M6:3741 — گه گه آن بی‌صورت از کتم عدم / مر صور را رو نماید از کرم

Translation: Occasionally, that Formless One, from the veil of non-being, reveals forms to us out of grace.

Let us turn to this profound couplet: "Occasionally, that Formless One, from the veil of non-being, / reveals forms to us out of grace.". This verse encapsulates the zenith of Rumi's discourse on the relationship between 'form' (ṣūrat) and 'the Formless' (bī-ṣūrat) within this volume. As you know, in Rumi's logic, every form emerges from the Formless and returns to it; forms are like servants and dependents of the Formless. Now, this beyt takes us a step further, explaining how this manifestation occurs.

"That Formless One," which is God, Rumi states, "from the veil of non-being" (kātim-i ʿadam), that is, from behind the curtain of nothingness and the unseen, "reveals forms" (rū namāyad), meaning He displays and makes visible certain forms. The pivotal point here is that this unveiling and manifestation occurs "out of grace" (az karam), not justice (ʿadl). Creation is an act of sheer generosity, not equity; for justice presupposes deserts and capacities, and these capacities themselves would require a prior creation, leading to an infinite regress. Thus, the pure bestowal of being from God's essence is a manifestation of His boundless grace.

But what is the purpose of this unveiling? Rumi continues: "So that every form may draw aid from it, / of perfection, and of beauty, and of power.". These revealed forms, these phenomena of the world, draw their sustenance from that eternal Formless. If we perceive perfection in the world of forms, if beauty enchants us, if power manifests in any phenomenon, all of it originates from the Formless. In other words, the world of forms is, in reality, a mask that God has placed upon His Formless face. We see Him within these forms, and we have no choice but to see Him through them; for we possess neither the strength to remove this mask nor the ability to perceive the absolute Formless. This world, to use another analogy, is the embodiment of a divine thought, just as an architect's thought constructs the form of a building. "This world is a thought from the Universal Intellect / Intellect is like the king, and forms are its messengers.".

Here, Rumi points to a fundamental truth: "This world is form, and we are in forms; / Meaning cannot be found except in form.". We, as human beings, are destined and compelled to perceive the Formless through forms. This is akin to how a concealed and hidden meaning only reveals itself to us through words and phrases. The world of creation is also like a divine poem or sermon, in which God has embedded His meanings and intentions within these 'words' and 'forms' (i.e., beings), and through them, we must strive to discover His will.

Therefore, every perfection, every beauty, and every power we behold in this world of forms is a reflection and an emanation of the perfection, beauty, and power of that absolute Formless. This perspective regards existence not as a collection of independent phenomena, but as a perfect mirror of a singular reality that has manifested itself in the multiplicity of forms.

Key takeaways

• The world of forms is a gracious unveiling of the Formless reality from behind the veil of non-being.
• All perfection, beauty, and power found in forms are drawn from the divine Formless essence.
• This world is a mask God wears; we are compelled to perceive the Formless through these manifestations.
• Creation is an act of God's boundless grace (karam), not a matter of deserts or justice (ʿadl).
• The cosmos is akin to a divine utterance, rendered into forms to convey its inherent meanings.