M6:4180 — بعد از آن گوید اگر دانستمی / این معیت را کی او را جستمی

Translation: Thereafter he says: had I known this co-presence (maʿīyat), when would I have ever sought Him? Meaning: This verse suggests that the profound realization of God's ever-present companionship often comes only after a long spiritual journey and arduous seeking, leading the seeker to understand that the Beloved was, in fact, always with them.

This verse unveils a subtle yet profound wisdom in the spiritual journey: that God, at times, guides the seeker through twists and turns, leading them to their desired end via paths they never anticipated. The traveler, in their quest, might stray from their abode, yet this very straying is imbued with divine wisdom, for it is only through the anguish and effort of this journey that the truth of divine co-presence (maʿīyat) reveals itself.

I have repeatedly emphasized that God's co-presence with His servants, as articulated in the Quran – "wa huwa maʿakum aynama kuntum" (He is with you wherever you are) – is not a numerical companionship. It's not that if there are five of us, God becomes the sixth. No, this co-presence is ontological, a maʿīyat-e qayyūmīya; His existence sustains ours. We possess nothing of our own, save that which He has bestowed upon us. Now, the apprehension of this inherent and pervasive co-presence is not achieved merely through intellectual acuity; it demands the 'stopping of the journey' (vaqūf-e safar), requiring active progression and direct experience.

Mawlana here employs the 'Rule of Double False Positions' (or qaʿede-ye khaṭāīn in old arithmetic) as a profound metaphor. This rule states that to find the correct answer to a problem, one might need to make two incorrect guesses, and from the ratio of their errors, arrive at the precise solution. This is a deep metaphor for the spiritual path: the seeker sets out, searches, sometimes makes mistakes, goes astray, or seeks the desired in the wrong places. However, these 'errors,' these diversions, these explorations of various 'doors,' are all part of a divine scheme to bring the seeker to a deeper, more experiential understanding of a reality that was present from the beginning but remained unperceived.

This is the secret of "wa yarzuqhu min ḥaythu lā yaḥtasib" (And He provides for him from where he does not expect). God grants the seeker from a place they had not planned. The servant seeks the Beloved so "earnestly and diligently" (jadd u chust), running with such vigor, only to eventually realize with wonder and joy that they "ought not to have sought" (namī-bāyist just). It is then that they comprehend that the Beloved, like their own 'home,' was always beside them. This journey and quest served to impress this truth not upon the ear of intellect, but upon their entire being: "tā ke ʿaks āyad be gūsh-e del na tard" (so that a reflection reaches the ear of the heart, not directly). True knowledge resides in the wake of these journeys and these wise 'errors'; knowledge that is not gained merely by intellectual sharpness, but by tasting and living.

Key takeaways

• The profound understanding of God's co-presence (maʿīyat) is attained through experience and spiritual journey, not mere intellection.
• Arduous journeys and even apparent 'errors' are not obstacles, but rather integral parts of divine wisdom for deepening spiritual insight.
• The realization that the desired Beloved was always present with the seeker unfolds at the journey's end, after much searching.
• Mawlana uses the ancient 'Rule of Double False Positions' (khaṭāīn) as a metaphor for the necessity of constructive missteps on the spiritual path.