M6:3752 — پس بمعنی سوی بی‌صورت شدی / گرچه زان مقصود غافل آمدی

Translation: So in essence, you went towards the Formless, / Though of that ultimate aim, you remained unaware. Meaning: This verse asserts that every human endeavor and journey, despite its apparent focus on forms, is fundamentally an unconscious movement towards the Formless Reality (God), even if the individual remains oblivious to this ultimate destination.

This verse unveils one of Mawlana's most crucial insights in the Masnavi: the narrative of the 'Formless' (بي‌صورت). Here, Mawlana tells us that this world of forms (صورت), in its entirety, has emerged from the Formless, and all our movements, though seemingly confined to the realm of forms and senses, are in essence a journey towards that very Formless. We have reiterated this worldview many times: creation is an act of grace (کرم), not justice (عدل), for our capabilities and potentials arise without any prior deserving. Therefore, forms derive sustenance from the Formless; they possess nothing of their own.

It is for this reason that Mawlana explicitly states: 'If a form seeks perfection from another form, / That is the essence of delusion.' If one form seeks completion from another, it is pure error, for that other form is itself needy. This is like a beggar seeking from another beggar, or the blind leading the blind. As the prayers in the Sahifa Sajjadiyya ask: 'How can a needy one ask another needy one?' This philosophical stance is rooted in reliance on God (تَوکّل), contentment (قناعت), and the unity of divine acts (توحید افعالی), teaching us that true need must be presented to the Formless, not to forms. Forms are but empty vessels, filled by the Formless.

The crucial point is that this Formless cannot be found in mere concepts or thoughts. It is in humility (تضرع) and self-effacement (افنای خویش) that you find it, not in contemplation or mental constructions. As Khaqani said, 'If nothing casts a shadow, I am that shadow of nothing.' One must become nothing, like an empty bowl waiting to be filled. This is akin to the Prophet's beautiful parable, where he told his people to dig ditches for the rain to fall; 'Seek less water, bring forth thirst, / So your water may well up from above and below.' You must empty, not fill, for the Formless to manifest within you.

Mawlana illustrates this unconscious journey with examples: when you travel to a city, it is the formless delight (ذوق بی‌صورت) of travel that draws you to the city of forms. Or when you approach a friend, it is for a formless companionship and intimacy that you move towards their physical form. This formless intimacy draws you to the friend with form, and then, by their side, you experience another formless joy. Thus, in all these movements, you have truly set out towards the Formless, even if you remain unaware of this ultimate purpose. All 'sīrān-i subul'—journeying through paths and ways—is in pursuit of a delight that ultimately leads to the Absolute Formless.

This implies that all human beings are, in a sense, God-seekers, though many remain ignorant of their own quest, mistaking their goals for crude and coarse forms. Those who seek absolute perfection are seeking the Formless, and those who settle for partial and illusory pleasures are still moving, step by step, from grosser forms towards more subtle ones, hoping perhaps to reach the 'most subtle of subtleties' and the Absolute Formless.

Mawlana further notes that some 'turn towards the tail' (رو سوی دم کرده‌اند) while others 'lose their head' (سر گم کرده‌اند). This means that in this world of forms, some cling to the 'head' of forms (their essence or higher manifestations) while others cling to their 'tail' (their lowest manifestations). But there is another group that, having lost both their head and their feet, directly contemplate the Formless. When they surrendered all of themselves, they gained everything and hastened from lowliness towards the Whole. They joined the ocean like a drop, becoming formless themselves, which is the ultimate culmination of the journey.

Key takeaways

• Every human movement and quest, even within the realm of forms, is an unconscious journey towards the Absolute Formless (God).
• Perfection should not be sought from other forms, as all forms are themselves needy of the Formless; seeking from a needy entity is utter delusion.
• The Formless Reality is not found through intellectual thought or mental constructions, but is revealed through humility and self-effacement (emptying and preparing oneself).
• It is the formless desire for joy and pleasure that draws humans towards forms, with an underlying yearning for the Absolute Formless behind every specific pleasure.
• All humans, whether consciously or unconsciously, are seekers of God; the difference lies in the level and degree of their perception of this ultimate destination.
• The peak of spiritual journey is to lose 'head and foot' (all particular attachments and perceptions) and unite with the entirety of the Formless.