay.
• The ultimate origin of every form and existence emanates from the formless, higher realm.
• Natural causes merely prepare the ground for the manifestation of truths, rather than being true creators (preparatory causes).
• Neoplatonic philosophy and Plato's theory of Forms are evident in these verses by Mowlana.
• The couplet emphasizes the distinction between 'creation' (form) and 'command' (spirit) as rider and vehicle.