M6:2971 — برکشیدش فوق این نیلی‌حصار / مرغ گردونی چو چغزش زاغ‌وار

Translation: He (Jesus) was lifted above this azure enclosure; A celestial bird, like a raven seizing its chick. Meaning: This verse refers to the ascension of Jesus Christ, stating that he was carried away from the earthly realm by a heavenly being, signifying his trans-mundane essence.

I maintain that to truly grasp this verse, one must first recall Mowlana's profound declaration, "Kinship is not by outward form, O sky." Here, Mowlana asserts that genuine genus or essential affinity transcends mere physical appearance. It is an inner truth, a hidden belonging, an ontological root that defines being. Following this principle, Mowlana posits a radical and fundamental claim regarding Jesus Christ: "Jesus came among humans of the genus of angels." This is no mere metaphor; it is a deep ontological statement. Jesus, despite his human form, possessed an angelic essence, a different kind of being altogether, manifesting in this world. Mowlana's evidence for this extraordinary claim is precisely the phenomenon of Jesus's ascension. He argues that Jesus's ability to "fly and leave" for the heavens is irrefutable proof of his angelic genus. A being who can transcend the earthly realm in such a manner must inherently belong to the realm of birds or, more profoundly, angels. Indeed, Jesus's very ascent stands as testimony to his trans-human essence. This verse, "He (Jesus) was lifted above this azure enclosure; a celestial bird, like a raven seizing its chick," vividly depicts this very ascension. The "celestial bird" (murgh-e gardūnī), as Mowlana implies and as I understand it, refers to a mighty archangel—be it Gabriel or Azrael—who, according to Christian traditions, physically bore Jesus upwards. Now, I must interject that in the Islamic tradition, the Quranic verses concerning Jesus's ascension, particularly "God lifted him to Himself" (rafaʿahu Allāhu ilayhi), are notably ambiguous; some exegetes, as you know, interpret this "lifting" as a spiritual taking of the soul, not a bodily ascent. However, Mowlana here consciously embraces the narrative of physical elevation, leveraging it to illustrate a profound metaphysical point: that existence manifests in diverse genera, and outward form can be deceiving. The striking imagery of a "raven seizing its chick" (choghzash zāgh-vār) conveys the sudden, decisive, and divinely ordained nature of this extraordinary elevation, tearing Jesus away from the "blue enclosure" (nīlī-ḥiṣār) of the material world.

Key takeaways

• The true genus and essence of individuals transcend their physical form and appearance.
• The ability to ascend and move beyond material limitations is a sign of a higher, distinct genus.
• Mowlana considers Jesus's ascension as definitive proof of his angelic nature.
• The verse asserts that divine and celestial beings can manifest and act physically in the world.