M6:3003 — لوح محفوظ از نظرشان دور شد / لوح ایشان ساحر و مسحور شد

Translation: The Preserved Tablet (Lawḥ-e Maḥfūẓ) vanished from their sight; their own inner tablet became bewitching and bewitched. Meaning: This verse describes angels who, after falling from their divine station and succumbing to earthly temptations, lost their direct vision of divine truth, becoming both practitioners and victims of illusion and magic.

This verse is part of the enigmatic story of Harut and Marut, which Rumi employs to illustrate the profound consequences of a change in one's disposition (khuy). The tale of these two angels, alluded to in verse 102 of Surah Al-Baqarah in the Quran, is one of those deeply ambiguous passages upon which, as Allameh Tabataba'i noted, over 1.2 million interpretations have been posited throughout history. Yet, Rumi, like many commentators and Sufis, draws upon the more widely known myth: these two angels questioned God about human corruption, and to allow them to experience the human condition, God sent them to Earth. There, tempted by a woman named Zohreh (Venus), they succumbed to sin and lost their exalted station.

The crux of this verse lies in the word 'tablet' (lawḥ). The 'Preserved Tablet' (Lawḥ-e Maḥfūẓ) is a Quranic term signifying the locus of divine knowledge, where all truths, decrees, and sciences are inscribed. Rumi, and many mystics before him, understood Lawḥ-e Maḥfūẓ, Qalam (the Pen), and ʿArsh (the Throne) not as material objects, but as vast beings or magnificent angels embodying all knowledge. These are metaphorical expressions for transcendent realities that must be stripped of their earthly connotations and imbued with a sacred, supra-mundane significance. When these angels were in the realm of sanctity, the Lawḥ-e Maḥfūẓ—unveiled, pure truth—was directly before their eyes, protected from any error or change.

However, when their nature changed and became attuned to the disposition of earthly beings, 'the Preserved Tablet vanished from their sight.' That absolute knowledge and unveiled truth were no longer manifest to them. Even worse, 'their own inner tablet became bewitching and bewitched.' 'Their tablet' here refers to the angels' own existential capacity and perceptual apparatus. This inner tablet, once a perfect mirror of the Lawḥ-e Maḥfūẓ, now itself practiced sorcery and was ensnared by it. That is to say, it became entangled in magic, illusion, fantasy, and misleading actions and reactions. Their vision became obscured; they saw truths inverted and fell into the abyss of deception and being deceived. This is precisely the calamity that befalls humanity when it deviates from its sacred essence and succumbs to worldly desires and passions.

Through this story, Rumi aims to convey the extent to which a change in khuy can transform our very being. As he states, 'Musa on the Throne, and a mean Pharaoh on the ground.' Angels who once, like Moses, rested on the throne of divine knowledge, through a change in their disposition, turned into mean and lowly Pharaohs. This signifies that the existential capacity of any being, from angel to human, is a function of its khuy or essence. If the khuy changes, even the perception of truth and the capacity for understanding and action are altered. This transformation must be taken seriously, for every action ultimately shapes our 'inner tablet,' drawing it either toward light or toward sorcery and bewitchment.

Key takeaways

• A change in one's disposition (khuy), even in angels, can lead to a fall from the highest divine station.
• The 'Preserved Tablet' (Lawḥ-e Maḥfūẓ) is not a material object but a vast, angelic being embodying absolute divine knowledge.
• Distancing oneself from divine truths can cause one's perceptual faculty to become a source of illusion and deception.
• Inner corruption leads to a complete alteration of vision and action, devolving from a Moses-like purity to a Pharaoh-like meanness.
• Rumi emphasizes the critical importance of refining one's khuy, as it fundamentally shapes one's existential essence and perceptual destiny.